[amc] Amish live their teaching on forgiveness
- From: "Ray Gingerich" <rjgingerich@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Austin Mennonite Church" <amc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Milwaukee Mennonite" <milwaukee@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2007 20:46:49 -0700
I thought many of you would be interested in the following two book reviews.
I have not read the first, but have read the second and would highly
recommend it.
Ray
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Tuesday, September 25, 2007 *Leading experts on the Amish, including Goshen
College's Steve Nolt, explain surprising forgiveness of Nickel Mines
schoolhouse killer in new book*
<http://www.amishgrace.com/>
*To hear Nolt:*
Steve Nolt will be giving a public lecture on Oct. 1 at 10 a.m. in the
Goshen College Church-Chapel on "Why the Amish Forgave a Killer."
*Amish Grace website:*
www.AmishGrace.com <http://www.amishgrace.com/>
*In the media:*
- 'Amish Grace' writers merged styles,
ideas<http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/209935>.
*Lancaster Intelligencer Journal*. Sept. 25, 2007.
- Book explores Amish ability to
forgive<http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/209898>.
*Lancaster Intelligencer Journal*. Sept. 24, 2007.
- Amish grace <http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/209859>. *Lancaster
Sunday News*. Sept. 23, 2007.
- Amish School Boys Struggle With
Memories<http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ioqNcmzVO7jMKobZlpCHm_xrHqbQ>.
Associated Press. Sept. 22, 2007.
- Steve Nolt
interview<http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week1103/perspectives.html>on
PBS's
*Religion & Ethics Newsweekly*. Sept. 21, 2007.
- Book
excerpt<http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/septemberweb-only/138-13.0.html>on
ChristianityToday.com. Sept. 17, 2007.
GOSHEN, Ind. – The Amish response to the murders of five schoolgirls in
Nickel Mines, Pa., last Oct. 2 was even more surprising than the intrusion
of evil into bucolic Lancaster County.
Just hours after the shootings, the community forgave killer Charles Roberts
and reached out to his widow, attending his burial and contributing to a
fund for the family. How could the Amish offer such radical forgiveness in
the face of their own sorrow and grief?
Goshen College Professor of History Steven M. Nolt, a leading expert on the
Amish, is one of the co-authors of the new book "Amish Grace: How
Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy" (Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint, Sept. 27,
2007), which explores the history, theology and culture of the Amish,
connecting forgiveness to their entire way of life. The book is based on
conversations with over two dozen Amish people in the Nickel Mines area,
including family members of the murdered children. The three Anabaptist
authors – Nolt, Senior Fellow at the Young Center of Elizabethtown College
Donald B. Kraybill and Associate Professor of American Religious History at
Messiah College David L. Weaver-Zercher – also spoke to relatives of the
gunman.
The Amish are a people "uncommonly prepared to respond with graciousness,
forbearance, and love," the authors say. Their extension of grace was
neither calculated nor random, but emerged from who they were long before
the awful day that claimed the lives of five of their children. The Amish
stand in a centuries-old tradition that supports the decision to forgive.
They believe God expects people to forgive and that their own martyred
ancestors modeled forgiveness by not seeking revenge.
"It's just what we do as nonresistant people. It was spontaneous. It was
automatic. It was not a new kind of thing," the Amish told the authors.
Every Amish person they spoke with agreed: forgiveness for Roberts and grace
for his family were spontaneous expressions of faith, not mandates from the
church. It is woven into the fabric of their communal life, spun from faith
in God, scriptural mandates and a history of persecution.
The Amish response to the Nickel Mines killings offers new insights into the
possibilities and practices of forgiveness, even in the face of tragic and
horrific human events. "Perhaps our real human need is to find ways to move
beyond tragedy with a sense of healing and hope," the authors write. "What
we learn from the Amish, both at Nickel Mines and more generally, is that
how we choose to move on from tragic injustice is culturally formed."
