Peace Churches Research Articles

Moral Consciousness, Religion and Peace Action

A communitarian ethical approach is at least as important for the pastoral dealing with peace issues in the church as a procedural ethical approach. Empirical support for this thesis is gathered through a survey among 175 members of Dutch church peace movements and 127 church members who are not active in a peace movement. First, a conceptualisation of communitarian peace attitudes is elaborated. Then, the effects of communitarian peace attitudes on peace action are tested. Significant effects are measured for both groups. The article concludes that there is an important communitarian dimension in the empirical theological ethics of peace. This communitarian dimension involves in particular the identity and mission of the church with regard to peace issues. Pastoral dealing with peace issues in the church, but also with other moral issues, should not neglect the communitarian side of the moral consciousness of believers.

A History of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Steubenville, Ohio. Volume I: The Mussio Years (1945-1977) By Francis F. Brown

BCX)K REVIEWS 469 enees for its membership. Their involvement and integration in the world shifted their views toward the state and led Mennonites away from a separated church-and-state vision to a new emphasis on their moral responsibility in the world. The meek and mild became active peacemakers seeking ways to resist oppression and social injustice. The theological brokers found ways to turn the nonresistant tradition on its conceptual head to sanction civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance. Driedger and Kraybill are fearful that these changes "have resulted in a pleasant veneer of contemporary peacemaking that will crack under the stress of harsh political conditions." It is the old story of a Christian community trying to do good and ending up doing well. This is a highly readable book which provides not only a basic history of the Mennonites and their current status, but also provides a thorough understanding of the theological transformation from nonresistance as church doctrine to active nonviolent peacemaking with respect for individual conscience within their historic peace church tradition. Thus, today's mainline Mennonites and Brethren in Christ have pasted the label of peacemaking on such wide-ranging efforts that only a few congregations have been willing to require a firm commitment to peacemaking as a requirement for church membership. This theological transformation that the authors examined would have had greater significance if they had placed it within the context of comparative studies in American religion. Regrettably, they made no such attempt. Patricia McNeal Indiana University, South Bend A History of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Steubenville, Ohio. Volume I: The Mussio Years (1945-1977). By Francis F. Brown. (Lewiston, New York: The Edward Mellen Press. 1994. Pp. lxi, 504. «119.95.) In the volume under review, Father Francis F. Brown has written a firstperson account of the foundation of the Diocese of Steubenville, Ohio, and the ensuing three decades of Bishop John King Mussio's tenure as ordinary. Father Brown himselfwas active in the diocese for most of this period, usually in some official diocesan position. It is important to realize that the work is more of a memoir with historical material than a history of the diocese following strict historical methodology. In the introduction the author admits that he does not consider himself to be an historian but rather "a journalist with some sense of history." He relies primarily upon his own memory, the diocesan newspaper ofwhich he had been the editor, and extensive interviews with more than one hundred persons involved in the life and the work of the diocese during its first thirty-two years. The author states explicitly that he has avoided the diocesan archives, in part because of the destruction of the 470 BOOK REVIEWS priests' confidential files by the second bishop of the diocese, Albert Ottenweller . Given this approach, the work lacks the historical objectivity that one would expect to find in a work entitled a History of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Steubenville, Ohio. Conjectures and opinions are given about episcopal motives, some of which might be quite valid, but without the backing of archival material they often remain simply in the realm of conjecture and opinion. The reader learns a great deal about how others perceived the actions of Bishop Mussio but not necessarily why the bishop acted as he did. This is not to say that the work does not have value. Father Brown gives a great deal of factual material about the diocese and the oral testimony that he presents is of genuine value. He strives for objectivity in presenting views other than his own and is generally successful in this endeavor. The Diocese of Steubenville encompasses an area that has long been depressed economically and at times the very continuance of the diocese has been questioned. The story is rather inspiring in terms of the sacrifices made by the priests, religious, and laity of the diocese. The author writes with an engaging style that displays his journalistic background. Often he shows a sense of humor such as when he describes how he himself was relieved of the title of Monsignor . The book could have benefited from a more thorough editing since there are...

