ENDNOTES
Chapter 1: The Nickel Mines Amish
4 The “southern end”: For a history of the Amish south of “the ridge” in the Lancaster settlement, see John S. Kauffman, Melvin R. Petersheim, and Ira S. Beiler, comps., Amish History of Southern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1940-1992 (Elverson, PA: Olde Springfield Shoppe, 1992; available from Masthof Press, Elverson, PA). For a social history of the Lancaster Amish settlement in the twentieth century, see Donald B. Kraybill, The Riddle of Amish Culture, rev. ed. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001). For a history of the Amish in Europe and North America, see Steven M. Nolt, A History of the Amish,rev. ed. (Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 2003).
10 This occurs, the manual explains: Standards of the Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite Parochial and Vocational Schools of Pennsylvania (Gordonville, PA: Gordonville Print Shop, 1981), 2.
Chapter 2: The Shooting
18 At about 3:00 on Monday: Our sources for this chapter include interviews with Amish and non-Amish people familiar with the tragedy, letters and commentary in Amish newspapers, media accounts, and police reports. One of the best summaries of the shooting is “Lost Angels: The Untold Stories of the Amish School Shootings,” a three-part series that appeared in the Lancaster New Era on December 13, 14, and 15, 2006. This series, from which our account is adapted, was reprinted as a twenty-eight-page booklet in January 2007. The material in this section relies heavily on pages 11-18.
21 “Consider, Man! the End”: Unpartheyisches Gesang-Buch: Translations and Lessons [Impartial Songbook: Translations and Lessons], 2nd ed. (East Earl, PA: Schoolaid, 1997), 171. Translation used by permission of the publisher.
21 In quiet solitude: Unpartheyisches Gesang-Buch, 151. Original translation used by permission of the publisher. Revised translation 2007 by David Rempel Smucker, Ph.D., Akron, PA. Used by permission.
28 The old martyr stories: The complete title of the English edition, which is 1,158 pages long and kept in print by Herald Press, is The Bloody Theater or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians Who Baptized Only upon Confession of Faith, and Who Suffered and Died for the Testimony of Jesus, Their Saviour, from the Time of Christ to the Year A.D. 1660, (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1968).
Chapter 3: The Aftermath
31 “I can’t put into words”: “Georgetown, PA,” Die Botschaft, October 16, 2006, 43.
33 In a public statement released: The full statement of the Nickel Mines Accountability Committee appeared in the Lancaster New Era as a letter to the editor; see Herman Bontrager, Nickel Mines Accountability Committee, letter to the editor, Lancaster New Era, October 11, 2006. The letter was also distributed by the Associated Press on October 10, 2006.
34 “We will never forget the feelings”: Mr. and Mrs. Amos K. Ebersol, letter to the editor, Lancaster Intelligencer Journal, October 18, 2006.
34 “Our perceptions of ‘worldly’”: Benuel Riehl, letter to the editor, Philadelphia Inquirer, October 8, 2006.
34 “We are thankful”: “THANK YOU,” 1.
36 I was a little child: Mary M. Miller, comp., Our Heritage, Hope, and Faith (Shipshewana, IN: privately published, 2000), 342. Original translation, by John B. Martin, used by permission. Revised translation 2007 by David Rempel Smucker, Ph.D., Akron, PA. Used by permission.
Chapter 4: The Surprise
44 “He stood there for an hour”: Mark Scolforo, “Police: Gunman at Amish School Told Wife He Molested 2 Little Girls 20 Years Ago,” Associated Press, October 3, 2006.
45 “We have to forgive”: “Grief-Stricken Community of Nickel Mines Trying to Deal with Deaths of Five Amish Girls, Shot in Schoolhouse,” The Early Show, CBS News transcripts, October 4, 2006.
45 “We shouldn’t think evil”: David Cox, “Grief of the Amish,” Sunday Mirror, October 8, 2006.
45 “I hope they [Roberts’s widow and children]”: Michael Rubinkam, “Amish Community Prepares to Bury Victims, Urges Forgiveness,” Associated Press, October 5, 2006.
47 “Your compassion has reached”: “Statement from the Roberts Family,” Lancaster Sunday News, October 15, 2006.
51 “It is only through our faith”: Mr. and Mrs. Amos K. Ebersol, letter to the editor, Lancaster Intelligencer Journal, October 18, 2006.
Chapter 5: The Reactions
54 Perhaps too the media hoped: Carolyn Kitch, “Who Speaks for the Dead? Authority and Authenticity in News Coverage of the Amish School Shooting,” in Carolyn Kitch and Janice Hume, Journalism in a Culture of Grief (New York: Routledge, 2007).
55 “I am profoundly moved”: Joan Uda, “At the Water’s Edge,” Helena (MT) Independent Record, October 7, 2006.
55 “What wonderful people they are”: Joan Eshleman, letter to the editor, Lancaster Intelligencer Journal, October 10, 2006.
55 A writer in Philadelphia concurred: Daniel B. Lee, letter to the editor, Philadelphia Inquirer, October 9, 2006.
55 In the Sacramento Bee: Anita Creamer, “In Wake of Tragedy, Some Can Still Forgive,” Sacramento (CA) Bee, October 15, 2006.
