Confronted by the White supremacists who had murdered their loved ones in June 2015, many of the family members of those killed at Mother Immanuel AME Church spoke words of forgiveness. The families’ actions sparked sharp responses. In this essay, I will argue that critical responses misunderstood the practice of Black Christian forgiveness. I claim that Black Christian forgiveness is a practical political response to White supremacist violence, one richly grounded in the principles of personalism, the logic of nonviolence and a unique understanding of the meaning of the Christian gospel as a way to ‘redeem the soul of America’.

No abstract

No abstract

Josiah Royce’s philosophical interest in religion can be traced to his earliest days, when hymn singing and reading the Bible were constant practices in the fervently evangelical household of Josiah, Sr., and Sarah Royce in Grass Valley, California.1 Royce’s mother, Sarah, in particular, was a profound influence. She burned with the Holy Spirit, sparked by the fire-and-brimstone revivalism of the Second Great Awakening in New England, where she grew up. Educated at Phipps Union Female Seminary in Albion, New York, Mrs. Royce treasured the scriptures, and was an elegant and thorough interpreter of them for Josiah and his three sisters.

No abstract