Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy (31 page)
Read Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy Online
Authors: Donald B. Kraybill,Steven M. Nolt,David L. Weaver-Zercher
BOOK: Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy
10.47Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
96
“There is perhaps no other factor”:
“That Our Hurts May Be Healed,”
Family Life
, January 2003, 10.
“There is perhaps no other factor”:
“That Our Hurts May Be Healed,”
Family Life
, January 2003, 10.
97
“Forgiveness is never dependent”:
Nicholas Ayo,
The Lord’s Prayer: A Survey Theological and Literary
(Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1992), 79.
“Forgiveness is never dependent”:
Nicholas Ayo,
The Lord’s Prayer: A Survey Theological and Literary
(Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1992), 79.
97
In his commentary on this section of Matthew:
William Barclay,
The Gospel of Matthew,
vol. 1, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1958), 223.
In his commentary on this section of Matthew:
William Barclay,
The Gospel of Matthew,
vol. 1, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1958), 223.
97
“The main ‘forgiveness’”:
“Georgetown, PA,”
Die Botschaft,
October 23, 2006, 22.
“The main ‘forgiveness’”:
“Georgetown, PA,”
Die Botschaft,
October 23, 2006, 22.
100
The Amish, Cronk says, “see God working”:
Sandra Cronk, “
Gelassenheit:
The Rites of the Redemptive Process in Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite Communities,”
Mennonite Quarterly Review,
1981,
55
, 7-8.
The Amish, Cronk says, “see God working”:
Sandra Cronk, “
Gelassenheit:
The Rites of the Redemptive Process in Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite Communities,”
Mennonite Quarterly Review,
1981,
55
, 7-8.
104
They stretch me: Songs of the Ausbund: History and Translations of Ausbund Hymns,
vol. 1 (Millersburg: Ohio Amish Library, 1998), 168. Used by permission.
They stretch me: Songs of the Ausbund: History and Translations of Ausbund Hymns,
vol. 1 (Millersburg: Ohio Amish Library, 1998), 168. Used by permission.
105
Take notice how: Songs of the Ausbund,
73. Used by permission.
Take notice how: Songs of the Ausbund,
73. Used by permission.
105
It is not uncommon for sermons:
The English edition of
Martyrs Mirror
is kept in print by Herald Press, Scottdale, PA. Pathway Publishers, Aylmer, ON, issues a 1,004-page German edition of the book,
Der blutige Schauplatz, oder, Märtyrer-Spiegel der Taufgesinnten, oder, wehrlosen Christen, die um des Zeugnisses Jesu, ihres Seligmachers, willen gelitten haben und getötet worden sind, von Christi Zeit an bis auf das Jahr 1660
. The English edition includes fifty-five etchings, produced in the seventeenth century by a Dutch Mennonite artist, that graphically illustrate the martyrdom. The German edition is not illustrated.
It is not uncommon for sermons:
The English edition of
Martyrs Mirror
is kept in print by Herald Press, Scottdale, PA. Pathway Publishers, Aylmer, ON, issues a 1,004-page German edition of the book,
Der blutige Schauplatz, oder, Märtyrer-Spiegel der Taufgesinnten, oder, wehrlosen Christen, die um des Zeugnisses Jesu, ihres Seligmachers, willen gelitten haben und getötet worden sind, von Christi Zeit an bis auf das Jahr 1660
. The English edition includes fifty-five etchings, produced in the seventeenth century by a Dutch Mennonite artist, that graphically illustrate the martyrdom. The German edition is not illustrated.
106
From the beginning, the Anabaptists:
Brad S. Gregory,
Salvation at Stake: Christian Martyrdom in Early Modern Europe
(Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1999), 319.
From the beginning, the Anabaptists:
Brad S. Gregory,
Salvation at Stake: Christian Martyrdom in Early Modern Europe
(Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1999), 319.
106
Indeed, in recently published reflections: The Amazing Story of the Ausbund
(Narvon, PA: Benuel S. Blank, 2001), 116-117.
