Advance
Comment "Hubert's writing is as
unpretentious and passionate as his life and ministry.
His humble, at times almost self-effacing, manner betrays
his Amish Mennonite roots, but his convictions are
unmistakably clear: that justice and peace belong with
salvation at the heart of the Christian gospel, and that
‘the least of these’ are the ones who know it
best. From rural Ontario, to St. Louis in the unrest of
the 1960s, to working with contentious issues in and for
the institutional church, Hubert's story is as
provocative in the reading as it has been in the
living." "Although he writes this small
spiritual memoir on paper, Hubert wants to ‘carve in
stone’ one truth he has come to know: it is a sin to
discriminate against any person created by God. The man
who felt the heat from a KKK cross burning, heard bullets
crash through his car window, and cried in public when
his church voted not to include women as possible
pastors, can still cry over injustice, prejudice, and
religious apathy. . . . This gentle pastor who loves John
Deere tractors, polishes pieces of colorful stone as
gifts, listens long and hard, writes love poems to his
wife Mary—this man offers few pat answers to friends
and colleagues. He simply invites us to join the walk, in
the company of Jesus and of the wounded ones in this
world." "The author's life is a message of
Christian growth, from the faith of an Amish country boy
to a prophet taking on urban streets. His life
exemplifies how we are to walk with the poor and the
oppressed of the city; how we are to hold together the
preaching of the gospel with incarnating it everyday
living; how to speak for justice for the poor, for women
in church and society, for homosexuals and against racism
of every kind. Schwartzentruber manifests a prophetic
understanding of the weaknesses of the church and its
glorious possibilities. I stongly endorse this
publication." "Here is a memoir from a
passionate urban pastor strongly committed to evangelism
and social justice which offers a fascinating window into
the diverse and fruitful life of a Mennonite pastor who
moved from farm to inner city. While he exhibits a heart
filled with love and care for the church and those he
believes are the downtrodden, Hubert also addresses
controversial contemporary issues with the forthrightness
of an Old Testament prophet. Should be required reading
for seminary students before entering ministry. " "This is a dangerous book. If you
are comfortable in your prejudices and unshakeable in
your dogmas, you might be well advised to avoid reading
it. It could change you . . . and then what?" Jesus in Back Alleys orders:
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