Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy (2 page)
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Authors: Donald B. Kraybill,Steven M. Nolt,David L. Weaver-Zercher
BOOK: Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy
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eISBN : 978-0-470-87380-9
1. Forgiveness of sin. 2. Amish-Doctrines. 3. West Nickel Mines Amish
School. I. Nolt, Steven M., II. Weaver-Zercher, David, III. Title.
BT795.K73 2007
364.152’30974815-dc22
2007019071
HB Printing
PB Printing
All author royalties from
Amish Grace
will be donated to the Mennonite Central Committee to benefit their ministries to children suffering because of poverty, war, and natural disaster.
Amish Grace
will be donated to the Mennonite Central Committee to benefit their ministries to children suffering because of poverty, war, and natural disaster.
For more information on the worldwide relief and service ministries of MCC, visit
www.mcc.org
.
www.mcc.org
.
PREFACE
Amish
.
School
.
Shooting
. Never did we imagine that these three words would appear together. But the unimaginable turned real on October 2, 2006, when Charles Carl Roberts IV carried his guns and his rage into an Amish schoolhouse near Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. Five schoolgirls died that day, and five others were seriously wounded. Turning a tranquil schoolhouse into a house of horror, Roberts shattered a reassuring American myth—that the Old Order Amish remain isolated from the problems of the larger world.
.
School
.
Shooting
. Never did we imagine that these three words would appear together. But the unimaginable turned real on October 2, 2006, when Charles Carl Roberts IV carried his guns and his rage into an Amish schoolhouse near Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. Five schoolgirls died that day, and five others were seriously wounded. Turning a tranquil schoolhouse into a house of horror, Roberts shattered a reassuring American myth—that the Old Order Amish remain isolated from the problems of the larger world.
The Amish rely less on that myth than do those who watch them from afar. In fact, their history reminds them that even the most determined efforts to remain separate from the world and its iniquities are not foolproof. The Nickel Mines Amish certainly didn’t anticipate the horror of October 2. They were, however, uncommonly prepared to respond to it with graciousness, forbearance, and love. Indeed, the biggest surprise at Nickel Mines was not the intrusion of evil but the Amish response. The biggest surprise was Amish grace.
This book explains the Amish reaction to the Nickel Mines shooting, especially their forgiveness of the killer and their expressions of grace to his family. Given our longtime study of Amish life, we weren’t entirely surprised by the Amish response. At the same time, their actions raised a host of questions in our minds: What exactly did the Amish do in the aftermath of the tragedy? What did it mean to them to extend forgiveness? And what was the cultural soil that nourished this sort of response in a world where vengeance, not forgiveness, is so often the order of the day?
As we explore these questions, we introduce some aspects of Amish culture to show the connection between Amish life and Amish grace. This tie is important for two reasons. First, it clarifies that their extension of grace was neither calculated nor random. Rather, it emerged from who they were long before that awful October day. Second, embedding the Amish reaction in the context of their history and practice enables us to suggest more easily what lessons may apply to those of us outside Amish circles.
In the Appendix we provide details about some of the distinctive features of this community, but a few words of introduction here will help set the stage for our story. The Amish descend from the
Anabaptists,
a radical Christian movement that arose in Europe in 1525, shortly after Martin Luther launched the Protestant Reformation. Opponents of the young radicals called them
Anabaptists,
a derogatory nickname meaning “rebaptizers,” because they baptized one another as adults even though they had been baptized as infants in the state church. These radical reformers sought to create Christian communities marked by love for each other and love for their enemies, an ethic they based on the life and teaching of Jesus. Nearly two centuries later, in the 1690s, the
Amish
emerged as a distinct Anabaptist group in Switzerland and in the Alsatian region of present-day France.
Anabaptists,
a radical Christian movement that arose in Europe in 1525, shortly after Martin Luther launched the Protestant Reformation. Opponents of the young radicals called them
Anabaptists,
a derogatory nickname meaning “rebaptizers,” because they baptized one another as adults even though they had been baptized as infants in the state church. These radical reformers sought to create Christian communities marked by love for each other and love for their enemies, an ethic they based on the life and teaching of Jesus. Nearly two centuries later, in the 1690s, the
Amish
emerged as a distinct Anabaptist group in Switzerland and in the Alsatian region of present-day France.
