Missing Peace: Women of Faith and the Failure of War

George W. Bush's strident (and many would say precipitous) call to arms serves as a springboard for discussion among six women of faith about the failure of war in John Ankele and Anne Macksoud's Missing Peace, which features a well-edited combination of poignant scenes from Afghanistan, Jerusalem, and Iraq to bolster the women's case that responding to violence with violence doesn't solve the problem. Among the talking heads are a Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth, a Vice President at Auburn Theological Seminary, a leader of the Muslim Women's Institute for Research and Development, and a Korean Buddhist who is Professor of Ecumenical Theology at Union Theological Seminary—whose disparate backgrounds are united in a common voice arguing that religious wisdom will help bring about peace. The program concludes with the thought that 9/11 opened a portal for understanding and an awareness of other religions, and expresses the hope that nations can be transformed by acknowledging the divinity in each other. A solid, sane discussion that serves as an effective theological rebuttal to the hawks in the war on terror, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Reed)