Author Archives: abfifer

Another Dimension to Forgiveness: Caste

April 2, 2021 – 10:23 am

I have written several posts about forgiveness where the victim, who happened to be black, has publicly forgiven the offender, who happened to be white. I thought it was especially impressive because black people in America have more to forgive. After reading Isabel Wilkerson’s powerful book, Caste (Random House: 2020), I see another dimension to […]

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Another Dimension to Forgiveness: Caste

Church’s Responsibility to Its Own

March 26, 2021 – 11:34 am

No church wants to face what Crabapple First Baptist Church faced last week: news that one of its members had murdered eight people on a shooting spree. The church needed to determine its response, and communicate it not only to its own congregation but to the community and the world. Not easy to do while […]

Posted in News & Notes | Comments Off on Church’s Responsibility to Its Own

Are Mediator Statements Confidential Too?

March 12, 2021 – 4:23 pm

Confidentiality in mediation typically refers to communications made by the parties and their attorneys. What about statements made by the mediator? Are those confidential? And if so, what should a mediator do when a party publicizes a statement allegedly made by the mediator in mediation, especially if it’s inaccurate? This happened to a mediator colleague […]

Posted in Mediation | Comments Off on Are Mediator Statements Confidential Too?

James Cameron, Hero

December 16, 2020 – 1:40 pm

I’m fascinated by stories of forgiveness, and I just discovered another one that needs to be told: the biography of James Cameron. When he was 16, he and a couple slightly older friends decided one night to pull a carjacking. His buddies gave him a gun. But when he approached the young unsuspecting couple sitting […]

Posted in Peacemaking | Comments Off on James Cameron, Hero

The New ICC

December 9, 2020 – 7:51 pm

The Institute for Christian Conciliation (ICC) was formed nearly three decades ago, as the division within Peacemaker Ministries dedicated to managing cases and training “conciliators” to intervene in other people’s conflicts. In 2016, Peacemaker Ministries, in order to streamline its focus, transferred the ICC to a new entity called “ICC Peace.” ICC Peace was organized […]

Posted in News & Notes | Comments Off on The New ICC