The Politics of Conscience: The Historic Peace Churches and America at War, 1917-1955 (review)

Book Reviews45 all, it is important to note that Wharton came from a well-to-do Hicksite family in which both parents followed the vocation of the ministry. He was raised by parents generous in both their wealth and their time, and he admired those parents, particularly his mother, Deborah. Still, Wharton's own positions on issues often appear to be expedient. His family were strong abolitionists; Joseph deplored slavery but the position he adopted as a youth, of allowing southerners to make up their own minds about the morality of their slave system, allowed him to continue to sell his nickel and zinc in southern states. He appears to have had few pacifist leanings, so nothing deterred him from major expansion in his zinc works in order to feed the military expansion of the north. "He would make zinc for shells; use the profits to buy bonds; and contribute money to the support of soldiers and their families" (p. 110) even when this distressed his mother, who was a pacifist. Yates makes the valuable point that Wharton did not believe in the morality of making money from the mere manipulation of stocks and bonds, which distinguished him from other industrialists of his day. He was charitable at home and at large, if prone to administer advice in large doses along with his gifts. All of these are admirable qualities but do they mark Wharton as uniquely a member of the Religious Society of Friends? Only marginally so. Yates's equation of Protestantism and success at capitalist enterprise appears to be the major reason for labelling Wharton as a Quaker industrial pioneer. His thrift, hard work, and dogged energy in his business enterprises mark him as a man of his age, certainly, but where the Quaker values espoused by his own family warred with his business interests, Wharton chose business. Haverford CollegeSusan Mosher Stuard The Politics of Conscience: The Historic Peace Churches and America at War, 1917-1955. By Albert N. Keim and Grant M. Stolzfus. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1988. 176 pp. $14.95. This book recounts the joint efforts of Mennonites, Friends, and Brethren to establish legal recognition of conscientious objectors to war service, and their struggle to implement alternative service for them in World War I and World War II under the 1948 Selective Service Act and its revision during the Korean War 1950-51 . 1 am delighted with the fresh perspective and new insights which the Mennonite point of view of these two authors brings. The Selective Training Act passed by Congress in May 1917 recognized the "privilege" of conscientious objection by inducting such religious objectors into the armed forces but assigning them to non-combatant duty. In March 1918 Congress passed an act which permitted men to be furloughed out of the armed forces "during harvest and planting time ... to assist in agricultural production" (p. 48). Following a series of Historic Peace Churches conferences in the 1930's, Mennonites , Friends, and Brethren reached a joint consensus on what they desired for alternative service for conscientious objectors as World War II became imminent , and persuaded the U.S. Congress to include "work of national importance under civilian direction" as alternative service for conscientious objectors in the Draft Act of 1940. Keim and Stolzfus laconically describe the outcome: "A unique partnership between the Historic Peace Churches and the Selective Service System was born" (p. 114). This meant that while the Peace Churches managed the camps and had to raise the money to maintain the men 46Quaker History in them, Selective Service controlled and supervised the whole operation. The 1940 Selective Service Act died with the end of World War II but was succeeded by a new one passed in 1948. Curiously, this one provided for the simple deferment of conscientious objectors. The entrance of the United States into the Korean War in 1950 brought a revision of the Selective Service Act and the requirement that conscientious objectors do two years of alternative service. After favorable court rulings men who objected to military service on "economic" or "social" grounds, rather than because of "religious training and belief," were permitted to do alternative service. Many Mennonites, Friends, Brethren, and...

The Politics of Conscience: The Historic Peace Churches and America at War, 1917–1955. By Albert N. Keim and Grant M. Stoltzfus. Scottdale, Pennsylvania: Herald Press, 1988. 176 pp. $14.95 paper.

