In September, 1219, as the armies of the Fifth Crusade besieged the Egyptian city of Damietta, Francis of Assisi went to Egypt to preach to Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil.
Although we in fact know very little about this event, this has not prevented artists and writers from the thirteenth century to the twentieth, unencumbered by mere facts, from portraying Francis alternatively as a new apostle preaching to the infidels, a scholastic theologian proving the truth of Christianity, a champion of the crusading ideal, a naive and quixotic wanderer, a crazed religious fanatic, or a medieval Gandhi preaching peace, love, and understanding. Al-Kamil, on the other hand, is variously presented as an enlightened pagan monarch hungry for evangelical teaching, a cruel oriental despot, or a worldly libertine.
Saint Francis and the Sultan takes a detailed look at these richly varied artistic responses to this brief but highly symbolic meeting. Throwing into relief the changing fears and hopes that Muslim-Christian encounters have inspired in European artists and writers in the centuries since, it gives a uniquely broad but precise vision of the evolution of Western attitudes towards Islam and the Arab world over the last eight hundred years."

In a world of conflict in which religious differences play a significant role, reconciliation grows increasingly important. The Ministry of Reconciliation shows how with a spirituality of reconciliation we can create the spaces in which reconciliation can happen, and with human strategies, how the process of reconciliation can move forward.

From wide-ranging travels Schreiter has gained a profound wisdom and hope as well as the questions and struggles to be faced. In Part One, "Reconciliation as Spirituality, " Schreiter poses this key question: "If God did indeed raise Jesus up to a new life that breaks the grip of violence and sin on the world, what should be the concrete object of our hope?" Each of the next six chapters then meditates on post-Easter appearances as recorded in Scripture. Schreiter's explorations of such events as "the breakfast at the seashore" (John 21:1-17) and "what the women saw" (Mark 16:1-8; John 20:1-18) reveal a direct pastoral style reminiscent of Rahner and Barth at their best.

From this profound and hope-filled beginning Schreiter goes on to emphasize how a spirituality of reconciliation without sound social and theological reflection on its implementation will fail. Part Two, "Elements of a Strategy for Reconciliation, " tackles such vexing questions as individual and social responsibility; truth and justice; amnesty and pardon; and how the church can aid in reconciliation. Schreiter explores questions as: How can forgiveness happen? What is justice, and how should it be sought and administered? How can a society be rebuilt that includes the perpetrators of evil?

Projecting a global interdisciplinary vision, this insightful book develops a peer-to-peer learning methodology to facilitate reconciling religion and human rights, both in multilateral contexts and at the national level. Written by leading human rights practitioners, the book illuminates the tension zones between religion and rights, exploring how the 'faith' elements in both disciplines can create synergies for protecting equal human dignity. Ibrahim Salama and Michael Wiener analyse the place of religion in multilateral practice, including lessons learned from the 'Faith for Rights' framework. Based on the jurisprudence of international human rights mechanisms, the book clarifies ambiguities of human rights law on religion. It also unpacks the potential positive role of non-State actors in the religious sphere, demonstrating that the relationship between religion and human rights is not a zero-sum game. Ultimately, the book empowers actors on both sides of the ideological fence between religion and human rights to deconstruct this artificial, politically instrumentalized dichotomy. This innovative book will be a vital resource for faith-based actors, human rights defenders and policymakers working at the intersection between religion, culture and human rights. With the co-authors' commentary on the #Faith4Rights toolkit, it will also be invaluable for peer-to-peer learning facilitators, scholars and students of human rights law, public international law and religious studies.

Eye-opening essays by Buddhist, Hindus, Jews, Muslims provide insights to how Christianity is viewed in their communities--and why.

Kung joins with three esteemed colleagues to address the question: "Can we break through the barriers of noncommunication, fear, and mistrust that separate the followers of the world's great religions?" The authors analyze the main lines of approach taken by Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism, and give Christian responses to the values and challenges each tradition presents.