Honest Patriots Loving a Country Enough to Remember Its Misdeeds

The failure to do so skews the relations of many Americans to one another, breeds ongoing hostility, and damages the health of our society. events in American history is essential to the health of our Yet our civic identity today largely rests on denials, forgetfulness, and inattention to thememories of neighbors whose ancestors suffered great injustices at the hands of some dominant majority. Shriver contends that repentance for these injustices must find a place in our political culture. Such repentance must be carefully and deliberately cultivated through the accurate teaching of history, by meansof public symbols that embody both positive and negative memory, and through public leadership to this end. events skews the relations of many Americans to one another Religious people and religious organizations have an important role to play in this process. Historically, the Christian tradition has concentrated on the personal dimensions of forgiveness and repentance to the near-total neglect of their collective aspects. Recently, however, the idea of collective moral responsibility hasgained new and public visibility. Official apologies for past collective injustice have multiplied, along with calls for reparations. anyone's ancestors, says Shriver, is to be blind to the Shriver looks in detail at the examples of Germany and South Africa, and their pioneering efforts to foster andexpress collective repentance. He then turns to the historic wrongs perpetrated against African Americans and Native Americans and to recent efforts by American citizens and governmental bodies to seek public justice by remembering public injustice. The call for collective repentance presents many challenges: What can it mean to morally master a past whose victims are dead and whose sufferings cannot be alleviated? What are the measures that lend substance to language and action expressingrepentance? What symbolic and tangible acts produce credible turns away from past wrongs? What are the dynamics-psychological, social, and political-whereby we can safely consign an evil to the past? How can public life witness to corporate crimes of the past in such a way that descendents of victims canbe confident that they will never be repeated? In his provocative answers to these questions Shriver creates a compelling new vision of the collective repentance and apology that must precede real progress in relations between the races in this country.In Honest Patriots, renowned public theologian and ethicist Donald W. Shriver, Jr. argues that we must acknowledge and repent of the morally negative events in our nation's past. The failure to do so skews the relations of many Americans to one another, breeds ongoing hostility, and damages the health of our society. Yet our civic identity today largely rests on denials, forgetfulness, and inattention to the memories of neighbors whose ancestors suffered great injustices at the hands of some dominant majority. Shriver contends that repentance for these injustices must find a place in our political culture. Such repentance must be carefully and deliberately cultivated through the accurate teaching of history, by means of public symbols that embody both positive and negative memory, and through public leadership to this end. Religious people and religious organizations have an important role to play in this process. Historically, the Christian tradition has concentrated on the personal dimensions of forgiveness and repentance to the near-total neglect of their collective aspects. Recently, however, the idea of collective moral responsibility has gained new and public visibility. Official apologies for past collective injustice have multiplied, along with calls for reparations. Shriver looks in detail at the examples of Germany and South Africa, and their pioneering efforts to foster and express collective repentance. He then turns to the historic wrongs perpetrated against African Americans and Native Americans and to recent efforts by American citizens and governmental bodies to seek public justice by remembering public injustice. The call for collective repentance presents many challenges: What can it mean to morally master a past whose victims are dead and whose sufferings cannot be alleviated? What are the measures that lend substance to language and action expressing repentance? What symbolic and tangible acts produce credible turns away from past wrongs? What are the dynamics-psychological, social, and political-whereby we can safely consign an evil to the past? How can public life witness to corporate crimes of the past in such a way that descendents of victims can be confident that they will never be repeated? In his provocative answers to these questions Shriver creates a compelling new vision of the collective repentance and apology that must precede real progress in relations between the races in this country.Donald Shriver argues that recognition of morally negative events inAmerican history is essential to the health of our society. The failure toacknowledge and repent of these events skews the relations of many Americans toone another and breeds ongoing hostility. To obscure the suffering of anyone'sancestors, says Shriver, is to be blind to the continuing impact of thatsuffering upon the descendants. Yet our civic identity largely rests on denials,forgetfulness, and inattention to the memories of neighbors whose ancestorssuffered great injustices at the hands of some dominant majority. Shrivercontends that repentance for these injustices must find a place in our politicalculture. It must be carefully cultivated through the accurate teaching ofhistory, public symbols