Reconciling All Things: A Christian Vision for Justice, Peace and Healing, By Emmanuel Katongole and Chris Rice

Reconciling All Things

A Christian Vision for Justice, Peace and Healing

Resources for Reconciliation

by Emmanuel Katongole and Chris Rice

Reconciling All Things
paperback
  • Length: 167 pages
  • Dimensions: 5.5 × 8.25 in
  • Published: October 10, 2008
  • Imprint: IVP
  • Item Code: 3451
  • ISBN: 9780830834518

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Christianity Today Book Award winner

Our world is broken and cries out for reconciliation.

But mere conflict resolution and peacemaking are not enough. What makes real reconciliation possible? How is it that some people are able to forgive the most horrendous of evils? And what role does God play in these stories? Does reconciliation make any sense apart from the biblical story of redemption?

Secular models of peacemaking are insufficient. And the church has not always fulfilled its call to be agents of reconciliation in the world. In Reconciling All Things Emmanuel Katongole and Chris Rice, codirectors of the Center for Reconciliation at Duke Divinity School, cast a comprehensive vision for reconciliation that is biblical, transformative, holistic and global. They draw on the resources of the Christian story, including their own individual experiences in Uganda and Mississippi, to bring solid, theological reflection to bear on the work of reconciling individuals, groups and societies. They recover distinctively Christian practices that will help the church be both a sign and an agent of God's reconciling love in the fragmented world of the twenty-first century.

This powerful, concise book lays the philosophical foundations for reconciliation and explores what it means to pursue hope in areas of brokenness in theory and practice.

"Reconciliation has become a popular buzz word. But I've learned there are no quick and easy fixes for a broken world. This book takes us deeper. It is fresh, biblical, practical, inspiring and full of hope. The authors themselves embody the vision our world needs--African and American, black and white, Uganda and Mississippi, Protestant and Catholic, joined in common ministry across divides. This book is for all those restless Christians I meet who long for an alternative."

John Perkins, founder, Christian Community Development Association, author, Let Justice Roll Down

"Rather than suggesting formulaic or easy steps, Father Emmanuel Katongole and Chris Rice challenge their readers to embody a spirituality that reconciles. With the compelling texture of real-life stories, the credibility of their own journeys in reconciliation, and humble yet profound theological reflections, Emmanuel and Chris offer an accessible and fresh entry point for the crucial conversations on reconciliation."

Christopher L. Heuertz, International Executive Director, Word Made Flesh, and author of Simple Spirituality

"This is a tough and a hopeful book. Tough, not because it is hard to read, but because it calls us to what the authors portray as the imperative but long, painful and not always rewarding journey of reconciliation. But hopeful because it is full of keen insights, fascinating stories and wise counsel. If we truly believe God is in Christ reconciling the world to himself, then this book is important reading. Read it and heed the call to join in God's great story of reconciliation. You will find yourself challenged beyond comfort, yet moved with great expectations."

Leighton Ford, president, Leighton Ford Ministries, author, Transforming Leadership and The Attentive Life

"Reconciling All Things is a faithful book, glowing with the joy and hope that come from walking with God and God's people in the world. Inviting all to join in God's reconciling work across the myriads of ways we live in brokenness, Katongole and Rice do a new thing--they retrieve a deeply theological vision of God's gift of reconciliation and show what the inbreaking of this gift looks like in the real stories of people who have embarked on this journey. These stories of pain and hope make clear that the real work of reconciliation is not as much about programs, strategies or fixing all things as it is about the ordinary, mundane, daily work of living faithfully and patiently in our local, particular, face-to-face contexts. And if we do, if we enter humbly into God's work in the world, what can happen? New creation!"

M. Therese Lysaught, associate professor and assistant chair, Department of Theology, Marquette University

"Chris Rice and Emmanuel Katongole know how much genuine reconciliation costs; therefore, they are perfect leaders to teach us not to take the task too lightly or to try to bring it about too superficially. This is a critically important book and an incisive beginning to what promises to be a world-changing series. Christians have a unique vision to live--the new creation of wholehearted community!"

Marva J. Dawn, teaching fellow in spiritual theology, Regent College, and author of Truly the Community, Unfettered Hope and My Soul Waits

"My only concern is that not enough people will read this fine book! Given how much humans let things fall apart, this resource is a gem for individuals, groups and institutions. Is there a future for us if we do not learn exactly how to heal and reconcile?"

Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, New Mexico

There is much to commend this slim volume. Catholic and Protestant lay persons and seminary students alike will benefit from the authors' expansive theological vision of reconciliation.

Philip D. Kenneson, Reviews in Religion Pyschology, Vol 17, Issue 2

Center for Reconciliation founders Emmanuel Katongole and Chris Rice use personal experiences and historic examples to illustrate their roadmap for reconciliation work. Reconciliation is not a theory or an achievement, they teach, but a gift of God, an invitation to a story, a journey with God's new creation as the goal.

KB, Mennonite Brethren Herald, October 2009

"Reconciling All Things is an excellent book that provides a solid framework for the books that will follow in IVP's Resources for Reconciliation series. It also would serve well as a conversation starter in our church communities, particularly as we seek to discern what the Mission of God looks like in our particular location."

Chris Smith, The Englewood Review of Books (erb.kingdomnow.org) 2, no. 13

"Reconciling All Things is the best book I have read during the preceding course of twelve months. I call this book 'true theology in practice.' What makes this book an invaluable resource is its message of reconciliation, the wisdom it embodies, and the fact that both Rice and Katongole have been actively involved in this journey!"

Celucien L. Joseph, Christ, My Righteousness (christmyrighteousness9587.wordpress.com), February 21, 2009

"Deeply theological, this short book needs slow reading by anyone interested in harnessing the power of the spirit for social change."

Publishers Weekly, September 1, 2008
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CONTENTS

Series Preface
Introduction
1: Prevailing Visions of Reconciliation
2: Stepping Back: Reconciliation as the Goal of God's Story
3: Reconciliation Is a Journey with God
4: How Scripture Reshapes Us
5: The Discipline of Lament
6: Hope in a Broken World
7: Why Reconciliation Needs the Church
8: The Heart, Spirit and Life of Leadership
Epilogue: Going the Long Haul
Recovering Reconciliation as the Mission of God: Ten Theses
Acknowledgments
Recommended Resources
Notes
About the Authors
About the Duke Divinity School Center for Reconciliation
About Resources for Reconciliation

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Emmanuel Katongole

Emmanuel Katongole (PhD, Catholic University of Louvain) is associate professor of theology and world Christianity at Duke Divinity School. He teaches on the face of Jesus in Africa, the Rwanda genocide, politics, violence and theology, and AIDS, and other social challenges. He is the author and editor of several books, including A Future for Africa and African Theology Today. Katongole and Chris Rice are founding codirectors of the Center for Reconciliation at Duke Divinity School.

Chris Rice

Chris Rice (DMin, Duke University) is director of the United Nations Office of the Mennonite Central Committee, an international relief, development, and peace agency. He served as cofounding director of the Duke Divinity School Center for Reconciliation, and has worked through the academy, churches, and faith-based organizations to heal social conflicts in east Africa, Northeast Asia, and the American South. He is coauthor of Reconciling All Things and More Than Equals, which both won Christianity Today Book Awards. Chris and his wife, Donna, have three adult children and live in New York City.