Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk and spiritual writer, was passionately devoted to the cause of peace. But the censors of his order blocked publication of this major work, a trenchant critique of nuclear war, the ideology of the cold war, and the idols of national security. Even when church teaching began to echo Merton's prophetic voice, this book, Peace in the Post-Christian Era, remained unpublished, circulated only in mimeograph form and virtually unknown beyond a circle of Merton scholars. Now in its original and complete form it appears at last.

Writing at the height of the Cold War, Merton issues a passionate cry for sanity and a challenge to the idea that unthinkable violence can be squared with the Gospel of Chirst. Forty years later, despite changing circumstances, his prophetic message remains eerily topical. At a time when the 'war on terrorism' has replaced the struggle against communism, Merton's work continues to demonstrate the power and relevance of the gospel in answering the most urgent challenges of our time.