This timely and important book addresses the complex reality of life in Myanmar today, ravaged by brutal hostility which is not just political but religious in tone and intent, with disastrous consequences for members of minority communities, especially Christians. Using the writings of Luther and Bonhoeffer, no strangers to violence themselves, this situation is addressed honestly, critically, historically, and constructively, and offers the Christian community, from which the writer comes, theological resources and ethical imperatives in living out their faith commitments in the public and private spheres even when facing the horrors of vicious hatred. It does not shy away from addressing the reality of persistent state-sanctioned aggression that has been justified on religious and nationalistic grounds and asks about what dignity and human flourishing could mean in this pluralistic society when non-violence could be restored as a virtue, not in the abstract but in the ongoing life of the communities that inhabit this land.

Rev. J. Jayakiran Sebastian, United Lutheran Seminary

This is a very important work. Pa Yaw places a careful analysis of Martin Luther’s theological doctrine of two kingdoms in fruitful conversation with Christians and socially engaged Buddhists in contemporary Myanmar, yielding guidelines for both as they struggle to address state oppression of religious pluralism. Pa Yaw’s sensitive reading of Luther and Bonhoeffer is just as impressive as his account of the recent conflicts in Myanmar, and bringing the two together in such a creative and original way is compelling and prophetic.

Kenneth G. Appold, Princeton Theological Seminary