The Politics of Conscience: The Historic Peace Churches and America at War, 1917–1955. By Albert N. Keim and Grant M. Stoltzfus. Scottdale, Pennsylvania: Herald Press, 1988. 176 pp. $14.95 paper. - Volume 58 Issue 4

Dilemmas of Christian Pacifism within a Historic Peace Church

A review of the literature on peace movements and pacifism in America reveals a small but slowly increasing concern for replacing war and violence with peaceful methods of conflict resolution. Recently many Christian denominations have recognized the validity of the pacifist option for their members who are conscientiously opposed to participation in military operations. Since pacifism has come to be associated with left-wing movements, pacifists and conservative church members tend to locate toward opposite ends of the liberal-conservative socio-religious-political continuum.Although a majority of Mennonites adhere to their traditional pacifism rooted in a conservative biblicism, a minority do not. A major survey of Mennonite church members reveals their pacifist and political leanings. The hypothesis that conservatives would accept pacifism more strongly than liberals was rejected.

A “Peace Church” Perspective on Covenanting

The Ecumenical ReviewVolume 38, Issue 3 p. 318-321 A “Peace Church” Perspective on Covenanting John H. Yoder, John H. YoderSearch for more papers by this author John H. Yoder, John H. YoderSearch for more papers by this author First published: July 1986 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1758-6623.1986.tb01358.xCitations: 1 • John H. Yoder is professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame. South Bend, Indiana, USA. Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume38, Issue3July 1986Pages 318-321 RelatedInformation

A Withdrawal from Peace: The Historical Response to War of the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana)

T he issue of war remains as troubling today as ever before, particularly for Christians reevaluating their beliefs in light of the proliferation of massive nuclear arsenals. Recent denuncia tions of war mark a new approach to an old dilemma for some religious bodies. For others, war remains a legitimate'tool of the state that can also be useful to the church. In either case, the reactions of Christian groups to the problem of war have fre quently been subject to change throughout the past century. An example of such a group is the Church of God (Anderson, Indi ana). An examination of the Church of God's evolution on the question of war and will provide greater insight into the religious dilemma raised by war and perhaps on the larger American society itself. The Church of God currently claims almost 325,000 adher ents, nearly 180,000 of them in the United States. Within this country, the Church's strength lies in Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan.1 Its approach to the issues of war and has tra ditionally been ambivalent. While the Church of God has con sistently regarded warfare as an ultimate evil, the majority of its members have supported every American war since the move ment began. An influx of early converts from the historic peace churches—the Mennonites, Church of the Brethren, and Quakers—provided the basis of a small pacifist minority that has always existed in the Church of God.2 The common thread that makes this diversity tolerable is the willingness of the Church to adhere to a doctrine of personal convictions that per

