The Gospel of Rutba: War, Peace, and the Good Samaritan Story in Iraq

"Go and tell the world of Rutba." That was the only request the Iraqis made to the three Americans they rescued during the onset of war in 2003. The Gospel of Rutba interweaves two extraordinary stories: The first, a story of three U.S. Christian peacemakers who remained in Baghdad during the horrifying first days of "Shock and Awe" only to be nearly killed in a car accident. Iraqi Muslims found them and took them to a clinic in the bombed-out town of Rutba where they were cared for. The second story recounts the peacemakers' return to Rutba in 2010 to thank those who saved them and to contribute to a process of peace, friendship, and reconciliation.