Reconciliation is a theme of major current interest, especially in a world engaged in a "war on terror" and torn apart by conflict in the Middle East. Of great interdisciplinary interest, de Gruchy's book should be read by those in theology, social and political science, social theory, jurisprudence and beyond.

De Gruchy is wary of false or complacent notions of reconciliation and argues that reconciliation depends in the end on the restoration of justice. He discusses in turn the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa; St. Paul's teaching on reconciliation; the relationship of Islam, Chistianity and Judaism within South Africa and to the TRC; the role that artists have in the process of reconciliation; and the significance of the notion of convenant. This book relates reconciliation throughout to the practical contexts in which we live.