Shalom! A Journal for the Practice of Reconciliation is a quarterly publication of the Brethren in Christ Church. Its mission is to educate and stimulate Christ-like responses to the needs of society by providing biblical, theological, sociological, denominational and personal perspectives on a variety of comtemporary issues.
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Current Issue
Spring 2010, "Heroes"
This edition of Shalom! begins with the notion that we all need and have heroes in our lives—people we admire because of what they are able to accomplish, who influence us to do more than we thought we could, who inspire us with their ability to overcome obstacles and concentrate single-mindedly on something beyond themselves, or who maintain their integrity despite enormous pressures to compromise their values. Most of the writers in this edition raise to "hero" status ordinary people who have made an impact or persevered through challenges that might break others. In many cases, such people would not even be aware of the influence they were having and would recoil from the suggestion that they are heroes. They were or are simply doing what comes naturally, following their passion and being faithful to their Christian vocation. Defining such people as heroes might seem a stretch, but it also recognizes the potential in each of us to have a positive influence on someone else when we least expect it, to be on guard for those moments when something we do or say is exactly what someone needs, and to live with the expectation and understanding that what we do matters to others whether we know it or not. Who are your heroes? For whom are you a hero?