that embody both positive and negative memory, andpublic leadership to this end. Religious people and religious organizations havean important role to play in this process. In the past, the Christian traditionhas so concentrated on the personal dimensions of forgiveness and repentancethat their collective aspects have been severely neglected. More recently,however, the idea of collective moral responsibility has come into publicprominence. Official apologies for past collective injustice have multiplied, ashave calls for reparations. Focusing on the wrongs suffered by African Americansand Native Americans, Shriver examines the challenges associated with the callfor collective repentance: What can it mean to morally master a past whosevictims are dead and whose sufferings cannot be alleviated? What are themeasures that lend substance to language and action expressing repentance? Whatsymbolic and tangible acts produce credible turns away from past wrongs? Whatare the dynamics-psychological, social, and political-whereby we can safelyconsign an evil to the past? How can public life witness to corporate crimes ofthe past in such a way that descendents of victims can be confident that theywill never be repeated? In answering these questions Shriver creates acompelling vision of the collective repentance and apology that must precedereal progress in relations between the races in this country."As long as there are such sensitive and profoundly truthful commentators as Donald Shriver around speaking to American power, there is always hope." --Restorative Justice "A passionate but gentle teaching on personal, political, educational, and religious repentence. Written in the first person by a man who has confronted those questions many times in his life as a civil rights worker, teacher, minister, and president--now emeritus--of Union Thological Seminary in New York." --Christian Century "The worst feature of the 20th Century was the inhumanity that resulted in the deaths, rapes and torture of many millions of civilians. The most hopeful feature was the movement in many regions of the world from oppression to freedom and democracy. These contradictory trends compel us to question how best to deal with the past in order better to shape the future. Donald Shriver provides a sensitive and compelling analysis of remembering and memorializing in Germany, South Africa and the United States. This is an essential book for anyone interested in transitional justice."--Richard Goldstone, Justice, Constitutional Court of South Africa "Donald Shrivers gift to America is his readiness to stir up the conscience of a nation he loves so well. His scope of concern breaks out of narrow nationalist preoccupation to international dimension of critique and repentance. He has made it his lifes work to probe the interplay between personal ethics and collective reality and responsibility. In this book he challenges us and fellow citizens of the world to look honestly at the less than noble moments in our history. This is not, in the end, a book of criticism, but rather one of hope, pointing the way to a collective change of heart and of public policy."--The Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr., Senior Minister, Riverside Church, New York "This is Donald Shriver at the height of his powers as a writer and a teacher. He is a passionate advocate for the healing of historical wounds in every society through the acknowledgement of moral responsibility, expressions of remorse and requests for the forgiveness of those people harmed. He shows persuasively how this process has worked in post-World War II Germany and post-apartheid South Africa. And, honest patriot that he is, he charts the brave although limited efforts of some white Americans, including himself, to face their responsibility to African and Native Americans."--Joseph V. Montville, Center for the Study of World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution, George Mason University "Like blind ambition, blind patriotism can be a dangerous delusion that can take us off the cliff. Donald Shriver's book shines with a love of America that embraces our ideals without denying our flaws."--Bill Moyers "Donald Shriver is a towering, prophetic thinker who knows the difference between the cross and the flag. He is a long-distance runner in the struggle for freedom and Christian love."--Cornel West, author of Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism"A passionate but gentle teaching on personal, political, educational, andreligious repentence. Written in the first person by a man who has confrontedthose questions many times in his life as a civil rights worker, teacher,minister, and president--now emeritus--of Union Thological Seminary in NewYork." --Christian Century"Donald Shriver is a towering, prophetic thinker who knows the differencebetween the cross and the flag. He is a long-distance runner in the struggle forfreedom and Christian love."--Cornel West, author of Democracy Matters: Winningthe Fight Against Imperialism"This is Donald Shriver at the height of his powers as a writer and ateacher. He is a passionate advocate for the healing of historical wounds inevery society through the acknowledgement of moral responsibility, expressionsof remorse and requests for the forgiveness of those people harmed. He showspersuasively how this process has worked in post-World War II Germany andpost-apartheid South Africa. And, honest patriot that he is, he charts the bravealthough limited efforts of some white Americans, including himself, to facetheir responsibility to African and Native Americans."