About the Book 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."

About the Author John W. Friesen
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.

Also by the Author Do Christians Forgive: Well, Some Do ... (2000)
Riel/Real Story (1996)
Rose of the North (1987)