What can Christianity and Islam teach us about peacebuilding?

Drawing on both Christian and Islamic traditions, Things That Make For Peace is a new book that considers the role these faiths may play in peacebuilding.

United Theological College’s Dr Anthony Rees is the book’s editor. He told Insights that readers can expect, “a serious, humble exploration of different ideas about peace drawn from Christian and Islamic traditions.”

“Each of the papers in this collection begin with a text, and then moves outwards to explore resources for making peace from within our respective traditions,” Dr Rees said.

The book draws together papers from the inaugural Things that Make for Peace conference. Held at UTC from 7 to 9 March 2018, the event was the first of its kind in Australia. It featured Islamic and Christian scholars addressing issues related to peace and had two key-note speakers: Professor Daniel Smith-Christopher (Loyola Marymount University) and Professor Zeki Saritoprak (John Carroll University)

The conference featured academics from the University of Divinity, Australian National University, Western Sydney University, Alphacrucis College, as well as a number of colleagues from within the Charles Sturt University School of Theology, and the Centre for Islamic Society and Culture.

The book is dedicated to those who lost their lives in the Christchurch mosque massacres and the Sri Lankan Good Friday attacks.

Prof Paul Martens from Baylor University wrote an endorsement for the book.

“This collection of essays judiciously illuminates the things that make for peace in the texts of Islam and Christianity in ways that preserve the integrity of both traditions while highlighting points of theological and practical convergence,” he wrote.

“Simply stated, this is an excellent provocation and there is much to learn from the humble conviction on display here.”

Things That Make For Peace: Traversing Text and Tradition in Christianity and Islam is available for pre-order online here.