Church peace committee founded in Hungary

Church peace committee founded in Hungary

The Church's peace initiative in the GDR—developments during Spring 1982

The Church's peace initiative in the GDR—developments during Spring 1982

Quaker Research in Progress

128Quaker History On September 1, 1981, a special group of historical essays was published in commemoration of the events concerned with the founding of Pennsylvania. Friends in the Delaware Valley traces the development of Quakerism from modest beginnings in 1681 through the reunion of the Hicksite and Orthodox branches in Philadelphia in the mid-twentieth century. The 250-page book, published by the Friends Historical Association, is available from the office oí the Association at the Haverford College Quaker Collection or from the Friends Bookstore in Philadelphia at a cost of $8.95 in hardback and $4.95 in soft cover, plus $1.00 for postage and handling. QUAKER RESEARCH IN PROGRESS John and Barbara Curtis, editors The Reverend Marlin E. Thomas of 2435 Nemery Ct., Waukegan, IL, has recently completed a thesis for the Th.M. degree at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Deerfield, IL. As a Mennonite active in one of the historic peace churches he has been concerned with exploring some of the Old Testament roots of a peace testimony for the Christian church. He devotes a portion of one chapter to an examination of the development of the Quaker peace testimony. Willard B. Moore of 4055 Colfax Ave., South, Minneapolis, MN 35409, writes of detailed plans to complete research on Quaker life in the Hudson River Valley. In association with the staff of the Duchess County Historical Society he is looking for sources on that region, such as journals, diaries, letters, photographs and artifacts which reflect Quaker cultural or spiritual impact. In preparing a study of the social and architectural history of Mill Creek Valley in Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, PA, Gloria O. Becker expects to examine the treason trial of John Roberts, Quaker miller, during the American Revolution. The thesis is being prepared for the doctoral program in American civilization at the University of Pennsylvania. David W. Maxey, of Bryn Mawr, PA, is researching aspects of land speculation in northeastern Pennsylvania in the post-colonial period. Consideration is given to the participation of Henry Drinker, James Wilson, and others in these activities. A master's degree candidate at Villanova University in the History Department , Robert Daiutolo, Jr., is preparing a paper on the Theory and Practice of the Relations of Friends with the Indians in the Period, 1682-1795. ...

Conscience in Crisis: Mennonites and Other Peace Churches in America, 1739-1789: Interpretation and Documents.

Conscience in Crisis: Mennonites and Other Peace Churches in America, 1739-1789: Interpretation and Documents.

Conscience in Crisis: Mennonites and Other Peace Churches in America, 1739-1789, Interpretation and Documents. By Richard K. MacMaster, Samuel L. Horst, and Robert F. Ulle. Studies in Anabaptist and Mennonite History, no. 20

Conscience in Crisis: Mennonites and Other Peace Churches in America, 1739-1789, Interpretation and Documents. By Richard K. MacMaster, Samuel L. Horst, and Robert F. Ulle. Studies in Anabaptist and Mennonite History, no. 20

Briefer Notices

BRIEFER NOTICES By John and Barbara Curtis Pennsylvania Folklore, vol. XXVII, no. 1, Fall, 1977, has an article, pp. 10-18, by William T. Parsons, " Orders What's To Be Done at the Plantation ': The Isaac Norris Farm Accounts 1713-1734." The account books are now in the possession of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the Rosenbach Museum in Philadelphia.» » * E. P. Richardson, an authority on early American art has an article in Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, vol. CII, no. 1, January, 1978, pp. 3-26. "West's Voyage to Italy, 1760 and William Allen" deals with a little known aspect of the artist's life when he was developing his particular artistic talent in historical painting. * * * Anita Schorsch, a Quaker and an expert on neoclassical antiques, has published two works in this field which have relationship to Quaker history. Mourning Becomes America: Mourning Art in the New Nation appeared first and is now followed by Pastoral Dreams, which draws on the resources of art and literature in such varied sources as American primitive painting, English portraiture, needlework pictures, rugs and prints. The photographic reproduction is excellent and includes seldom seen examples of the work of Quaker artists Benjamin West and Edward Hicks. Pastoral Dreams is published by Universe Books, 381 Park Avenue, South, New York, N.Y. 10016. * * » Richard K. McMaster has had his paper on the historic peace churches in the American Revolution published. The title is "Neither Whig nor Tory: The Peace Churches in the American Revolution." The article appeared in Fides Et Historia, vol. IV, no. 2, Spring, 1977, pp. 8-24. * * » The Haviland Records Room of New York Yearly Meeting at 15 Rudierford Place, New York City, reports the retirement of Mary Cook as archivist and the appointment of Elizabeth Moger to carry on this important service for the Yearly Meeting.» * » The Friends World Committee for Consultation has published two small volumes in 1977 that are of interest to historians. The first is Friends in the Americas, edited by Francis B. Hall. Much of the material in this book appeared earlier under the title of American Quakers Today, edited by Edwin B. Bronner and reissued several times with revisions and corrections after an initial appearance first in 1966. Hall has revised and updated this work which is available through Friends United Press at Richmond, Indiana. Francis Hall has also prepared an edition in Spanish, available from Friends United Press with the title Los Amigos in Las Americas. 64 BRIEFER NOTICES65 The history of Quaker missionary activity in Cuba is made available in a publication of Friends United Press having the title Friends in Cuba. The author is Hiram H. Hilty. In this volume he traces with authority and care the progress of Friends from the first Quaker witness in Cuba in 1900 through the formation of the Yearly Meeting down to the present time. * » » The annual meeting of Friends Historical Association was held on November 28, 1977, at the meeting house at 4th and Arch streets in Philadelphia. Mary Hoxie Jones, President of the Association, reported on the business of the association during the past year. A large and attentive audience heard an excellent paper by Elizabedi Gray Vining about the Philadelphians exiled to Winchester, Virginia, during the winter of 1777-78. * # * The Conference of Quaker Historians is planning a meeting this summer, to be held at Quaker Hill, Richmond, Indiana, July 8-10, 1978. The topics to be considered, by means of papers and subsequent discussion, are: "Quakers and Slavery," and "Yearly Meetings in the Third World." Further information may be obtained from Hugh Barbour, Earlham College. QUAKER RESEARCH IN PROGRESS By John and Barbara Curtis The editors are desirous of keeping this column up to date on any projects involving Quaker history. We try to keep informed in a variety of ways, but we depend largely on information sent to us directly by scholars, as well as data gained from contacts at the two Quaker Collections in the Philadelphia area: Haverford College Quaker Collection and Friends Historical Library at Swarthmore College. Please write to John and Barbara Curtis, editors, Quaker Research in Progress, and send to 631 Walnut Lane, Haverford...

