This work investigates the historical intersection of religious conviction and the refusal to participate in military service, specifically focusing on the development of conscientious objection. Peter Brock, a noted historian of pacifism, utilizes extensive archival research and primary source documentation to trace how individual conscience has historically challenged state-mandated conscription. The book argues that the tension between personal moral imperatives and national security requirements has been a persistent feature of modern political and religious history.

Scholars and historians recognize this text as a foundational resource for understanding the evolution of pacifist thought in the Western world. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the meticulous nature of the author's historical research.