Indeed, in recently published reflections: The Amazing Story of the Ausbund
(Narvon, PA: Benuel S. Blank, 2001), 116-117.
107
In a study guide:
James W. Lowry,
The Martyrs’ Mirror Made Plain: A Study Guide and Further Studies
(Aylmer, ON: Pathway, 2000), 99.
In a study guide:
James W. Lowry,
The Martyrs’ Mirror Made Plain: A Study Guide and Further Studies
(Aylmer, ON: Pathway, 2000), 99.
107
Forgiveness is a regular feature: Martyrs Mirror,
750, 610, 759, 467.
Forgiveness is a regular feature: Martyrs Mirror,
750, 610, 759, 467.
107
From his prison cell: Martyrs Mirror,
914.
From his prison cell: Martyrs Mirror,
914.
108
“Forgiving the persecutors”:
Lowry,
The Martyrs’ Mirror Made Plain,
100.
“Forgiving the persecutors”:
Lowry,
The Martyrs’ Mirror Made Plain,
100.
109
The story’s conclusion drives the point home:
Lowry,
The Martyrs’ Mirror Made Plain,
117.
The story’s conclusion drives the point home:
Lowry,
The Martyrs’ Mirror Made Plain,
117.
110
For example, “Peter Miller’s Revenge”: Our Heritage
(Aylmer, ON: Pathway, 1968), 433-439.
For example, “Peter Miller’s Revenge”: Our Heritage
(Aylmer, ON: Pathway, 1968), 433-439.
115
A writer in an Amish periodical recalled:
“Is the Golden Rule Outdated?”
Family Life,
January 2003, 14.
A writer in an Amish periodical recalled:
“Is the Golden Rule Outdated?”
Family Life,
January 2003, 14.
122
The service culminates in footwashing:
The description of the communion service is adapted from Donald B. Kraybill,
The Riddle of Amish Culture,
rev. ed. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001), 127-128.
The service culminates in footwashing:
The description of the communion service is adapted from Donald B. Kraybill,
The Riddle of Amish Culture,
rev. ed. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001), 127-128.
125
“To err is human”:
Alexander Pope,
An Essay on Criticism,
originally published 1711.
“To err is human”:
Alexander Pope,
An Essay on Criticism,
originally published 1711.
126
As a result of their clinical research:
Everett L. Worthington Jr.,
Forgiveness and Reconciliation: Theory and Application
(New York: Routledge, 2006), 272.
As a result of their clinical research:
Everett L. Worthington Jr.,
Forgiveness and Reconciliation: Theory and Application
(New York: Routledge, 2006), 272.
126
“When unjustly hurt by another”:
Joanna North, quoted in Robert D. Enright,
Forgiveness Is a Choice: A Step-by-Step Process for Resolving Anger and Restoring Hope
(Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2001), 25.
“When unjustly hurt by another”:
Joanna North, quoted in Robert D. Enright,
Forgiveness Is a Choice: A Step-by-Step Process for Resolving Anger and Restoring Hope
(Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2001), 25.
126
In Enright’s view, this definition:
Enright,
Forgiveness Is a Choice,
25.
In Enright’s view, this definition:
Enright,
Forgiveness Is a Choice,
25.
127
“In spite of everything”:
Enright,
Forgiveness Is a Choice,
25-26.
“In spite of everything”:
Enright,
Forgiveness Is a Choice,
25-26.
127
To the contrary, “forgiveness means”:
Enright,
Forgiveness Is a Choice
, 28.
To the contrary, “forgiveness means”:
Enright,
Forgiveness Is a Choice
, 28.
127
That’s because “reconciliation requires”:
Enright,
Forgiveness Is a Choice,
31.
That’s because “reconciliation requires”:
Enright,
Forgiveness Is a Choice,
31.
128
For instance, when one columnist asked:
Cristina Odone, “Why Do the Amish Ignore Reality?”
Observer,
October 8, 2006,
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1890309,00.html
. .
