Henri Nouwen wrote this book as his personal response in a time of heightening Cold War tensions. Now, in a new era of fear and violence, his message becomes even more timely.

Peacework offers a three-fold path for Christians to embrace Jesus' ethic of peacemaking.

First, peacemaking is more than a matter of carrying placards or opposing war. It must begin with a life of prayer, a movement from "the dwelling place" of fear and hatred and into the house of God. Next, Nouwen urges us to "resist the powers of death"—not just armies and armaments, but our everyday selfishness and bondage to destructive consumerism. Finally, he shows us how to celebrate life and to build communities in which love, forgiveness, and compassion bind us in solidarity with a wounded world.