When The Roll Is Called

When the Roll is Called

For more than one hundred years, North American Christians have been choosing one of two stories about the gospel of Jesus Christ. One story, often referred to as the "true gospel," holds forth a narrative that this world is a "sinking ship" without possibility of redemption. For adherents to the "true gospel," human suffering in this life is mostly a distraction to be ignored, for all that truly matters is to "win souls for Jesus" so that as many as possible can be assured of eternal life. The other story, known by many as the "social gospel," holds that the gospel of Jesus promises a new beginning in this life that includes the possibility for abundant life in this present world. Followers of this story devote themselves to alleviating human suffering and working for charity and peace. Prior to the Civil War, these two stories--of salvation in this life and salvation in the life to come--were one, never to be separated, together comprising the good news of Jesus Christ. When the Roll is Called recounts the traumatic tearing asunder of this beautiful good news and offers hope for the restoration of a whole gospel.

The Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal.

When the Roll is Called a Pyonder

"With grace, humor, and sensitivity, Diana R. Zimmerman renders a traditional Mennonite farm family in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as seen through a child’s eyes and spoken in the hypnotic rhythms of a young girl’s voice. The spirited speaker develops a rich sense of herself and her community as she grows up in a conservative religious context where “help means spank,” and female children are reared for lives of obedience, modesty, and piety. This is a remarkably immediate work of memory and imagination—authentic, fair-minded, and unsentimental— suitable for readers of all ages."—Julia Spicher Kasdorf, author of Sleeping Preacher and The Body and the Book: Writing from a Mennonite Life"Diana R. Zimmerman has written a great American memoir. I was reminded of Huck Finn and Harriet the Spy and Jo March as I chuckled and gasped and laughed out loud through this book. You will love this little Mennonite girl, and she will lead you back to your own inner child. You will also start seeing the world through her eyes. You won't want this story to end."—Shirley Hershey Showalter, author of Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World