Rich is an elder at Plow Creek intentional community, "A global village practicing the peace of Jesus."
He is the founder of Evergreen Leaders, which helps groups thrive, "Ordinary People, Thriving Groups."
He has also written a novel, Jonas and Sally, and writes a wonderful Thriving Groups blog.
Rich, a pentecostal Mennonite, was one of the first people to join PCPJ when we first got started. More of his biography and many of his writings can be found here.
What President Bush, Saddam Hussein, and Osama bin Laden Believe March 23, 2003
Dear folks, Bush, bin Laden and Hussein believe in, to use Walter Wink’s term, "the myth of redemptive violence." Saddam Hussein believed that Iraq and the Middle East would be better off with him as a dominant leader, killing Iraqis who were a threat to him, fighting wars with Iran and Kuwait, sacrificing hundreds of thousands of lives.
Bin Laden believed that he could make the world a better place for Islam by masterminding the turning of passenger planes into missiles to destroy the World Trade Center. President Bush believes he can make the USA more secure by invading Iraq and removing Hussein from power, sacrificing Iraqi, Americans and British lives in the process.
Each believes the myth of redemptive violence—good coming out of killing. What do we believe? We believe in the redemptive power of love. When Jesus was about to be killed by leaders who believed in the myth of redemptive violence he said to his friends, "Love one another as I have loved you." On Wednesday night Sarah, Jon and I were working on our taxes in my office. Erin came in. She had been crying. On Tuesday night she had found out that she had to wait longer for a visa to go to Colombia.
And then on Wednesday night the USA began bombing Baghdad where her dad is with CPT. Good reasons to cry. We listened to her for awhile and then I said, "Would you like a hug?" "Oh, yes," she said, "hugs definitely help." Sarah, Jon and I each gave her a hug. We talked for awhile longer and she was about to leave when I asked if she’d like another hug. Yes. I hugged her, Sarah hugged her and Jon stood up, towering over her by a foot, and gave her a hug. We believe in the redemptive power of love.