The Amish of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, are one of many Amish subgroups in North America. Most Amish groups are also known as
Old Orders
because they place a premium on maintaining old religious and social customs.
Mennonites,
who are religious cousins to the Amish, also trace their roots to the sixteenth-century Anabaptists. Many, but not all, of the Mennonite groups in the twenty-first century are more assimilated into mainstream culture and use more technology than the Amish.
Old Orders
because they place a premium on maintaining old religious and social customs.
Mennonites,
who are religious cousins to the Amish, also trace their roots to the sixteenth-century Anabaptists. Many, but not all, of the Mennonite groups in the twenty-first century are more assimilated into mainstream culture and use more technology than the Amish.
Even though the occasion for this book is one we would like to erase from Lancaster County history, we believe it opens a window onto Amish faith. Buggies, beards, and bonnets are the distinctive markers of Amish life for most Americans. Although such images provide insights into Amish culture and the values they hold dear, Amish people are likely to say that they are simply trying to be obedient to Jesus Christ, who commanded his followers to do many peculiar things, such as love, bless, and forgive their enemies. This is not a picture of Amish life that can easily be reproduced on a postcard from Amish Country; in fact, it can be painted only in the grit and grime of daily life. Although it would be small comfort to the families who lost daughters that day, the picture of Amish life is much clearer now than it was before October 2006.
This book is about Amish grace, but it is also about forgiveness, pardon, and reconciliation.
Grace,
as we use it in this book, is a broad concept that characterizes loving and compassionate responses to others. A gracious response may take many forms: comforting a person who is grieving, providing assistance to someone in need, sacrificing for another’s benefit, and so on. Amish people are somewhat uncomfortable talking about “Amish grace,” because to them, grace is a gift that God alone can give. We use
grace
in a broader way throughout the book, as a synonym for graciousness and gracious behavior toward others.
Grace,
as we use it in this book, is a broad concept that characterizes loving and compassionate responses to others. A gracious response may take many forms: comforting a person who is grieving, providing assistance to someone in need, sacrificing for another’s benefit, and so on. Amish people are somewhat uncomfortable talking about “Amish grace,” because to them, grace is a gift that God alone can give. We use
grace
in a broader way throughout the book, as a synonym for graciousness and gracious behavior toward others.
Forgiveness
is a particular form of grace that always involves an offense, an offender, and a victim (in this case, a victimized community). When forgiveness happens, a victim forgoes the right to revenge and commits to overcoming bitter feelings toward the wrongdoer. Some people who have studied forgiveness extend this definition a step further, contending that positive feelings toward the offender—feelings such as love and compassion—are also essential to forgiveness. For their part, the Amish believe that gracious actions extended to the offender are an important aspect of authentic forgiveness. It is not our goal in this book to define forgiveness once and for all. Ours is a more modest goal: to tell the story of Amish forgiveness at Nickel Mines. Although we give priority to the Amish understanding of forgiveness, we sometimes link it to scholarly conversations on the topic.
is a particular form of grace that always involves an offense, an offender, and a victim (in this case, a victimized community). When forgiveness happens, a victim forgoes the right to revenge and commits to overcoming bitter feelings toward the wrongdoer. Some people who have studied forgiveness extend this definition a step further, contending that positive feelings toward the offender—feelings such as love and compassion—are also essential to forgiveness. For their part, the Amish believe that gracious actions extended to the offender are an important aspect of authentic forgiveness. It is not our goal in this book to define forgiveness once and for all. Ours is a more modest goal: to tell the story of Amish forgiveness at Nickel Mines. Although we give priority to the Amish understanding of forgiveness, we sometimes link it to scholarly conversations on the topic.
In telling the Amish story, it is important to distinguish forgiveness from both pardon and reconciliation. Whereas in forgiveness the victim forgoes the right to vengeance,
pardon
releases an offender from punishment altogether. In many cases, pardon can be granted not by the victim but only by a person or institution with disciplinary authority over the offender (such as the judicial system).