European Origins of the Brethren: A Source Book on the Beginnings of the Church of the Brethren in the Early Eighteenth Century, A Two-Hundred-Fiftieth Anniversary Volume , and: The Brethren in Colonial America: A Source Book on the Transplantation and Development of the Church of the Brethren in the Eighteenth Century (review)

Book Reviews53 European Origins of the Brethren: A Source Book on the Beginnings of the Church of the Brethren in the Early Eighteenth Century, A Two-Hundred-Fiftieth Anniversary Volume. Edited by Donald F. Durnbaugh. Elgin, Illinois: The Brethren Press. 1958. 463 pages. $4.75. TL· Brethren in Colonial America: A Source Book on tL· Transplantation and Development of tL· Church of tL· Brethren in tL· Eighteenth Century. Edited by Donald F. Durnbaugh. Elgin, Illinois: The Brethren Press. 1967. 659 pages. $10.00. Of the three major Pennsylvania German "plain" traditions, the Amish seem to have attracted the most sociological and anthropological scholarship. Barred from producing such scholarship by the tenets of their church, the Amish themselves have fascinated a number of disciplines because of their rigid nonconformity and their strong community cohesion. The Mennonites and Brethren, with no objection to higher education, have in the twentieth century produced much excellent historiography and analysis of their own traditions from within their own group. For instance, American Mennonites have produced what I consider the finest denominational encyclopedia produced thus far in the United States, TL· Mennonite Encyclopedia, 4 volumes, Scottdale, Pennsylvania, 1956-1959, as well as one of the top-ranking church-historical periodicals in the world, TL· Mennonite Quarterly Review, published since 1927. The Church of the Brethren, through the work of Professor Donald F. Durnbaugh of Bethany Biblical Seminary, Oak Park, Illinois, has recently produced the most impressive collection of sources dealing with the church's history and tradition. Because of the relation of the peace churches to each other in the colonial period as well as their drawing together in common interests in the twentieth century, Professor Durnbaugh's work will be of more than passing interest to Quaker scholars. The first two of the series of source books projected by Professor Durnbaugh have appeared. The first is entitled European Origins of tL· Brethren. The Brethren tradition, which with its many offshoots forms a kind of Brethren family among American denominations, has by now become the largest of the peace churches of German origin in the United States. It arose in the first decade of the eighteenth century, in the Wittgenstein area of Westphalia, a region famous for its radical pietist groups and propagandists. Contrary to a common misconception, the Brethren were derivative not from Anabaptism but from Pietism, although certain Anabaptist influences were absorbed along the way, and once they settled together in eastern Pennsylvania the Brethren and Mennonites have certainly shared some similar goals and analogous practices, as for example, plain dress as a symbol of nonconformity with the world. For American readers this book lightens whole new areas in European church history. While the book deals with Brethren origins, the Brethren, like the Quakers in the Puritan context, were influenced by a fascinating crisscross of forces in the larger Pietist awakening that was sweeping the German churches. Hence in passing we learn a great deal about the work of such radical pietists as 54Quaker History Hochmann von Hohenau, who influenced and corresponded with Brethren leaders , and Gottfried Arnold, the irenic church historian who produced the first modern church history to treat sectarian movements fairly; and other German figures such as Gerhard Tersteegen whose devotional works continued to influence the Pennsylvania Germans in the nineteenth century. The book itself is divided into six lengthy chapters of documents. The subjects covered are separation from the state church, formation of the actual denomination , expansion through Europe, suppression by governmental edicts and persecution , emigration, and publication efforts. The documents are meticulously edited and with the editor's always pointed and illuminating headnotes give a running account of the development of the Brethren tradition as seen both from within and from without. Other Brethren centers besides Wittgenstein are treated as well, as the movement spread to Marienborn, Krefeld, Schriesheim, Basel, and Surhuisterveen in Holland. Among the heroes of the movement who came to Pennsylvania were the Macks, Alexander Sr. and Jr., and Christopher Sauer. Quaker contacts with Brethren in Krefeld are referred to (pp. 190, 216), and Quaker accounts of the Brethren movement in Europe are cited (pp. 319-320). Dr. Durnbaugh's second volume of the series is TL...