For instance, when one columnist asked:
Cristina Odone, “Why Do the Amish Ignore Reality?”
Observer,
October 8, 2006,
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1890309,00.html
. .
128
“Forgiveness doesn’t mean ‘I didn’t really mind’”:
N. T. Wright,
Evil and the Justice of God
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006), 152.
“Forgiveness doesn’t mean ‘I didn’t really mind’”:
N. T. Wright,
Evil and the Justice of God
(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006), 152.
128
For instance, one observer reduced:
Odone, “Why Do the Amish Ignore Reality?”
For instance, one observer reduced:
Odone, “Why Do the Amish Ignore Reality?”
129
“I would not want to be like them”:
Jeff Jacoby, “Undeserved Forgiveness,”
Boston Globe,
October 8, 2006.
“I would not want to be like them”:
Jeff Jacoby, “Undeserved Forgiveness,”
Boston Globe,
October 8, 2006.
129
“She holds no ill will”:
“Pa. School Shooter Said He’d Molested Relatives,”
NBC News,
October 3, 2006,
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15113706
.
“She holds no ill will”:
“Pa. School Shooter Said He’d Molested Relatives,”
NBC News,
October 3, 2006,
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15113706
.
130
“People get angry and interpret”:
Eric Shiraev and David Levy,
Cross-Cultural Psychology: Critical Thinking and Contemporary Applications
, 2nd ed. (Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2004), 178.
“People get angry and interpret”:
Eric Shiraev and David Levy,
Cross-Cultural Psychology: Critical Thinking and Contemporary Applications
, 2nd ed. (Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2004), 178.
131
In fact, one Amish magazine:
“Anger,”
Family Life
, February 2002, 10.
In fact, one Amish magazine:
“Anger,”
Family Life
, February 2002, 10.
131
The booklet’s author, John Coblentz:
John Coblentz,
Putting Off Anger: A Biblical Study of What Anger Is and What to Do About It
(Harrisonburg, VA: Christian Light Publications, 1999), 7-8.
The booklet’s author, John Coblentz:
John Coblentz,
Putting Off Anger: A Biblical Study of What Anger Is and What to Do About It
(Harrisonburg, VA: Christian Light Publications, 1999), 7-8.
131
Scholars who study forgiveness:
Enright,
Forgiveness Is a Choice,
33.
Scholars who study forgiveness:
Enright,
Forgiveness Is a Choice,
33.
134
Decisional forgiveness is a personal commitment:
Everett L. Worthington Jr.,
Forgiving and Reconciling: Bridges to Wholeness and Hope,
rev. ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 53.
Decisional forgiveness is a personal commitment:
Everett L. Worthington Jr.,
Forgiving and Reconciling: Bridges to Wholeness and Hope,
rev. ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 53.
135
Emotional forgiveness, on the other hand:
Worthington,
Forgiving and Reconciling,
41-42.
Emotional forgiveness, on the other hand:
Worthington,
Forgiving and Reconciling,
41-42.
135
Invoking Jesus’ instructions to Peter:
“Nine Principles for Mending Broken Relationships,”
Family Life,
November 2001, 8.
Invoking Jesus’ instructions to Peter:
“Nine Principles for Mending Broken Relationships,”
Family Life,
November 2001, 8.
137
Jeffrie G. Murphy, for instance:
Jeffrie G. Murphy, “Two Cheers for Vindictiveness,”
Punishment and Society,
2000,
2
, 131-143.
Jeffrie G. Murphy, for instance:
Jeffrie G. Murphy, “Two Cheers for Vindictiveness,”
Punishment and Society,
2000,
2
, 131-143.
137
In 2005, the periodical
Legal Affairs: Nadya Labi, “The Gentle People,”
Legal Affairs,
January-February 2005, 25-32.
In 2005, the periodical
Legal Affairs: Nadya Labi, “The Gentle People,”
Legal Affairs,
January-February 2005, 25-32.
