Cynthia Sampson

"In recent years, religion - and culture-based approaches to conflict
resolution and peacebuilding have been implemented at both the domestic and
international levels. Established conflict resolution programs have integrated
religious approaches into their curricula and research agendas. The U.S. State
Department, the U.S. Institute of Peace, and other governmental and
intergovernmental agencies now recognize that religious leaders, transnational
religious movements, and faith-based NGOs are central players in the post-Cold
War era of ethnic and religious conflict.
Through the Mennonite Central Committee, its International Conciliation
Service, and several Mennonite mission boards, the Mennonites have become
leaders in this growing field of practice. This collection of essays looks at
the Mennonite contribution to the new cultural/religious paradigm in conflict
resolution and peacebuilding theory and practice. Combining a rich selection of
case materials spanning nine countries, this book enlarges the literature in
several important ways. It draws a legitimate connection between spirituality
and pragmatic international peacebuilding. It contributes to the growing but
still limited case literature on religiously motivated peacebuilding, and, in
so doing, examines the theological, moral, and cultural underpinnings of
Mennonite peacebuilding practice." --jacket… (mehr)