Reconciling All Things: A Christian Vision for Justice, Peace and Healing (Resources for Reconciliation)

The authors, one a Roman Catholic priest from Rwanda and the other a white American Protestant, are the founding co-directors of the Center for Reconciliation at Duke Divinity School in the USA. This book is part of the Duke-based series on reconciliation (cf. §26.23 Forgiving as We’ve Been Forgiven), and Katongole also wrote the excellent spiritual analysis of the Rwanda genocide (cf. §25.19 Mirror to the Church). What makes this book stand apart is the clear emphasis on God’s redemptive story that must not be ignored when trying to reconcile seemingly hopeless situations and relationships (“we are too broken to fix it ourselves”). A Biblical emphasis on time is also essential, in that we must not forget history (and its pain), nor must we lose hope of a future community that is reconciled. The authors’ conviction is, “while never neglecting works of mercy and justice in a broken world, theology matters.” Reconciliation is first of all God’s idea, and that is the reason that the church is not just another social agency; it provides accountability when organizations do not. So true reconciliation is not a human achievement, strategy or programme, but a journey with God, and the outcome is unknown because faith is involved. Here the authors use Heb. 11 to assert that reconciliation needs to reshape the present based on the future, not predict the future based on the present. Reconciliation must begin with lament, so we may have to “unlearn” our attempts to have speedy solutions, to distance ourselves from pain and to deny our own guilt—so that we may learn the opposites, which are pilgrimage, relocation and confession. The use of African illustrations are regularly employed, especially Nelson Mandela (“leaders are ones who learn to absorb pain without passing it on to others or to themselves”) and the Rwanda genocide, and many such examples stress having hope for reconciliation even when it seems humanly impossible because God reconciled us when we were still hopeless. The final chapter on heart, spirit and life goes deeper into the reasons that the church is essential to lasting reconciliation because otherwise pragmatism may take over (merely asking, “what works?”). The summary at the end of the book lists ten theses for recovering reconciliation as the mission of God and is a very useful outline of why the church is so important to reconciliation both within and outside the church. Theological institutions would certainly profit by using this small book as a text for courses and discussions on reconciliation and related issues.

This book is one of the books assigned for a course I am taking. Sometimes there is a disconnect between the knowledge that we as believers are supposed to be ministering to those who are hurt, and being able to meet people where they are without being condescending. It seems like God has put me through a lot of pain, so I am familiar with the frustration of having people try to love me and being so aware that they have no idea of what I am going through. This book introduces a process by which we can go (yes physically go there) spend time with people, grieve over the hurt and injustice, and then....I don't know, I'm only half-way through!It's beautiful!Already I have in mind a few friends that are serious about ministering to people in various kinds of hurt and pain that I want to share this book with when I am done.

This book was written by a Christian so it can only be interpreted from a Christian viewpoint. Non-believers may find some hooks to hang their social justice hat on but this book is so flawed in it's thinking that I don't know where to begin. The first place to start when discussing true Biblical reconciliation is that God has been reconciling man to himself since the Adam and Eve's fall in the garden. Man reconciling to man from a Christian's perspective is an attempt to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them. If the Gospel is rejected we are to live in peace but 'move on to the next village and shake the dust off of our sandals before we leave the place the rejected the Gospel'. For a Christian to attempt reconciliation with the Jew and the Muslim so we can all feel good about ourselves is pointless if Christ is rejected. Other concepts in the book such as social justice (I stongly dislike that this term has permeated the Church because it is charged with political overtones), redistribution, and wishy washy solutions to problems that only have geo-political solutions. Some of the paragraphs had me completely baffled as to what the author was trying to say. If you want the true solutions to the world's problems, read the original instruction manual - the Bible.

A book that should be read by everyone who wants to live at peace in these times of deep division.This book shows us it is not enough to peacefully coexist, we must have a true sense of community.

Grateful for an articulate and practical response to a subject that has been relegated to the realm of philosophical experts and politicians.

Great read by Katongole and Rice--a Christian vision for justice, peace and healing.

Many of us may have a relationship that we'd like to be reconciled or restored. It would be great to know more how to communicate with each other.

It came at the right time and in exactly the same description as advertized. Thank you.

Amazing