Influenced by participation in the Civil Rights and ecumenical movements, and a health crisis that shaped his views on the sovereignty of the body, Hughes (religion, Lycoming College, Williamsport, Pennsylvania) treats justice as essentially an act of compassion rather than an abstract ideal or conformity to a rational order. From the standpoint of Christian social ethics, he discusses biblical laments as points of departure for pro-justice ethics and civil disobedience traditions including Greek tragedy, Gandhi's nonviolence, and "American Gandhi" James Lawson. Restorative justice principles are applied to states' religious exemption clauses for medical treatment of children, in vitro fertilization, just wars, euthanasia, and other contentious topics. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)