139
“All too often . . . survivors of violence are retraumatized”:
Pamela Cooper-White,
The Cry of Tamar: Violence Against Women and the Church’s Response
(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995), 253.
“All too often . . . survivors of violence are retraumatized”:
Pamela Cooper-White,
The Cry of Tamar: Violence Against Women and the Church’s Response
(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995), 253.
140
In
Forgive for Good
, Fred Luskin:
Fred Luskin,
Forgive for Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness
(San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2002), 45.
In
Forgive for Good
, Fred Luskin:
Fred Luskin,
Forgive for Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness
(San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2002), 45.
141
“A terrible killer might be forgiven”:
Ellis Henican, “Forgiveness—but Not for All,”
Newsday,
October 6, 2006.
“A terrible killer might be forgiven”:
Ellis Henican, “Forgiveness—but Not for All,”
Newsday,
October 6, 2006.
143
Given the importance of verses 18-20:
C. Arnold Snyder,
Anabaptist History and Theology: Revised Student Edition
(Kitchener, ON: Pandora Press, 1997), 370-373.
Given the importance of verses 18-20:
C. Arnold Snyder,
Anabaptist History and Theology: Revised Student Edition
(Kitchener, ON: Pandora Press, 1997), 370-373.
149
The Amish cite at least four reasons:
For more in-depth views of Amish shunning, see
The Amazing Story of the Ausbund
(Narvon, PA: Benuel S. Blank, 2001), 109-112, and “Shunning,”
Family Life,
April 1970, 18-21.
The Amish cite at least four reasons:
For more in-depth views of Amish shunning, see
The Amazing Story of the Ausbund
(Narvon, PA: Benuel S. Blank, 2001), 109-112, and “Shunning,”
Family Life,
April 1970, 18-21.
149
First, shunning is supported:
The primary biblical texts that support shunning include Matthew 18:15-18; Romans 16:17; 1 Corinthians 5; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15; 2 Timothy 3:2-5; and Titus 3:10.
First, shunning is supported:
The primary biblical texts that support shunning include Matthew 18:15-18; Romans 16:17; 1 Corinthians 5; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15; 2 Timothy 3:2-5; and Titus 3:10.
149
Second, the practice finds support:
“The Shunning of the Excommunicated,” Article 17 in the Dordrecht Confession of Faith, in Irvin B. Horst, ed. and trans.,
Mennonite Confession of Faith
(Lancaster, PA: Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 1988), 35. The Dordrecht Confession is used by the Amish even though it was written originally by Dutch Mennonites in 1632, before the Amish emerged as a distinct group. A more accessible text of the Dordrecht Confession is available at
http://www.mcusa-archives.org/library/resolutions/dordrecht/index.html
.
Second, the practice finds support:
“The Shunning of the Excommunicated,” Article 17 in the Dordrecht Confession of Faith, in Irvin B. Horst, ed. and trans.,
Mennonite Confession of Faith
(Lancaster, PA: Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 1988), 35. The Dordrecht Confession is used by the Amish even though it was written originally by Dutch Mennonites in 1632, before the Amish emerged as a distinct group. A more accessible text of the Dordrecht Confession is available at
http://www.mcusa-archives.org/library/resolutions/dordrecht/index.html
.
153
“Herein is love”:
“The Need of Forgiving,”
Family Life,
October 1985, 9.
“Herein is love”:
“The Need of Forgiving,”
Family Life,
October 1985, 9.
156
“Like many aspects of Amish life”:
Expression of emotion is culturally formed. Amish weeping, which is marked by the quiet, public shedding of tears by both men and women, bears some similarities to eighteenth-century European custom and differs from later notions of crying as primarily a private or feminine activity. See Anne Vincent-Buffault,
The History of Tears: Sensibility and Sentimentality in France
(New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1991).
“Like many aspects of Amish life”:
Expression of emotion is culturally formed. Amish weeping, which is marked by the quiet, public shedding of tears by both men and women, bears some similarities to eighteenth-century European custom and differs from later notions of crying as primarily a private or feminine activity. See Anne Vincent-Buffault,
The History of Tears: Sensibility and Sentimentality in France
(New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1991).
