Scott Appleby's book provides a timely, clear, and highly perceptive treatment of why and how religion has, especially since the end of the Cold War, gravitated to the center of the discussion of international affairs. . . . There is no doubt that this volume will be the centerpiece henceforward of an important new discussion on 'religion, violence, and reconciliation.'

David Little, United States Institute of Peace

In this volume [Appleby] seeks to balance the overall picture by focusing on the success stories and peacebuilding initiatives buried inside the newspapers, embedded in a largely untold past, and emerging piecemeal in the final years of this genocidal century. This is a kind of compensatory history, urgently needed in the contemporary debate, and it carries enormous implications for the way we think about religion's complex role, and undeniable potential, in preventing deadly conflict and in rebuilding communities shattered by violence.

Theodore M. Hesburgh

I have found myself deeply impressed by the persuasiveness of its argument and by the wide-ranging case studies it contains. I can here only hint at the rich and varied resourses he provides in abundance to enable us to be both more faithful interpreters of our own traditions and to be more strategic in our peacemaking.

Paul Deats, Fellowship

Appleby is extremely knowledgeable about movements, conflicts and personalities. Ambivalence of the Sacred contains rich veins of information about the complex relationship of religion, violence and peacemaking. It provides dozens of detailed portraits of personalities and religious movements that put faces on anonymous groups.

America: The Jesuit Review of Faith & Culture

In this current important book-not limited to conservative movements- Appleby uses case studies, careful analysis, and a highly readable narrative style to present religion's role in contemporary peacemaking and warmaking.

Choice Reviews

Appleby's book should be required reading for all academic specialists in international relations and for practitioners of diplomacy as well. It provides a careful study of the interaction of religion with political life in many parts of the world today. It does this with a strong understanding of the differences and similarities among the major world religions and among the different civilizational contexts within which these religions function. . . . There is nothing quite like it for presenting the plusses and minuses of the role of religion on the world stage today.

David Hollenbach S.J., Pedro Arrupe Distinguished Professor,Georgetown University