Christianity and American State Violence in Iraq

Christopher A. Morrissey, PhD, has been Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology at George Fox University and has taught at Calvin College, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Saint Francis (Ind.) and Saint Mary's College (IN). His research interests include the politics of war and peace in the U.S., religion, war and peace and congregational life in the historic peace churches.

• 1. Religious Ambivalence and the United States of America 2. Making 9/11 Sacred: Interpreting Threats to America 3. The Battle is Joined: Religious Advocacy on Iraq 4. Different Gospels: Religious Difference in America 5. The Difference? Knowing Victims 6. Conclusion—Religion and Public Support for the War and Consequences for Our Understanding

'Perhaps there is no greater ethical dilemma for Christians than whether to support acts of war, and the question of whether to back the U.S. invasion of Iraq is a striking case in point. In this timely book, the ethical debate over this issue reveals not only the political divisions in American Christianity but also its deep moral ambivalence about militancy and pacifism. It is a thoughtful reflection on the relation of religion and politics, exploring issues that resonate throughout Christendom and all of the world's religious traditions.' - Mark Juergensmeyer, author of Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence'Drawing on extensive public records and dozens of in-depth interviews with American Christians who advocated for or against a possible war with Iraq in the months leading up to the U.S. invasion of the spring of 2003, Christopher A. Morrissey examines the implications of the agonizing diversity of views and moral arguments across and also within Christian denominations and communities. In doing so, he puts on display the internal pluralism of religious traditions and therefore puts to rest any lingering assumptions that religions or religious actors take predictable or monolithic positions on fundamental questions of war, peace or public policy.' - Scott Appleby, University of Notre Dame