"Regardless of the details of the Nickel Mines story one message rings
clear: religion was not used to justify rage and revenge but to inspire
goodness, forgiveness and grace," the authors conclude. "And that is the big
lesson for the rest of us regardless of our faith or nationality."
The story of Amish forgiveness struck a chord around the world, because as
Nolt said, "I think in a world where religion – rightly or wrongly – [only]
becomes a news story when it is involved in stirring up hate and division,
to have a story where religion is encouraging compassion seemed to be a new
thing for a lot of people."
Nolt hopes that the book spurs readers to examine their own lives and views
on forgiveness. "I hope [readers] take something away from this about
forgiveness that they can apply to themselves, and not just think, 'Well, I
either have to imitate the Amish, and that's impossible, so I guess there is
nothing here for me except to say that these are great people.' That's not
what the Amish want. They don't want that kind of praise. And also I don't
think that's all that valuable. If anything, that just gets us off the hook
from asking questions about ourselves."
Nolt has taught at Goshen College since 1999. He received a doctorate in
history from the University of Notre Dame, and a graduate theology degree
from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary. Nolt has studied Amish history
and culture across many settlements. His books on the Amish include "A
History of the Amish" (rev. ed., Good Books, 2003); "Amish Enterprise: From
Plows to Profits" (2nd ed., with Donald B. Kraybill, Johns Hopkins
University Press, 2004); "Plain Diversity: Amish Cultures and Identities"
(with Thomas J. Meyers, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007); and
"Mennonites, Amish, and the American Civil War" (with James O. Lehman, Johns
Hopkins University Press, 2007).
Following the Oct. 2, 2006, shooting, the three authors explored reports
about Amish forgiveness that followed in the wake of the shooting. They
conducted many face-to-face interviews with Amish people to probe their
beliefs about and their practice of forgiveness. In addition they pursued
Amish writings on forgiveness as well as other historical examples in which
Amish people expressed forgiveness to those who had wronged them, and
reviewed hundreds of media stories and editorials on Amish forgiveness at
Nickel Mines. Finally, the authors compared Amish practices of forgiveness
with the broader research on forgiveness in American society. The research
was conducted from Nov. 1, 2006 through April 1, 2007.
The book is already receiving high acclaim. Publishers Weekly Starred Review
said, "This intelligent, compassionate and hopeful book is a welcome
addition to the growing literature on forgiveness." And the book's endorsers
include Bill Moyers, Jim Wallis, Sister Helen Prejean, Tony Campolo, Philip
Yancey and Fred Luskin. For more information, visit www.amishgrace.com.
Because the authors did not want to profit off of this tragedy, all author
royalties from "Amish Grace" are being donated to Mennonite Central
Committee (MCC) to benefit children suffering because of poverty, war and
natural disaster. MCC is a relief, development and peace agency of the North
American Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches.
The Fetzer Institute provided research funds for "Amish Grace" as part of
its Campaign for Love & Forgiveness, www.fetzer.org/LoveAndForgive.
*CONTACT:*
Goshen College Professor of History Steven M. Nolt
Phone: (574) 535-7460
E-mail: *stevemn@xxxxxxxxxx* <%20stevemn@xxxxxxxxxx>
*BOOK INFORMATION:*
"Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy"
by Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt, David L. Weaver-Zercher
Jossey-Bass, A Wiley Imprint
SBN: 978-0-7879-9761-8
$24.95 cloth
PUB DATE: Sept. 27, 2007
*Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview
or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H.
Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@xxxxxxxxxxx*
###
Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts
college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's
Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship,
compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as
leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service
Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in *Barron's Best
Buys in Education*, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College
Guide" and *U.S. News & World Report*'s "America's Best Colleges" edition,
which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.
