This sensitive and thoughtful meditation reflects on the response of the Amish community of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, where in 2006 a gunman killed five school children, wounded five others, then killed himself. Even many Christians were stunned when the Amish community, in the midst of its grieving, offered words of forgiveness toward the dead killer and his family. John L. Ruth considers that extraordinary forgiveness as the legacy of that heartbreaking day. Fifth anniversary edition.

Foregiveness: A Legacy of the West Nickel Mines Amish School

Religion & Spirituality

Ruth, John

Christian Books & Bibles

Herald Press

This sensitive and thoughtful meditation reflects on the response of the Amish community of Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, where in 2006 a gunman killed five school children, wounded five others, then killed himself. Even many Christians were stunned when the Amish community, in the midst of its grieving, offered words of forgiveness toward the dead killer and his family. John L. Ruth considers that extraordinary forgiveness as the legacy of that heartbreaking day.

Forgiveness: A Legacy of the West Nickel Mines Amish School

John L. Ruth, a Mennonite storyteller/historian, captures the spirit of Old Order Mennonite and Amish groups in his essays, along with photographs, poetry, and quotations. If the "plain people" of North America are to be understood in terms of their own concerns, we must consider sympathetically their own expressions and the biblical cadences they echo. Having maintained, with the tolerance of their society, a simple life as "the quiet in the land," these folk still prize such passé virtues as modesty, humility, and obedience to God's will, as interpreted by a disciplined community of faith. Their values, difficult to appreciate in a world bemused by progress, are seldom if ever articulated, except as curiosities, in our mass media. --John L. Ruth, in A Quiet and Peaceable Life.

Quiet and Peaceable Life: People's Place Book No.2

Arts & Photography

Photography & Video

Good Books

When John Ruth arrived in the United Kingdom from Ireland as a boy in the late 1950's. He had little idea of the challenging times that awaited him. With his elder sister Brenda and brother Liam, he was enrolled in a strict Dominican Roman Catholic boarding school at Ponsbourne Park in the remote Hertfordshire countryside. He soon discovered that this place was as cruel, oppressive and mysterious as any five year old child could imagine. He found himself separated from not only his parents, but also his two elder siblings. A few cruel nuns meted out punishment and strict discipline against a backdrop of changing values in those post war years. His harrowing journey continued into the emerging Rock 'n' Roll years that were captivating the youth of the day, and challenging the outdated views and traditions that were held by those in authority. It also describes moving acts of kindness from some of the same nuns who tried to make life easier for many of the unfortunate children in their care. This first part of his story covers his experiences from early childhood to puberty, and captures glimpses of the harshness and occasional brutality of the nuns to some of the more vulnerable children in their care. It illustrates some of the double standards that existed between the haves and have-nots who shared the same education, but certainly not the same privileges.

The Veritas Years

Biographies & Memoirs

Tredition Gmbh

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Books by Ruth, John

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Ruth, John. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Foregiveness: A Legacy of the West Nickel Mines Amish School

Forgiveness: A Legacy of the West Nickel Mines Amish School

Quiet and Peaceable Life: People's Place Book No.2

The Veritas Years