Description
Book SynopsisIn a fresh rendering of the role of leaders as healers, Forgiveness and Power in the Age of Atrocity considers love and power in the midst of personal, political, and social upheaval. Unexpected atrocity coexists alongside the quiet subtleties of mercy, and people and nations currently encounter a world in which not even the certainties of existence remain even as grace can sometimes arise under the most difficult circumstances. Ultimately, Forgiveness and Power in the Age of Atrocity is a book about the alienation and intimacy at war within us all. Ferch speaks to categorical human transgressions in the hope that readers will be compelled to examine their own prejudices and engage the moral responsibility to evoke in their own personal life, work life, and larger national communities a more humane and life-giving coexistence. In addition to a primary focus on servant leadership, the book addresses three interwoven aspects of social responsibility: 1) the nature of personal responsibil
Trade ReviewThe greatest figures in history, both human and divine, led with forgiveness. In this book, Shann Ferch uncovers the beauty and grit of vulnerable leadership, forgiving leadership, servant leadership. The power of leading with forgiveness offers high hope for our world’s atrocious history and terrifying future. -- Bill Robinson, Whitworth University
Dr. Shann Ferch has written a remarkably comprehensive and convincing exploration of forgiveness as the ground of healing and service, and then applied it to the principles and activities of leadership in the contemporary world. I enthusiastically recommend this volume to those who are not only interested in leadership studies, but also in the deepest dimensions and possibilities of love and the human condition. It is a remarkable antidote to the cynicism underlying some of the new purely pragmatic (and frequently inhuman) leadership theories. -- Robert J. Spitzer, Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science, SUNY Cortland, Author, “Guns across America”
In Forgiveness and Power in the Age of Atrocity Shann Ray Ferch succeeds in creating one of the most beautiful, inspiring, and lyrical books that I have read on servant leadership, or any subject. Shann gets to the heart and soul of what it means to embrace and practice servant leadership. In these, the most cynical of times that our world has ever known, this book points the way toward a more hopeful and compassionate world—a world where misplaced power and aggression are countered by Martin Luther King’s unarmed truth and unconditional love—through the power of servant leadership. -- Larry C. Spears, The Spears Center for Servant Leadership
In a world where hurt and hate dominate the headlines, Shann Ray Ferch is a bold purveyor of peace and love, much in the tradition of Robert Greenleaf. One cannot read this book without experiencing a reflective resolve to live with greater intentionality and purpose. -- Andrew K. Benton
Read this book if you are ready to live a new horizon. It is unsettling and worthy of every precious moment to read—each page creates an asymmetrical balance of joy, tears, laughter, and resolve. To end atrocity through love and forgiveness… this book is a beam of hope for humankind. -- Mary McFarland, Gonzaga University
Table of ContentsPublications Acknowledgments What is Servant Leadership? Servant Leadership in the Present Day Foreword: The Power of Servant Leadership Preface: Balefire: The World of Violence and Forgiveness Part 1. Servant Leadership, Forgiveness, and Power Chapter 1. A Fine Grace Chapter 2. When We Rise Chapter 3. The Dignity of Life Chapter 4. The Eloquent Question Chapter 5. Of Love and Human Violence Chapter 6. Emerson on Love Chapter 7. Sand Creek Chapter 8. The House of Light Part 2. Personal Consciousness, Interior Fortitude Chapter 9. Shame and Forgiveness Chapter 10. The Family, The World Chapter 11. The Way of the Child Chapter 12. Martin Luther King Jr. and Desmond Tutu Chapter 13. The Question of Love and Power Chapter 14. Before the Velvet Revolution Chapter 15. The Practice of Consciousness Chapter 16. Servant Leadership Consciousness and Listening Part 3. A Narrative of Hope and Responsible Action Chapter 17. The Inward Road Chapter 18. The Illumined Nature of Persuasion Chapter 19. People of Self-Transcendence Chapter 20. Shadow and Light Chapter 21. A Cree Man's Journey Chapter 22. The Nature of the Forgiving Touch Chapter 23. Healing the Heart of the World Afterword: Acts of Courage and Clarity Endnotes References Recommended Readings in Servant Leadership About the Author Other Publications by Shann Ray Ferch
