Rarely does one encounter a text that approaches Christian doctrine on war with as much clarity and energy as David L. Clough and Brian Stilner's Faith and Force ... [the] dialogue segments, as well as the book's inviting introductory style, lend the text a refreshing, even exciting feel. Politics and Religion Faith and Force helps us understand war and conflict in a new way. We're challenged to examine our personal thoughts and views in an effort to find alternatives. This is important work for citizens living in a free and democratic society. Theological Book Review Here is an innovative and eminently effective way of presenting the ethics of war and peace ... Clough and Stilner have produced what must be one of the most pedagogically useful texts on the Christian deliberation over war. Reviews in Religion and Theology This is a well-writen and well-crafted book that brings familiar Christian debates, with the subtleties of differences even within Just War theory and pacifism, and applies them to new situations, challenging the wider political and intelligence communities to focus on ethical issues. International Journal of Intelligence Ethics The dual perspective limns the strengths and the weaknesses of the two traditions, exposing both the risk that pacifists will embolden agressors and the danger that just-war advocates will fight unnecessary wars. A cogent analysis of both immediate and long-term relevance. Booklist
The presentation of issues is clear, the analysis of opposing views is searching, and the engagement between them is both thoughtful and candid. Far from a sterile textbook survey, this is a model of careful and honest dialogue, generating lively heat while shedding fresh light.