“When the wounds and scars of our world are paraded out as means and motivation for further hate and revenge, we must counter that there is no future in the vicious cycles of unforgiveness and retaliation. When we hear the names of Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Ravensbruck, we answer with the names of Maximilian Kolbe, Corrie Ten Boom, and Bernard Lichtenberg – people who were not overcome by evil, but overcame evil with good.

“When someone speaks of the hate and injustice in South Africa, we speak the names of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu who continue to heal a nation. When we hear of the past and current atrocities in Darfur, Armenia, Syria, Sandy Hook, Selma, or Croatia, we answer with the names of Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa, Miroslav Volf, Dirk Willems, the Amish of Nickel Mines and Yitzhak Rabin who lived, suffered and died for the sake of forgiveness.”

– From chapter 5, “Put Out the Fire” in How Far Is Heaven? by Ronnie McBrayer available at Amazon and other booksellers.