As I was listening to NPR today, I heard something that really disturbed me: a listener wrote in to say that she was very moved by the Amish response to the school shootings.  Rather than respond with violence or hatred, they responded with forgiveness.  She went on to say that we could learn something from them in this time of revenge and violence (I assume she was referring to the war in Iraq).
 So, perhaps you are wondering what disturbed me so about this letter.  Well, of course it’s not the Amish response part, nor is it the suggestion that we take a page from their book, so to speak.  No, what disturbed me was that the spirit of reconciliation in lieu of revenge was a surprise response to this particular listener. 
How sad, I thought.  Here we are, living in a country with a president who claims to be a Christian (and tons of other ordinary folks who claim the same belief), and the first time this person has heard of Christians forgiving their enemies comes not from the Whitehouse (or the guy down the street), but from a community of people who have sanctioned themselves off from the rest of us.  Now, this is not to criticize the Amish.  Rather, it is a shameful criticism of those of us who claim to be God’s people.  Indeed, we should take the Amish approach when dealing with those who do not have our best interest at heart; but shouldn’t all Christians, not just Amish, be leading the way in peace and reconciliation?

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