Rev William Henry conceded that in the past Protestants had “not been good” at telling their stories, and emphasised the need to be aware of the pain caused by the legacy of the past.
He was speaking at the launch in Belfast of the new book, Considering Grace: Presbyterians And The Troubles.
It was compiled over three years from 120 interviews with ministers, victims, members of the security forces and peace-makers, among others.
Rev Terry Laverty was 15 when his brother Robert, 18, a police officer, was killed by the IRA in 1972.
In the book he recalls feeling anger for years, recalling shouting at God “behind the wind and the waves” as he walked along Ballycastle beach.
Now he says the pain remains but his faith gives him and his family the grace to get through it.
Other ministers recall attending atrocities.
Rev David Cupples was at the scene of the IRA’s Remembrance Sunday bomb in Enniskillen in 1987.
He described feeling that if Ronnie Hill, who had been left in a coma by the attack, had died, it would have pushed him “over the edge”.
He recalled telling a colleague: “I honestly fear I am about to go over the edge. If a phone call comes through that Ronnie has died, I don’t think I can cope with it.
“When I started to pray, I cried in a way I never cried in my life, before or since. There was just this absolutely enormous reservoir of pain and sorrow that built up…
… Read More
—
Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.