Amish Grace

by By Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt and David L. Weaver-Zercher

Jossey-Bass/Wiley. 256p $24.95

On Oct. 2, 2006, the unthinkable occurred. Ten Amish girls were gunned down in a schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania.

A community known for its gentleness, religious faithfulness and rejection of modern technological society had been severely violated. As astonishing as this story was, what followed captured the attention of the country even more. Within six hours of the shooting, Amish leaders reached out to family members of the killer, Charles Carl Roberts IV, and let them know that they forgave him.

Some skeptics thought the Amish to be too innocent to understand the realities of the world, where revenge is a commonly accepted response. Others thought the Amish too quick and maybe disingenuous in forgiving so soon. To forgive a murderer for this crime seemed beyond human, they thought.

The authors of This article appears in December 17 2007.