Author Archives: abfifer

Peacemaking at Harvest Bible Chapel

January 23, 2019 – 3:16 pm

Prayers going out to my Peacemaker colleagues who are helping heal wounds within the congregation and leadership at Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago. May the God of peace be with you!

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On Justice and Forgiveness

January 23, 2019 – 2:48 pm

I had the privilege of hearing Rachel Den Hollander speak yesterday as part of Calvin College’s January Series. Her talk, “A Time to Speak: Addressing Justice and Forgiveness,” reminded us that Justice and Forgiveness are aspects of God’s character, so misrepresenting them or misapplying them misrepresents God. Den Hollander is uniquely qualified to address this […]

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Public Apologies Made Easy: the Notes App

January 14, 2019 – 4:46 pm

The New York Times published a fun article this weekend on the latest format used by celebrities for their apologies: the Notes app in the iPhone. Apparently part of their appeal is that they look spontaneous and personal, as opposed to the clumsy “formal apology” that was obviously written by a handler. They are also […]

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Forgiving a Murderer

January 14, 2019 – 9:22 am

Almost 19 years ago, four white teenagers assaulted an older black man in Grand Rapids, torturing him until he died. Willie Jones was a GM retiree who had just finished bowling when the teens beat him up, stuffed him in the trunk of his own car, and drove the car around until the next morning, […]

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Christian Mediation in Clergy Abuse Cases?

January 9, 2019 – 8:23 pm

Could Christian mediation help with the Catholic Church’s clergy abuse cases? Christian mediation differs from standard mediation in that it consciously incorporates Christian principles into the mediation process, promoting not only resolution of the dispute but also reconciliation of the relationship, to whatever degree is appropriate. Far from settling with a compromise, Christian mediation has […]

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