Scott Appleby in Religion and Peacebuilding, Harold Coward and Gordon S. Smith, eds., (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2004).

This book looks beyond headlines concerning violence perpetrated in the name of religion to examine how world religions have also inspired social welfare and peacemaking activism. In their introductory chapter, Appleby and co-author David Little point out that non-extremist believers who see peacemaking as central to their religious identity face daunting challenges. They may be required to confront combatants and proponents of violence who propose to speak in the name of, and with the authority of, the religious tradition. Beyond making peace, the authors say, lies the more complex task of promoting nonviolent social change – something for which religious leaders may be ill-prepared.

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