The Community of the Cross of Nails came into being as a result of the bombing of Coventry Cathedral in November 1940. Amid the destruction, two medieval nails were found lying in the shape of a cross - seen as a prophetic sign for the need of forgiveness and reconciliation, the people of Coventry offered forgiveness to the people of Germany at Christmas, just weeks after the bombing.

Today, the Community of the Cross of Nails has 160 centres in 40 countries, working and praying to build peace, heal the wounds of history and enable people to grow together in hope through conferences, teaching in schools and prisons, and pilgrimages.

This illustrated book tells its remarkable story from the beginning. It is also a work of contextual theology, offering reflection on the meaning of reconciliation in the contemporary world and relating experiences of imaginative forgiveness from Cape Town to Ground Zero. Published as part of Coventry Cathedral's golden jubilee celebrations, this celebrates its continuing ministry of reconciliation.

Definitely worth a read, it will open your eyes to the possibilities of life lived in Christian community.

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The inspiring story of the worldwide Community of the Cross of Nails, which began in the ashes of the blitz-destroyed Coventry Cathedral in 1940, after a local vicar bound three surviving medieval nails together to form a cross, and the Cathedral’s Provost, Richard Howard, had the words ‘Father, forgive’ engraved on the walls of the ruined chancel in 1948. The story is told memorably here by a German Lutheran pastor / theologian who served in Coventry between 2002 and 2006 as Co-ordinator of the community. Coventry Cathedral stands out, of course, for its continuing work of reconciliation, and is known to many through its Litany of Reconciliation that is prayed every week. This book’s fifteen examples of Cross of Nails Centres around the world make compelling reading. That can only be a sample, as there are now more than 160 centres, made up of different denominations, varied in the work they do (including church communities and schools, NGOs and a young offenders’ penal institution), and found all round the globe, from Dresden to Belfast, Cape Town to 'Ground Zero', Jerusalem to Khartoum. Part Three of the book – 'Reflections on a Theology of Reconciliation' – is particularly profound and worthy of serious thought. Read this book, if you care about reconciliation, and if the story of the Cross of Nails inspires you.

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