Blessed Are the Peacemakers

October 1, 2005
Thomas Jefferson famously culled from the Gospels to present Jesus the Enlightenment rationalist but, knowing that public Christians of the time wouldn't take it well, left the selection for posthumous publication. Berry aims his gospel sampler first at public Christians, and he publishes immediately because he has prophetic fish to fry. Wealthy and powerful Christians continue the age-old processes of warring for vengeance and self-interest, he says, despite what Jesus said about loving our neighbors--and our enemies--and forgiving one another. To make those sayings stand out, he gathers passages including the parable of the Good Samaritan, the story of the woman taken in adultery, " and "the hard teachings about coming "not to send peace, but a sword." After the selections, he discusses "The Burden of the Gospels," which is essentially the injunction to follow Christ and keep his commandments, and consequently to believe in the world's sanctity and the human duty of stewardship of creation. Berry restates an old message as beautifully as he has stated anything in his long, distinguished career.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)