55 “We should all be that odd”: Marvin Reed, “Believers Who Lead by Example: Nice,” Pueblo (CO) Chieftain, October 14, 2006.
55 “The Amish have shown the rest of the world”: Dean Frantz, “Amish Forgiveness Teaches Us a Lesson,” Fort Wayne (IN) News-Sentinel, October 9, 2006.
56 “Modern society’s sophisticates sneer”: Mary Pat Hyland, “A Society So Modern It’s Sickening,” Binghamton (NY) Press and Sun-Bulletin, October 9, 2006.
56 An early and stinging critique: Jeff Jacoby, “Undeserved Forgiveness,” Boston Globe, October 8, 2006.
58 “My Amish neighbors / forgive”: Denise Duhamel, “June.” Used with permission of the author.
58 For instance, legal scholar Jeffrie G. Murphy: Jeffrie G. Murphy, preface to Before Forgiving: Cautionary Views of Forgiveness in Psychotherapy, ed. Sharon Lamb and Jeffrie G. Murphy (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002), ix.
58 In Murphy’s view: Murphy, preface to Before Forgiving, x.
59 In most situations of abuse: Sharon Lamb, “Women, Abuse, and Forgiveness: A Special Case,” in Lamb and Murphy, Before Forgiving, 156.
59 “I have longed to talk about”: Quoted in Simon Wiesenthal, The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness, rev. ed. (New York: Schocken Books, 1997), 54.
60 “If asked to forgive, by anyone”: Wiesenthal, The Sunflower, 169 (Hesburgh), 129 (Dalai Lama), 226 (Prager), 243 (Shachnow).
61
“Her story paints a very different picture”: Emily Smith, “Why I Fled from the Amish Sect,”
Sun, October 7, 2006,
http://www.thesun.co.uk/printFriendly/0,11000-2006460644,00.html. See also Samuel Beiler, letter to the editor,
Lancaster Intelligencer Journal, October 20, 2006.
62 “You respect people who are true to their words”: George Diaz, “Lessons from Lancaster County,” Orlando (FL) Sentinel, October 8, 2006.
63
“The so-called Christian Right”: Stephen Crockett, “Personal Reflections on the Amish and the So-Called Christian Right,” Democratic Talk Radio, October 10, 2006,
http://www.DemocraticTalkRadio.com.
63 Sister Joan Chittister: Joan Chittister, “What Kind of People Are These?” National Catholic Reporter, October 9, 2006.
Chapter 6: The Habit of Forgiveness
70 Although the Anabaptist movement was never large: James Stayer, “Numbers in Anabaptist Research,” in Commoners and Community: Essays in Honour of Werner O. Packull, ed. C. Arnold Snyder (Kitchener, ON: Pandora Press, 2002), 58-59.
72 Still, three years later: Esther F. Smucker, Good Night, My Son: A Treasure in Heaven (Elverson, PA: Olde Springfield Shoppe, 1995), 84. The quotations are from the police officer’s recollection of events, which was included as an appendix in this memoir.
72 Another story that highlights the speed: Joel A. Kime, “The Freedom of Forgiveness Received,” handout (Elizabethtown, PA: Center for Parent/ Youth Understanding, 2003).
74 The case even appeared as a feature: Hal White, “Terror at the Amish Farmhouse,” True Detective, November 1957, 16-21, 83.
74 They were particularly puzzled by the fact: Alma Kaufman, “Murder Violence Leaves Holmes Amish Bewildered but Not Seeking Vengeance,” Wooster (OH) Daily Record, July 20, 1957.
75 Mose seemed to express the grief: “Arguments on State’s Use of Alleged Confession on Monday; Father of Victim Is Witness,” Wooster (OH) Daily Record, December 6, 1957.
75 An Ontario Amish man: “Aylmer, ON,” The Budget, March 20, 1958, 6.
76 “The boys were caught soon after”: “Berne, IN,” The Budget, September 12, 1979, 11.
76 Levi Schwartz told a journalist: Barry Siegel, “A Quiet Killing in Adams County,” Rolling Stone, February 19, 1981, 62.
76 “We believe,” began a letter: Simon M. Schwartz, “Death of an Amish Child,” Liberty, March-April 1981, 3.
78 The families of sexual assault victims: Anne Hul, “A Still Life Shattered,” St. Petersburg (FL) Times, July 7, 1996; Meg Jones, “Attorney Calls Defendant ‘Seriously Disturbed,’” Milwaukee (WI) Journal Sentinel, February 20, 1996.
79 “It shows that he’s not seeking revenge”: Joe Williams, “Buggy Fatality; Amish Man Won’t Take the Money,” Milwaukee (WI) Journal Sentinel, March 9, 1996.
80 Even so, her written account: Emma King, Joys, Sorrows, and Shadows, by One Who Experienced the Joys, Sorrows, and Shadows (Elverson, PA: Olde Springfield Shoppe, 1992), v, 24, 27, 37, 74.
81 “We don’t believe in pressing charges”: Doug Johnson, “Amish Reach Out to Trucker Following Death of Mother of 13,” Associated Press, January 19, 2000.
