Grace Over Guns: Pursuing Peace in a Militarized World

by Ben Daniel

We need to talk about the reality of warWar remains a clear and present evil, yet North American Christians often don’t feel equipped to talk about it. When a US Air Force drone drops a bomb on a wedding party in Yemen, for example, few of us have the language to talk about that violence. When our military invades a territory or when we fight proxy wars through other countries, our response to military violence tends to follow our political beliefs rather than our religious convictions.Our allegiance to military might goes beyond ongoing global conflicts. The United States boasts a bloated military budget, which includes displays of patriotism at sporting events and military recruitment directed at children in public schools. As nationalism and warfare trend around the globe, people seeking peace are compelled to question the mania for militarism and violence.Grace over Guns challenges readers to think through common justifications for military violence and to consider how those justifications might not measure up to the teachings of Jesus. Drawing on story and Scripture, pastor Ben Daniel offers a prophetic call to reject the sin of military violence and embrace the grace of Christian pacifism. 

200 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 16, 2026

About the author

Ben Daniel is a Presbyterian minister in San Jose, California. His writing has been translated into four languages and has been published by a variety of local, regional, national, and international broadcast and print media. His work has been published widely online. His opinions have appeared on The Huffington Post since 2010. He is a graduate of Westmont College and of Princeton Theological Seminary.

Ben Daniel is the author of Neighbor: Christian Encounters with “Illegal” Immigration (Westminster John Knox Press, August, 2010), winner of ForeWord Review's 2011 religion book of the year award. In 2013, The Search for Truth About Islam, which explores misconceptions of Islam, was published by Westminster John Knox Press.

Reviews

[Jan Stites · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pacifism, Jesus, genocide, empire and soccer in one short book?

I don’t know how he did it, but author Ben Daniel skillfully combines all the above - and more – in Grace over Guns: a powerful plea for peace and an equally strong condemnation of empire. Though Daniel examines pacifism through the lens of what he calls grace, this book isn’t only for those who consider themselves Christian or “religious.” Daniel presents examples of successful peacemaking worldwide. He also examines cases of genocidal oppression throughout U.S. history. He further illustrates that the U.S. spends trillions of dollars on the military while that same military degrades the air, water and land we all depend on. At the same time, we do little to provide food, shelter, and medical care for the very citizens militarism purports to protect.

Grace over Guns offers alternative ways to prevent war and shows that working toward peace is a way of life that doesn’t just deal with crises. This book manages to be engaging, informative, at times humorous, and always challenging, poignant, and hopeful. Once I finished this book, I wanted to call everyone I knew to discuss it. A terrific book club selection!

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterfully written and exceptionally well researched, Grace Over Guns provides a contemporary and much-needed lens on our country’s relationship with militarism and war. Over the course of reading, I found myself (and was surprised by) beginning to think differently about long-held beliefs I had always taken for granted as “facts.” This book - importantly - lets you discover and learn without feeling unpatriotic; in fact, it’s clear that Daniel writes because he loves our country, and wishes better for us. Grounded in facts but balanced with compassionate care, the book puts a crucial, honest eye on what’s often hard for us to look at, yielding fresh consideration and enabling long-overdue discussions.