Reconciliation
is the restoration of a relationship, or the creation of a new one, between the victim and the offender. Reconciliation is not necessary for forgiveness to take place, and of course it does not always happen, because it requires the establishment of trust between two willing parties. In many situations, however, reconciliation between victim and offender constitutes the ultimate goal, and forgiveness is a crucial step in that process.
pardon
releases an offender from punishment altogether. In many cases, pardon can be granted not by the victim but only by a person or institution with disciplinary authority over the offender (such as the judicial system).
Reconciliation
is the restoration of a relationship, or the creation of a new one, between the victim and the offender. Reconciliation is not necessary for forgiveness to take place, and of course it does not always happen, because it requires the establishment of trust between two willing parties. In many situations, however, reconciliation between victim and offender constitutes the ultimate goal, and forgiveness is a crucial step in that process.
We talked with more than three dozen Amish people in the course of writing this book, and we quote many of them liberally in the following pages. Because Amish culture emphasizes humility, the Amish people we interviewed did not want their names to appear in print. We have respected their wishes and simply cite many of our sources as “an Amish grandmother” or “an Amish carpenter.” Similarly, we do not identify by name Amish people who wrote letters or essays in Amish magazines and correspondence newspapers.
For the eight individuals we quote extensively, we use typical Amish first names as pseudonyms (Amos, Eli, Gid, Katie, Mary, Mose, Sadie, and Sylvia). Each pseudonym refers to an actual person, not a composite of characters. This is a book about grace, and in that spirit we also use a pseudonym for the killer’s widow.
In a few circumstances, we use the real names of Amish people because their names were published so widely in the news media. We use the first names of the girls who attended the West Nickel Mines School, as well as their teacher’s first name. We also include the full names of Amish people in forgiveness stories unrelated to the schoolhouse shooting because these names have already appeared in the news media or in other publications when the stories were originally reported.
Finally, we must clarify our use of the phrase
the English
. Amish people often use this term for non-Amish people.The Amish speak a German dialect, Pennsylvania German (also known colloquially as Pennsylvania Dutch), as their first language. They also speak, read, and write English, which they typically learn when they begin school. Amish adults routinely speak English in their interactions with non-Amish neighbors, whom they refer to simply as “the English,” even if the outsiders have no formal ties to Great Britain. In the pages that follow, we use the terms
non-Amish, English,
and
outsiders
interchangeably.
the English
. Amish people often use this term for non-Amish people.The Amish speak a German dialect, Pennsylvania German (also known colloquially as Pennsylvania Dutch), as their first language. They also speak, read, and write English, which they typically learn when they begin school. Amish adults routinely speak English in their interactions with non-Amish neighbors, whom they refer to simply as “the English,” even if the outsiders have no formal ties to Great Britain. In the pages that follow, we use the terms
non-Amish, English,
and
outsiders
interchangeably.
We’ve organized the text into three parts. Part One, which comprises the first five chapters, tells the story of the school shooting and the responses that flowed in its wake. Part Two explores broader understandings and practices of forgiveness in Amish life. Part Three reflects on the meaning of forgiveness, not only for the Amish but for the rest of us as well.
Part One
CHAPTER ONE
The Nickel Mines Amish
We believe in letting our light shine, but not shining it in the eyes of other people.
—AMISH FATHER
T
he earliest streaks of light were barely breaking the eastern sky as we turned east in Strasburg, Pennsylvania.
1
Reading our MapQuest printout with a flashlight, we drove two miles and then turned south onto Wolf Rock Road. Ahead of us, two blinking red lights punctured the darkness, signaling the unhurried pace of a horse-drawn buggy. We slowed the car and followed the rhythmic
clip-clop, clip-clop
of the horse’s hooves toward the top of a ridge.
he earliest streaks of light were barely breaking the eastern sky as we turned east in Strasburg, Pennsylvania.
1
Reading our MapQuest printout with a flashlight, we drove two miles and then turned south onto Wolf Rock Road. Ahead of us, two blinking red lights punctured the darkness, signaling the unhurried pace of a horse-drawn buggy. We slowed the car and followed the rhythmic
clip-clop, clip-clop
of the horse’s hooves toward the top of a ridge.
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