81 Similar sentiments marked responses: Linda L. Mullen, “Amish Forgiving in Wake of Attempted Assaults,” South Bend (IN) Tribune, August 28, 1996.
82 Eight days before the shooting: Cindy Stauffer and Janet Kelley, “A Boy’s Death, a Family’s Forgiveness,” Lancaster New Era, September 25, 2006; “Woman Charged in Boy’s Death in Crash,” Lancaster New Era, December 22, 2006.
Chapter 7: The Roots of Forgiveness
86 From their beginning in the sixteenth century: The centrality of discipleship to the Anabaptist tradition has been noted by many scholars, including Richard T. Hughes, How Christian Faith Can Sustain the Life of the Mind (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2001), 76-85.
87 During the first twelve weeks: John S. Oyer, “Is There an Amish Theology?” in Les Amish: Origine et Particularismes, 1693-1993 [The Amish: Origin and Characteristics, 1693-1993], ed. Lydie Hege and Christoph Wiebe (Ingersheim, France: Association Française d’Histoire Anabaptiste-Mennonite, 1994), 283-286, 301.
87 “Whoever boasts that he is a Christian”: Menno Simons, “Foundation of Christian Doctrine,” in The Complete Writings of Menno Simons, c. 1496-1561, ed. J. C. Wenger, trans. Leonard Verduin (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1956), 225.
88 “Who now would follow”: “Who Now Would Follow Christ,” in Hymnal: A Worship Book (Scottdale, PA: Mennonite Publishing House, 1992), 535. Revised translation by David Augsburger, 1983, used with permission.
93 At the same time, some critics complain: Christopher Lasch, The Culture of Narcissism: American Life in an Age of Diminishing Expectations (New York: Norton, 1978).
93 In fact, in his book The Saturated Self: Kenneth J. Gergen, The Saturated Self: Dilemmas of Identity in Contemporary Life (New York: Basic Books, 1991).
94 The second prayer is read: Die ernsthafte Christenpflicht [Prayer Book for Earnest Christians] (Lancaster County, PA: Amischen Gemeinden, 1996). See also Leonard Gross, ed. and trans., Prayer Book for Earnest Christians (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1997). An old collection of Anabaptist and Pietist prayers dating back to 1708, Die ernsthafte Christenpflicht is used by the Amish in their church services and for family prayers.
95 In response to a flood: This undated and unsigned letter written by several church leaders was distributed in late October 2006 to outsiders inquiring about Amish forgiveness.
96 He had “suffered verbal abuse”: “Set Your Captive Free,” Family Life, February 2003, 8-9.
96 “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.
97 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.
Chapter 8: The Spirituality of Forgiveness
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.
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.
105 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.
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.
106 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.
107 Forgiveness is a regular feature: Martyrs Mirror, 750, 610, 759, 467.
107 From his prison cell: Martyrs Mirror, 914.
108 “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.
110 For example, “Peter Miller’s Revenge”: Our Heritage (Aylmer, ON: Pathway, 1968), 433-439.
Chapter 9: The Practice of Forgiveness
115 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.
Chapter 10: Forgiveness at Nickel Mines
125 “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.
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.
126 In Enright’s view, this definition: Enright, Forgiveness Is a Choice, 25.
127 “In spite of everything”: Enright, Forgiveness Is a Choice, 25-26.
127 To the contrary, “forgiveness means”: Enright, Forgiveness Is a Choice, 28.
127 That’s because “reconciliation requires”: Enright, Forgiveness Is a Choice, 31.
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.
128 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.
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.
131 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.
131 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.
135 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.
137 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.
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.
140 In Forgive for Good, Fred Luskin: Fred Luskin, Forgive for Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2002), 45.
Chapter 11: What About Shunning?
141 “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.
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.
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.
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.
153 “Herein is love”: “The Need of Forgiving,” Family Life, October 1985, 9.
Chapter 12: Grief, Providence, and Justice
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).
159 “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.
160 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.
162 “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.
163 “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.
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.
164 “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.
166 “Some things in life”: “Dry Run, PA,” Die Botschaft, October 16, 2006, 51.
171 Meanwhile, the Amish bishop: “Amish to Blame, Jurors Declare,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 28, 1994; “Amish Killer’s Sentence Criticized; 5 Years Not Enough in Slaying of Wife, Author Says in Book,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 30, 2000.
Chapter 13: Amish Grace and the Rest of Us
181 What we learn: Joseph C. Liechty, “Forgiveness,” Vision: A Journal for Church and Theology, 2007, 8(1), 47-49.
182 “The person who volunteers time”: Robert Kuttner, Everything for Sale (New York: Knopf, 1996), 62-63.
182 In a culture that places such a premium: Miroslav Volf, Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), 14.
182 In fact, forgiveness is less a matter: Miroslav Volf, The End of Memory: Remembering Rightly in a Violent World (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007).
Appendix: The Amish of North America
191 Portions of the Appendix are adapted from The Amish: Why They Enchant Us, by Donald B. Kraybill. Copyright © 2003 by Herald Press, Scottdale, PA 15683. Used by permission.