159
“I felt the need to express my feelings”:
Emma King,
Joys, Sorrows, and Shadows
(Elverson, PA: Olde Springfield Shoppe, 1992), v.
“I felt the need to express my feelings”:
Emma King,
Joys, Sorrows, and Shadows
(Elverson, PA: Olde Springfield Shoppe, 1992), v.
160
Providence, the idea that God:
Daniel L. Migliore,
Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology,
2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2004), 421.
Providence, the idea that God:
Daniel L. Migliore,
Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology,
2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2004), 421.
160
Christian author Philip Yancey:
Philip Yancey,
Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 139.
Christian author Philip Yancey:
Philip Yancey,
Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 139.
162
This confession, reviewed by bishops:
“God and Creation,” Article 1 in the Dordrecht Confession of Faith, in Irvin B. Horst, ed. and trans.,
Mennonite Confession of Faith
(Lancaster, PA: Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 1988), 24.
This confession, reviewed by bishops:
“God and Creation,” Article 1 in the Dordrecht Confession of Faith, in Irvin B. Horst, ed. and trans.,
Mennonite Confession of Faith
(Lancaster, PA: Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 1988), 24.
162
“What can one say”:
“Oxford, PA,”
Die Botschaft,
October 16, 2006, 49.
“What can one say”:
“Oxford, PA,”
Die Botschaft,
October 16, 2006, 49.
162
“We trust him, yes”:
“Kirkwood, PA,”
Die Botschaft,
October 16, 2006, 47.
“We trust him, yes”:
“Kirkwood, PA,”
Die Botschaft,
October 16, 2006, 47.
163
“It wasn’t His will”:
“New Holland, PA; Groffdale,”
Die Botschaft,
October 23, 2006, 36.
“It wasn’t His will”:
“New Holland, PA; Groffdale,”
Die Botschaft,
October 23, 2006, 36.
164
“We don’t know why, but”:
“Hopkinsville, KY,”
Die Botschaft,
October 23, 2006, 10.
“We don’t know why, but”:
“Hopkinsville, KY,”
Die Botschaft,
October 23, 2006, 10.
164
Amish elders concurred:
This undated and unsigned letter written by several church leaders was distributed in late October 2006 to outsiders inquiring about forgiveness.
Amish elders concurred:
This undated and unsigned letter written by several church leaders was distributed in late October 2006 to outsiders inquiring about forgiveness.
164
“If our precious family circle”:
“Parkesburg, PA,”
Die Botschaft,
October 16, 2006, 59.
“If our precious family circle”:
“Parkesburg, PA,”
Die Botschaft,
October 16, 2006, 59.
164
“The Lord works in mysterious ways”:
“Georgetown, PA,”
Die Botschaft,
October 23, 2006, 22. For a similar assertion (though in this case the Amish writer attributes the assertion to a non-Amish person), see “Kindardine, ON,”
Die Botschaft,
October 23, 2006, 16.
“The Lord works in mysterious ways”:
“Georgetown, PA,”
Die Botschaft,
October 23, 2006, 22. For a similar assertion (though in this case the Amish writer attributes the assertion to a non-Amish person), see “Kindardine, ON,”
Die Botschaft,
October 23, 2006, 16.
166
“Some things in life”:
“Dry Run, PA,”
Die Botschaft,
October 16, 2006, 51.
“Some things in life”:
“Dry Run, PA,”
Die Botschaft,
October 16, 2006, 51.
Other books
True Connections by Clarissa Yip
The Vampire Pirate's Daughter by Lynette Ferreira
The Heart Breaker by Nicole Jordan
First Admiral 02 The Burning Sun by Benning, William J.
Theirs to Keep by Maya Banks
Disney Friendship Stories by Disney Book Group
Lady Superior by Alex Ziebart
The Cage by Ethan Cross
Circe's Recruits 4: Hale by Marie Harte