American Religion and the War

Before discussing Vietnam: Crisis of Conscience and the effort it represents, it is well to say something about the diversity within the religious community and its concern for peace. Most of what follows does not deal, for instance, with those who espouse the position of absolute pacifism nor with the historic “peace churches” such as the Friends, Mennonites and others. (But even in these instances discretion is necessary since some of the “peace churches” [e.g., the Friends] are active in the political sphere and some of the groups originally formed by pacifist impetus [e.g., Fellowship of Reconciliation] are increasingly open to those who enter the quest for world peace from a different direction.)

‘DEVOLVED’ MISSIONARIES CHURCH PEACE CORPS OR PROPHET‐PRIESTS?

International Review of MissionVolume 55, Issue 218 p. 213-220 ‘DEVOLVED’ MISSIONARIES CHURCH PEACE CORPS OR PROPHET-PRIESTS? A. Missionary, A. MissionarySearch for more papers by this author A. Missionary, A. MissionarySearch for more papers by this author First published: April 1966 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1758-6631.1966.tb01924.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume55, Issue218April 1966Pages 213-220 RelatedInformation

The Death of a Good Man

After a long, productive and continuously active life, Dr. Arthur J. Brown died early this year at the age of 106. He was the sole surviving charter trustee of The Church Peace Union, the previous name of the Council on Religion and International Affairs, and he remained active as treasurer until his death. He was a pioneer in the ecumenical movement and maintained a constant interest in international affairs. Only last November the editor of worldview received a friendly letter from him commenting on the policies of this journal.

