Belief

By following each of the Hildebrandt family members' points of view, the author explores the ways in which faith and belief might assume varying and distinct forms. In the case of Russ Hildebrandt, the Christian church has been a formative part of his life since he was young. As the son of devote Mennonite parents, Russ is therefore not expecting to have a spiritual awakening while working with the Navajos as a young man. When he arrives at the Arizona reservation, he believes that the Bible offers the promise of salvation to "Anyone, anywhere . . . it's not exclusive" (427). However, the longer he spends with the Navajos, the more he begins to believe "Christ had no dominion on the mesa" (429). While God seems suddenly to be in and of the mesa, he also appears outside of it. To Russ, therefore, the mesa becomes representative of "secret pleasure and...