Faith and Violence: Christian Teaching and Christian Practice
“Faith and Violenceis a Merton reader for our time. . . . Its thrust is simple: that ‘theology today needs to focus carefully upon the crucial problem of violence.’ Carefully and crucial are the key words there--the ones that interiorly bind together the pieces collected in the volume. The pieces, in turn, attempt to give a wide, interior acquaintance with the violence that Christianity has made peace with in the West. . . . Merton’s ability to mine [his themes] is often startling--and taken as a whole his is a valuable sourcebook in an area (theology and violence) that inspires much alarm and dogmatism, but little open and perdurable thought.” --New Book Review“Thomas Merton’s courage, honesty and concern for all humanity and for his own people particularly is so terrifyingly positive that many of his own country and faith might find him extremely disconcerting. That surely is his strength.Faith and Violenceis a meaningful book--direct and powerful--to which young minds in schools and colleges of this country should be exposed, both for its profound ideas and for the rich variety of its English prose style.” --The Courier-Journal & Times“Merton . . . provided a theology of Christian concern and commentary that America and the church in America desperately needs. This book is valuable for an authentic Christian testimony on the tragic years of the 1960’s.” --Christian Living