Learning From the Future

On April 10, 1998, the people of Northern Ireland voted to enact the so-called "Good Friday Agreement," which would set up a new national assembly governed jointly by Protestants and Catholics, and thereby end 500 years of bloodshed. But as the implementation date of June 30, 1999 approached, deadlock set in as leaders on both sides haggled over the details of disarmament, with the end result that the Agreement has--as we went to press--yet to become fully operational. In view of the tenuousness of the issue last June, former New York police officer Steven McDonald and author/minister J. Christoph Arnold of the Bruderhof community were invited to speak to members of the Northern Ireland Assembly. This brief tape recounts their "unlikely peace mission," the theme of which is "peace starts with one's wife and children" and that forgiveness and faith can "spark a quiet revolution in the hearts and minds of a nation." Of special note here is forgiveness: while on duty, Officer McDonald suffered a bullet in his spine, resulting in life-long paralysis and respirator-use, and he says that he forgives his teenage assailant every day. Though this program is touching, its lack of any background material on the Northern Ireland "troubles," short length, and unanswered questions (i.e., did McDonald and Arnold actually change anyone's minds?) render it an optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (K. Glaser)