Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores that from the writings of the apostle Paul onwards, Christian thinkers have struggled to read the signs of the times and reflect theologically in response to political events. For Christian theologians to take up the political challenges of reconciliation is particularly appropriate because these raise so many related theological questions. The book written by scholars working in varied contexts, draws together key developments in this new work and extends them further. A first group of essays considers religious resources for reconciliation, a theme that was vital long before the tragedy of 9/11, but undeniably so since then. In the second essay, Miroslav Volf amplifies themes he had earlier developed in his highly regarded book Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation, presenting God's call to embrace as revealed in the cross of Christ.