As a peacemaker, Eugene England might be thought of as an unlikely candidate. He has no official (or unofficial) diplomatic credentials. As a professor of English at Brigham Young University, he might be expected to bury himself in the relative safety and obscurity of literature and keep a low profile in such ongoing debates as academic freedom at Brigham Young University, the cleft between LDS leaders and scholars, or the dichotomous divide between LDS theory and practice on questions of war and peace.

But England enters the fray armed with a passion for justice and mercy, a philosophical toughmindedness, a focused self-image as a committed Christian (as well as a committed Mormon) and an unwillingness to let others do for him what he regards as his own work—determining what he believes and putting his beliefs into action. While England draws on thinkers and theologians from several Christian traditions and his outlook is inclusive rather than exclusive, his style and semantics in Making Peace are distinctively Mormon. Since so much of what he has to say is insightfully applicable to questions of world peace in both spiritual and secular arenas, it's too bad he hasn't envisioned a larger audience for his work.

England nimbly deconstructs Mormon and Christian theology, church, university and secular politics and history and the ethics of non-violence, while grounding many of his own philosophical constructs in the cauldron of personal experience. In an essay called "On Bringing Peace to BYU, with the Help of Brigham Young," he postulates that Young "would, I think, be particularly scandalized at what seems to be an increasing tendency on the part of BYU students themselves, abetted by some faculty, to substitute for his vision of eternally responsible education the fostering of ambition, status and wealth." England cites Young's letter to his son Willard a year before his death that deplores the growing tendency in Utah to "teach the false political economy which contends against cooperation and the United Order [the church's early cooperative social experiment]."

"It may surprise modern Mormons," England writes, "that 'false political economy' was not socialism or communism, but free enterprise capitalism, the lack of which in Utah was being used by gentiles [non-Mormons] as evidence that Mormons were un-American barbarians in need of the salvation of public schools controlled purely by secular standards."

Peace won't come to BYU, England proposes, without open dialogue. "Too many students and even faculty hunger for the devil's bread of easy and final answers without disagreement or struggle. Some, both conservatives and liberals, excommunicate one another in their hearts over differences of approach or perception. Too many of us fall short of the spirit and vision of our founder, a man without formal education who knew the Greek myth of Procrustes better than too many current Ph.D.s."

England's discussions of capital punishment, war and justifications for violence in Mormon, Christian and secular traditions are particularly provocative. "French anthropologist Rene Girard has provided the most convincing theory about how violence and hatred begin in all cultures and relationships," England writes, "how it perpetuates itself and spreads like a plague, and how cultures survive by ritualizing violence in duels and executions and football games and by focusing their violence on individuals or groups or even animals as scapegoats."

England sees much of the Old Testament as "a record of human violence, even by the chosen people, and of human attempts to blame their violence on God." England probes the paradox between Mormon leaders' consistent condemnation of war and their parallel emphasis on the patriotic duty of church members to serve in the military of their respective countries, quoting President David O. McKay at the dawn of World War II: "It is vain to attempt to reconcile war with true Christianity," noting that "war is incompatible with Christ's teachings" since it "impels you to hate your enemies" and "injure and kill them that hate you." England believes that banning war will not come easily or soon, "but that is, I believe what the Prince of Peace calls us to . . ."

The Ogden Standard-Examiner
A new collection of essays by Brigham Young University English professor Eugene England has been published by Signature Books. In Making Peace, England draws from his own experiences to demonstrate ways to bring about personal and national peace. "This book," he explains, "is about ideas and ways of thinking that can help make peace." For instance, in the essay, "Why Utah Mormons Should Become Democrats: Reflections on Partisan Politics," England warns about the dangers of a one-party system and suggests that we should be less certain about the validity of our political positions. Among the other essays are "Thou Shalt Not Kill: An Ethics of Nonviolence" and "Healing and Making Peace, in the Church and in the World."