John W. Friesen, a United Church minister at Alberta's Stoney Indian Reserve, is a man of God and a man of action. He has penned more than 30 books, including "The Riel/Real Story" (1994, Borealis), and "Aboriginal Spirituality and Biblical Theology: Closer Than You Think" (2000). He has holds degrees and diplomas from many post-secondary institutions, among them the University of Kansas and Trinity Theology Seminary, and teaches First Nations history and education at the University of Calgary.

Most people believe in forgiveness, but they are not always willing to forgive. The question, "Do people forgive?" is relevant to any human relationship but forgiveness is rarely initiated without some degree of restraint and anguish. When the ingredient of Christianity is added to the query, however, forgiveness is supposed to be predictable and readily forthcoming. But is this always so? This book answers that question by incorporating solicited personal stories of forgiveness against a background of theoretical considerations drawn from the fields of psychology, theology, and biblical exegesis. Do Christians Forgive? Well, Some Do ... identifies the essential steps to forgiveness outlined by various practitioners, then delineates seven distinct levels of forgiveness.

The study proposes that people too often settle for limited modes of forgiveness when greater benefits may be derived from a deeper level of forgiveness through complete acceptance and full reconciliation. Do Christians forgive? Well, some do, and they do so by heeding the advice of therapists to take risks and become vulnerable and accepting in their relationships. In this way they open themselves to the greatest rewards that the human enterprise has to offer—genuine forgiveness—complete with reconciliation. Read this book; then, don´t settle for anything less!

Contents:
Setting the Stage: Historical and Theoretical Considerations
A Legacy of Turmoil
A Survey of Doukhobor Values and Beliefs
Vesitiges of the Past: Doukhobor Village Life
Doukhobors in Alberta: A Case Study in Assimilation
The Quest for Cultural Survival

From The Preface
Government multicultural policy implies that there will be "creative encounters and interchange among all Canadian cultural groups in the interests of national unity ..." (Friesen, 1993, 8). To date we have primarily been concerned with staking out our various ethnocultural territories and, on occasion, even seeking to right past wrongs. It is true that some inter-cultural concession have been made, but there are still enormous vacuums in our national cultural interchange portfolio (Burnet, 1981). The story of the Doukhobors is a case in point.
The rejection of institutions is replaced in Doukhobor faith by the simple commemorative placement of bread, salt and water on a table in the centre of the room during formal religious observances. While analysts of the Doukhobor faith have tried to attach a special significance to these emblems, Orthodox believers insist that they are merely reminders of the Doukhobor slogan, "toil and peaceful life." Simply translated, it implies a respect for hard work, reverence for the earth, and the extension of hospitality to others. As an elderly Doukhobor believer once observed, "it is better not to talk too much about your faith. It should be visible in your actions."

The Metis people of Canada are unique. Their origins emanate from a merger of two of the nation's founding peoples - resident Indians and immigrant French. Their development and formation into a distinct culture is intricately linked with the role of their revered leader, Louis Riel. This volume explores the Metis story from the perspective that they, like Canada´s other Native groups, have made a unique contribution to this country´s cultural mosaic.

Rose of the North is a novel about a young teacher, Anne Granger, who travels to a remote Native community in northwestern Canada and falls in love with a local Native man. When her family learns about Anne´s involvement, they are very upset. The book outlines the resultant clash with Anne´s conservatively religious parents, and details aspects of the educational situation in a northern Canadian Native community.