E-mail this story <http://www.goshen.edu/contact/emailFriend.php>
*Goshen College <http://www.goshen.edu/>*
*1700 S Main St*
*Goshen, Indiana 46526*
*USA* phone: +1 (574) 535-7569
fax: 535-7660
web: arachnid@xxxxxxxxxx <http://www.goshen.edu/feedback.php3>
other: pr@xxxxxxxxxx
*******************************
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*Books by
John L. Ruth*
FORGIVENESS:
A Legacy of the West Nickel Mines Amish
School<http://www.faithfulreader.com/reviews/0836193733.asp>
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*FORGIVENESS: A Legacy of the West Nickel Mines Amish School*
*John L. Ruth <http://www.faithfulreader.com/authors/au-ruth-john.asp>*
Herald Press
Christian Living
ISBN-10: 0836193733
ISBN-13: 9780836193732
It is unspeakably hard for any community to lose its children. The mere
mention of names like Columbine or Virginia Tech produces visceral, almost
universal responses of outrage and fear --- even for those whose only
connection to the tragedies was through the evening news. In October 2006,
the world watched, horrified, as the effects of human rage played out in the
most unthinkable of settings --- a one-room schoolhouse in the Amish hamlet
of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. The sickening details of the attack provoked
a nationwide sensation, but the remarkable reaction of the Amish community
was, perhaps, the most surprising element of the story. In his new book,
FORGIVENESS: A Legacy of the West Nickel Mines Amish School (Herald Press,
2007), author and Mennonite minister John Ruth offers an inside perspective
on the response that stunned the world.
The symmetry of equally radical anger and forgiveness at Nickel Mines is so
exquisite that it compels attention. On October 2, 2006, Charles Carl
Roberts IV, a 32-year-old milk-tank truck driver and father of three,
barricaded himself and ten young girls into the Nickel Mines School. Giving
deadly expression to a secret rage he had harbored for years after the death
of his first child, he gunned down all ten of his hostages before turning
his weapon on himself. Five of the girls would not survive.
FORGIVENESS offers an inspiring explanation of the events that followed. In
the wake of overwhelming loss, the stricken community at Nickel Mines, even
the devastated parents of the victims, captivated the media with their
immediate expressions of forgiveness for Roberts and concern for the
well-being of his family. "The Amish approach to life centers on
forgiveness," Ruth emphasizes. "Is anger a necessary response to outrageous
loss? The Amish, born with the same capacities as any other humans, would
not think so. Startled by the depth of the world's sympathy after the Nickel
Mines tragedy, they wondered why so many found their attitude intriguing.
Aren't Christians to live in, not merely idealize, forgiveness?"
Revenge is one of the oldest and most recognizable human stories, which is
why the rest of the world was so awed by the Amish reaction when the lives
of their innocent daughters were senselessly snuffed out. For their part,
the residents of Nickel Mines have never paid much attention to the rest of
the world. In the words of one Amish father, "What happened on the other
side of the world yesterday is in the newspaper today. If you read it, then
you're bound to be thinking like the others."
FORGIVENESS recounts the history and spiritual tenets of the Plain people,
who have demonstrated time and again their belief that obedience to Christ's
command, "When you stand praying, forgive," is neither optional nor
theoretical. As a Mennonite minister whose insightful documentaries on the
Amish have appeared on PBS and then featured on "60 Minutes," John Ruth
paints an beautiful but balanced picture of a culture that is romanticized
by some, viewed as "backwards" by others and misunderstood by almost
everyone. "It isn't mainly for their faults or strangeness that the world
finds the Amish interesting," Ruth contends. "They lay down in the American
landscape a marker of old-fashioned faithfulness and love, which was thrown
into relief globally by their response to unspeakable tragedy."
FORGIVENESS: A Legacy of the West Nickel Mines Amish School (c) Copyright 2007
by John L. Ruth. Reprinted with permission by Herald Press. All rights
reserved.
• Click here now to buy this book from
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--
Center for Strength-based Strategies
Ray Gingerich, Associate
5631 Bentwood Lane
Greendale (Milwaukee), WI 53129
phone (512) 569-7111
email rjgingerich@xxxxxxxxx
fax (815) 371-2292
website: www.buildmotivation.com
"Change is possible when I stop trying to become that which I am not and
become that which I am." Frederick Perls
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