--Joseph V. Montville,Center for the Study of World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution,George Mason University"Donald Shrivers gift to America is his readiness to stir up theconscience of a nation he loves so well. His scope of concern breaks out ofnarrow nationalist preoccupation to international dimension of critique andrepentance. He has made it his lifes work to probe the interplay betweenpersonal ethics and collective reality and responsibility. In this book hechallenges us and fellow citizens of the world to look honestly at the less thannoble moments in our history. This is not, in the end, a book of criticism, butrather one of hope, pointing the way to a collective change of heart and ofpublic policy."--The Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr., Senior Minister, RiversideChurch, New York"I cannot think of a more important voice for the moral future of theUnited States and the world community than that of Donald Shriver. In thesepages, Shriver utilizes his legendary Southern capacity to tell an absorbingtale of the human condition, of moral catastrophe built into the fabric ofnations at war with themselves and with others, and the victims so easilyovershadowed by the passage of time. This is also a tale of courageous humanbeings around the globe who provide a model combination of patriotism andcriticism. He calls Americans to a deeper and more honest reading of theirhistory, in order for them to become honest patriots. Shriver in his senioryears has become one of our most important prophets, and this rabbi is moved byhis religious voice and indebted to his timeless teachings."--Marc Gopin, authorof Holy War, Holy Peace: How Religion Can Bring Peace to the Middle East"Like blind ambition, blind patriotism can be a dangerous delusion thatcan take us off the cliff. Donald Shriver's book shines with a love of Americathat embraces our ideals without denying our flaws."--Bill Moyers"One of the most important books of the year. How can citizens andgovernments deal with abusive systems? He demonstrates how nations, includingthe U.S., have represented and even paid reparations." --John Lapp, MennoniteCentral Committee"The worst feature of the 20th Century was the inhumanity that resulted inthe deaths, rapes and torture of many millions of civilians. The most hopefulfeature was the movement in many regions of the world from oppression to freedomand democracy. These contradictory trends compel us to question how best to dealwith the past in order better to shape the future. Donald Shriver provides asensitive and compelling analysis of remembering and memorializing in Germany,South Africa and the United States. This is an essential book for anyoneinterested in transitional justice."--Richard Goldstone, Justice, ConstitutionalCourt of South AfricaIn Honest Patriots, renowned public theologian and ethicist Donald W.S hriver, Jr. argues that we must acknowledge and repent of the morally negative events in our nation's past."In Honest Patriots, renowned public theologian and ethicist Donald W. Shriver, Jr. argues that we must acknowledge and repent of the morally negative events in our nation's past. The failure to do so skews the relations of many Americans to one another, breeds ongoing hostility, and damages the health of our society." "Yet our civic identity today largely rests on denials, forgetfulness, and inattention to the memories of neighbors whose ancestors suffered great injustices at the hands of some dominant majority. Shriver contends that repentance for these injustices must find a place in our political culture. Such repentance must be carefully and deliberately cultivated through the accurate teaching of history, by means of public symbols that embody both positive and negative memory, and through public leadership to this end."--BOOK JACKET. Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights ReservedIn Honest Patriots, renowned public theologian and ethicist Donald W. Shriver, Jr. argues that we must acknowledge and repent of the morally negative events in our nation's past. The failure to do so skews the relations of many Americans to one another, breeds ongoing hostility, and damages the health of our society. events in American history is essential to the health of our Yet our civic identity today largely rests on denials, forgetfulness, and inattention to the memories of neighbors whose ancestors suffered great injustices at the hands of some dominant majority. Shriver contends that repentance for these injustices must find a place in our political culture. Such repentance must be carefully and deliberately cultivated through the accurate teaching of history, by means of public symbols that embody both positive and negative memory, and through public leadership to this end. events skews the relations of many Americans to one another Religious people and religious organizations have an important role to play in this process. Historically, the Christian tradition has concentrated on the personal dimensions of forgiveness and repentance to the near-total neglect of their collective aspects. Recently, however, the idea of collective moral responsibility has gained new and public visibility. Official apologies for past collective injustice have multiplied, along with calls for reparations. anyone's ancestors, says Shriver, is to be blind to the Shriver looks in detail at the examples of Germany and South Africa, and their pioneering efforts to foster and express collective repentance. He then turns to the historic wrongs perpetrated against African Americans and Native Americans andto recent efforts by American citizens and governmental bodies to seek public justice by remembering public injustice. The call for collective repentance presents many challenges: What can it mean to morally master a past w