For Theology Students, Scholars and Professors. Are you looking to understand the complexity of peace keeping, and the vital role of praying for those in authority? After reading you'll have a greater understanding of the complexity of peace keeping. The Dove, the Fig Leaf and the Sword' is a fascinating critique of the Church's varying response to the use of force over the centuries that gives Christians a greater understanding of the complexity of peace keeping, and stresses the vital role of praying for those in authority. Alan Billings is an Anglican priest and a former Director of the Centre for Ethics and Religion at Lancaster University. In recent years he has taught the ethics of war to chaplains to the forces at the UK Defence Academy, Amport, and on military bases in England and Germany. ' The Dove, the Fig Leaf and the Sword' is a highly informative, well-researched and systematic approach to historically changing Christian views around war and peace is an excellent overview that does not flinch from also facing the contentious contemporary context. Billings believes Christianity must engage both ethically and realistically if its message is going to have any relevance in the arena of war and the spectrum of other military operational options with those who bear the weight of making those life-changing and responsible choices.