Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy

“Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy
is one of those rare books that inspires deep personal reflection while recounting a moment in history, telling a sociological story, and exploring theological issues. In the fall of 2006, following the murders of Amish school children by a deranged gunman, how did the Amish manage to forgive the murderer and extend grace to his family so quickly and authentically? Making it clear that the answer involves no quick fix but an integrated, disciplined pattern of life—a pattern altogether upstream to the flow of American culture—the authors invite us to ask not just how to forgive but how we should live. In our era of mass violence and the derangement from which it comes, no question could be more timely.”

—Parker J. Palmer, author of
A Hidden Wholeness, Let Your Life Speak,
and
The Courage to Teach

“Amish Grace
tells a story of forgiveness informed by deep faith, rooted in a rich history, and practiced in real life. In an American society that often resorts to revenge, it is a powerful example of the better way taught by Jesus.”

—Jim Wallis, author of
God’s Politics
; president, Sojourners/Call to Renewal

“
An inside look at a series of events that showed the world what Christ-like forgiveness is all about . . . A story of the love of God lived out in the face of tragedy.”

—Tony Campolo, Eastern University

“Amish Grace
dissects the deep-rooted pattern of Amish forgiveness and grace that, after the Nickel Mines tragedy, caused the world to gasp.”

—Philip Yancey, author of
What’s So Amazing About Grace?

“
Covers the subject in a superb way. It gave me a private tutorial in Amish culture and religion . . . on their unique view of life, death, and forgiveness.”

—Fred Luskin, author of
Forgive for Good
; director, Stanford Forgiveness Projects

“A remarkable book about the good but imperfect Amish, who individually and collectively consistently try to live Jesus’ example of love—for one another and for the enemy.” —Dr. Carol Rittner, R.S.M., Distinguished Professor of Holocaust & Genocide Studies, The Richard

Stockton College of New Jersey

“A casebook on forgiveness valuable for ALL Christians. . . . drills beneath the theory to their practice and even deeper to the instructions of Jesus.”

—Dr. Julia Upton, R.S.M., Provost, St. John’s University

“This is a very uplifting and enlightening book. It opens the door and allows us to peek at the hearts of Christian Amish believers who forgave horrid murders from the heart. And that forgiveness became a light on a hill that points to Jesus.”

—Everett L. Worthington Jr., professor of psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kraybill, Donald B.

Amish grace : how forgiveness transcended tragedy / Donald B. Kraybill,

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.