Christianity and Peacebuilding in Northern Ireland

This Element provides a state-of-the-art overview of the most significant studies on Christian peacebuilding in Northern Ireland, identifying lessons for monotheistic and religious peacebuilding more generally. It considers whether the Northern Ireland conflict was religious, including an examination of the role of Protestant evangelicalism, especially the career of the preacher-politician Rev. Ian Paisley. It explores how the Northern Ireland case has contributed to conceptual developments in monotheistic and religious peacebuilding. It highlights key findings from scholarly studies of Christian peacebuilding, while also drawing together insights from Christian peacebuilders' memoirs and biographies, writings on forgiveness and reconciliation, and public theology. It concludes with reflections on how the Northern Ireland case advances the field, including by recognizing gaps in knowledge such as the contributions of women, factors that impact the sustainability of religious peacebuilding, and the challenges of forgiveness and reconciliation in post-violence phases.