God, Religious Extremism and Violence

• 1. Does religious belief matter?; 2. Does religion cause violence?; 3. How might theology and sacred texts justify violence?; 4. Can holy war ever be just?; 5. Does extremism enable or restrain violence?; 6. How shall we respond to violence?; References.

'Writing with commendable clarity, Matthew Rowley's insightful and lively new [Element] provides a thoughtful engagement with the ever-vexed issue of religion and violence. In particular, the 'three-dimensional view of conflict', which he here presents, provides a strikingly novel and valuable contribution to the debate, which deserves wide circulation and engagement. If contemporary narratives of religious violence in the media and beyond are not disrupted by this publication, it will not be Rowley's fault.' Helen Paynter, PhD, Director of the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence