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Reconciliation: Our greatest challenge-our only hope

DeYoung, C. (1997). Reconciliation: Our greatest challenge-our only hope. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press.

OVERVIEW

The dimensions and cost of true reconciliation-in contrast to cheap alternatives-is the central thesis of this 159-page discussion book, written from a Christian perspective. Ten chapters are organized into four parts.

 

  • A Costly Problem
  • The Dividing Walls
  • The Hostility Between Us
  • Which Jesus Is The Real Jesus?
  • A Costly Proclamation
  • God's One-Item Agenda
  • A Reconciliation Mind-Set
  • Empowering Relationships
  • A Costly Process
  • Taking Responsibility
  • No-Fault Reconciliation
  • Resting in the Womb of God
  • A Costly Practice
  • Epilogue

In the three chapters that comprise "A Costly Problem," DeYoung identifies the multiple barriers that block harmony in our world, and he offers numerous examples of ways in which reconciliation is inhibited and undermined. "A Costly Proclamation" examines the Biblical meaning of reconciliation in the first-century and modern contexts, and explores the ministry of reconciliation as practiced by Jesus Christ and the early church. DeYoung uses this analysis as the basis for some guidelines for attempts at pursuing togetherness. "A Costly Process"-the core of the book-describes the essential steps for actually engaging in the process of reconciliation: e.g., when institutions and individuals take responsibility for division and injustice, participate in forgiveness, repair wrongs, heal our souls, and create new ways of relating to each other. This section also offers previously successful models. The role of the reconciler and cost of practicing reconciliation claims the attention of "A Costly Practice." Each chapter concludes with helpful "Questions for Discussion," and a useful "Bibliography for Reconcilers" enables further study on this topic.

SAMPLE EXERCISE

The book provides an especially useful exercise ("The Race," pp. 92-94) to help youth identify the existence of distinctions in society that result from injustice and understand how injustice affects their lives. Participants are asked to line up at a starting line for a race. Before the race begins, each person must answer a series of questions (sampling below) that will affect her or his placement at the starting line:

For each of the questions they can answer with a "Yes," the students may take a step forward:

  • Were there fifty or more books in your house when you were growing up?
  • Was there a computer in your house?
  • Did both of your parents graduate from high school?
  • Do your parents own their own home?
  • Did you attend camp in the summer?
  • Did most of the images you saw in school books look like you?
  • Did the images you saw at church look like you?
  • Can you easily buy greeting cards and postcards with people like you on them?

For each of the following questions that the participants can answer, "Yes," they must take a step backward:

Did you have a job in high school to help support your family?

  • Are you from a single-parent, female-headed household?
  • Is English a second language for you?
  • Have you had a close relative or friend in prison?
  • Did you have a parent who was often unemployed (not by choice)?
  • Are you female? Are any of your family members on welfare?
  • Were abandoned houses within a half-mile of where you lived growing up?
  • Have you ever been refused service because of your color?
  • Step back once if you are considered yellow, twice if you are considered brown, and three times if you are considered black.

 

 

Once all of the questions are answered, the participants are asked to notice who is in front and who is in the back. Then the race begins. As one would expect, those at the front typically win easily. Some participants who are midway back try hard to win but usually cannot overcome the odds. Those way behind the starting line often just give up.

IMPLICATIONS

The youth worker seeking to understand the personal implications of division and reconciling activities should begin with this probing, articulate resource. This book is also a helpful study aid for those needing a concise, lay-oriented articulation of the biblical mandate for reconciliation. The author offers concrete examples of approaches to reconciliation across racial, gender, and class lines.

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