Ungodly Carriages on Cape Cod

IN first half eighteenth century, Rev. Nathaniel Stone Harwich (Brewster) had more influence on Cape Cod thinking than any other man. Firm in Calvinist piety, he fought against Rev. Samuel Osborn Pochet in Eastham (Orleans) from 1718 to 1738. After two decades this remarkable controversy, Mr. Stone had Mr. Osborn removed. Then there other developments. Nathaniel Stone was graduated in 1690 from Harvard, where he was of note chiefly for petty offences committed with surprising regularity.'1 In 1700 Harwich, organizing its church with eight members, made him its first pastor. He was sure the ministry Christ's appointment is ever to be devolved on superior persons from foundation church, persons qualified. Superior and distinguishingly qualified because he was a Harvard man, he was God's elect among foremost. Throughout his Cape pastorate fifty-five years, he acted as if he a bishop. Some opposed his arrogance. Quaker John Hammett wrote: The prophets themselves so far from ascribing their prophetic qualifications to a collegiate education that they wholly ascribe it to spirit God. If Nathaniel Stone were a true minister gospel, endowed with humility and mortifying his pride, self-conceitedness, and ambition, he would not so often sound trumpet his own fame, and self-commendation, and so often court and persuade people to reverence and admire him.2 Cotton Mather called him a wilful, furious, wretched minister, with always grievous ways embroiling peace churches.3

BOOK REVIEWS

Introducing Islam. By J. Christy Wilson. New York, Friendship. Press, 1950, pp. 64, with double page map and illustrations, including the Pmt Surah of the Qur'än, with interlinear Persian translation. Paper $.60.A Commentary on the Creed of Islam: Saed al‐Din al‐Tafäzäni on the Creed of Najm al‐Din al‐Nasafi. Translated with introduction and notes by Earl Edgar Elder. New York, Columbia University Press, 1950, pp. xxxii, 187. $3.75.Arabian Journey and other Desert Travels. By Gerald de Gaury. Illustrated with thirty‐one plates from photographs, and three maps; London, George G. Harrap & Co., Ltd., pp. 190. 12'6 net.Arabic Primer. By Farhat Ziadeh. Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1949, 47.Ruf Zum Gebet Für Die Mohammedaner Mission. Herausgeber: Ernst Max Hoppe, (l0a) Dohna bei Dresden, E. Thaelmannstr. 93, über Heidenau, Russische Zone. pp. 40.The Nature of Man; his World, his spiritual Resources, his Destiny. A Discussion. Edited by A. William Loos, assisted by B. Chrow. New York. The Church Peace Union and the World Alliance for International Fellowship through Religion, 1950. pp. xiv, 110. Price $1.00.Forgotten Religions (including some living primitive Religions), a Symposium. Edited by Vergilius Ferm. New York, Philosophical Library, 1950, pp. XV, 392. $730.Hasidism. By Martin Buber. New York, Philosophical Library, 1948, pp. xii, 208. Price, 53.75.

The Church and World Peace

S THE Christian church opposed to war? Is it force for peace? Many would immediately respond in the affirmative. Is not Jesus traditionally the Prince of Peace? Does not the ethic he preached include Resist not, and the injunctions to turn the other cheek and to forgive even to seventy times seven? True, the injunctions of the Sermon on the Mount are capable of convenient interpretation to make way for common personal and business practices; but the very genius of Christianity, the brotherhood of God's children, it is generally assumed, is quite opposed to the unbrotherliness of war. Not alone in view of Christian principles would there be an affirmative answer. Did not 62 per cent of almost twenty thousand clergymen responding to recent questionnaire declare their belief that the church should go on record as refusing to sanction or support any future war, while 54 per cent declared that in any case they themselves would refuse to participate? One's mind runs back over the numerous post-war declarations of religious conferences (of which one assiduous student has collected 239) in behalf of peace, of education for peace, of disarmament, of the League or league of nations, of outlawry, of arbitration, of the Kellogg Pact, and the resolutions condemning war in such terms as inglorious, ineffective, wasteful, and unchristian, a colossal and ruinous sin. One thinks of the annual Armistice Day message of the Federal Council of Churches and of the thousands of sermons on the theme-It must not be again. The host of religious organizations working for peace comes to mind: The Church Peace Union, The World Alliance for International Friendship through the Churches, The Women's Church Committee on International Good-Will, The Catholic Association for International Peace, The Committee on International Jus-