"The Derksens live in a small bungalow in a modest neighborhood not far from downtown Winnipeg. Wilma Derksen and I sat in her backyard. I think some part of me expected her to be saintly or heroic. She was neither. She spoke simply and quietly. She was a Mennonite, she explained. Her family, like many Mennonites, had come from Russia, where those of their faith had suffered terrible persecution before fleeing to Canada. And the Mennonite response to persecution was to take Jesus’ instructions on forgiveness seriously."
“The whole Mennonite philosophy is that we forgive and we move on,” she said. It had not always been easy. It took more than 20 years for the police in Winnipeg to track down Candace’s killer. In the beginning, Wilma’s husband, Cliff, had been considered by some in the police force as a suspect. The weight of that suspicion fell heavily on the Derksens. Wilma told me she had wrestled with her anger and desire for retribution. They weren’t heroes or saints. But something in their tradition and faith made it possible for the Derksens to do something heroic and saintly."
Malcolm Gladwell on "the weapons of the spirit"
12 comments:
Man! That website is so messed up I couldn't make heads or tails of it, not that I'm holding that against anyone.
Sometimes, I think people manufacture some pretty complicated explanations for why they don't want to get up on Sunday morning and go to church.
That article was interesting because it describes one couple's putting into action their deeply held religious belief of forgiveness.
Where it becomes less interesting is the part where Gladwell turns the focus onto himself. He is self-absorbed, a trait he didn't acquire from his Mennonite family and their deep faith.
Lovely and encouraging essay; thank you for finding it, Lem. It was an encounter with a person who was radiating grace, peace and faith in the midst of personal catastrophe that nudged me back toward the Church after a ten-year absence.
I always appreciate people like Malcolm Gladwell who move in ardently secular circles who have the courage (equipped by the Holy Spirit, no doubt) to speak openly of their faith, especially when they've rediscovered it later in life. Bono is another one who comes to mind. He gave a fabulous interview in Christianity Today a couple years back where he talked openly about sin and repentance and corporate worship/prayer--which are not exactly concepts that "hip Christians" emphasize. Usually they're of the "spiritual but not religious; don't believe in hell" kind of Christians.
*I should have said "celebrity Christians" instead of "hip Christians."
I have known and worked with plenty of Mennonites in my life.
To say more than that would not be saintly.
"Maybe we have difficulty seeing the weapons of the spirit because we don’t know where to look, or because we are distracted by the louder claims of material advantage. But I’ve seen them now, and I will never be the same."
I was reading that DRUDGE has also connected with faith... or something like that.
@I-have-misplaced-my-pants/
Re: the "don't believe in Hell" bit, I caught a lapsed Jew cum atheist turned Catholic (a famous labor lawyer whose name I can't recall) once on C-SPAN explaining why he adopted the Catholic Church. He claimed it was because of the Church's concept of Hell. "Without the existence of Hell," if everyone is already 'saved,' " he explained, "why would anybody ever bother to go to church on Sunday when there are so many more enjoyable things to do--like take a walk in the park, watch a good movie, etc?"
The man has a point..
I just read about a Mennonite university that is changing its views on faculty homosexuality. I guess God called an election on this issue or something. It's like it's not a Kingdom anymore. Maybe the Kingdom of Heaven is a constitutional monarchy now.
""How I rediscovered Faith""
Turns out it was behind the sofa this whole time.
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