The Bishop of Rwanda »

In 1994, as his country descended into the madness of genocide, Anglican Bishop John Rucyahana underwent the mind-numbing pain of having members of his church and family butchered. John refused to become a part of the systemic hatred. He founded the Sonrise orphanage and school for children orphaned in the genocide, and he now leads reconciliation efforts between his own Tutsi people, the victims of this horrific massacre, and the perpetrators, the Hutus. His remarkable story is one that demands to be told.

Publishers Weekly

Bishop John Rucyahana, an ethnic Tutsi refugee, was a leader in the Anglican Church of Uganda during the genocide of his people in Rwanda. He moved back in 1997 with his family to lead the largest and most devastated diocese there. The bulk of his narrative recounts the same story that others have told of the incomprehensibly brutal extermination of nearly one million Tutsis in 100 days. What this powerful, if unevenly edited, book adds is a deeper understanding of the role of the churches in the genocide. Although many Hutu pastors died protecting the Tutsis of their flocks, often religious clergy participated in the abhorrent violence, killing or betraying members of their congregations. The people of Rwanda have lost trust in authority of any kind, including religion, and so Rucyahana notes that the healing work that must now be accomplished can only be done through integrity and pure love. Bishop John has built ministries for both genocide survivors and perpetrators, releasing the pain from both sides and acting as a beacon for other communities suffering from their own destructive divisions. To anyone who has ever struggled to forgive or felt too far gone to repent, this book plumbs the depth of God's grace and finds no bottom. (Mar. 6) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Contents

Acknowledgments....................vii
Foreword....................xi
Introduction: Where Was God in Rwanda?....................xv
One: The Tragedy....................1
Two: Setting the Time Bomb....................9
Three: The Tearing of Paradise....................23
Four: The Countdown....................33
Five: A Carefully Laid Plan....................57
Six: The Demons Unleashed....................85
Seven: Bodies in the River....................121
Eight: Machetes into Plowshares....................137
Nine: Uncovering the Truth....................161
Ten: Changing Hearts....................177
Eleven: Forgiveness....................197
Twelve: The Future....................207
Epilogue: Reconciliation for All....................221
Notes....................225