Forgiveness and Restoration: A Theological Exploration

Couenhoven, Jesse

doi:10.1086/649846

Cited by 19 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…30 The scandal raises a number of questions about why, when, and how Christians ought to forgive. 31 Perverse moral appeals to mercy have generated a certain skepticism about forgiveness for the guilty. Some clergy and lay people advised victims of sexual abuse to "forgive and forget" what happened to them or reminded them that agape "does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful" (1 Cor 13:5).…”

Section: A Christian Account Of Forgivenessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anger, Forgiveness, and Restorative Justice in Light of Clerical Sexual Abuse and Its Cover-up

Pope

Geske

2019

Theological Studies

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Catholic tradition provides resources for understanding morally legitimate anger as ordered to the good of survivors and their wider communities, a way of conceiving of forgiveness as a caritas-inspired decision to willing what is authentically good for an offender, including just retributive measures, and support for employing practices of restorative justice as a means of addressing clerical sexual abuse and its cover-up.

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Section: A Christian Account Of Forgivenessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anger, Forgiveness, and Restorative Justice in Light of Clerical Sexual Abuse and Its Cover-up

Pope

Geske

2019

Theological Studies

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“…Whatever its ultimate purpose—and it is my view that forgiving can be done for a number of quite different reasons—it only counts as a moral act of forgiveness if it is meant to benefit the offender in some way . If I “forgive” my abusive father only because I want to placate him and ensure that I receive my share of his estate, I am acting out of self‐interest, not to relieve him of guilt or to demonstrate that my love is stronger than his misdeed, or out of any (re)consideration of his moral standing at all (Couenhoven ). Similarly, the idea that forgiveness is primarily a gift to oneself confuses the purpose of forgiveness with its secondary effects.…”

Section: Conceptualizing Forgivenessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Balancing Justice and Mercy

Newman¹

2013

Journal of Religious Ethics

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The concept of forgiveness is analyzed as a moral gesture toward the offender designed to help restore that individual's moral standing. Jewish sources on the conditions under which forgiveness is obligatory are explored and two contrasting positions are presented: one in which the obligation to forgive is conditional on the repentance of the offender and another in which people are required to forgive unconditionally. These two positions are shown to represent different ways of framing the offending behavior that rest, in turn, on different ways of balancing the need for justice and for mercy respectively. In the final analysis, Judaism's two contrasting attitudes toward forgiveness are rooted in different theological assumptions and different ways of construing the very goals of the moral life. The author points out the merits and shortcomings of both positions and concludes with the suggestion that the two complement each other in important ways.

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“…Contemporary studies on Biblical forgiveness express the difficulties with formulating a clear concept of the reality of forgiveness (Couenhoven, 2010 ), which were described in the previous section. For example, they ask whether the essence of forgiveness lies in the change of attitude towards the wrongdoer, or whether a change of feeling towards the perpetrator is necessary for forgiveness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human Health and Christianity in the Context of the Dilemma of Forgiveness

Horowski

Kowalski

2021

J Relig Health

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This article argues that Christianity has the potential to strengthen people’s health when solving the forgiveness dilemma. However—paradoxically—the starting point for the analysis is the presumption that a hasty and imprudent decision to forgive may negatively impact the health of the decision-maker, and that Christianity may contribute to people making unconsidered decisions by prompting them to forgive. In the first part of the analysis, the concept of health and its biblical understanding are discussed. The second part includes both a reflection on forgiveness-related dilemmas and the tension between the decision to forgive and the feeling of regret that may negatively influence health. In the third part, the Christian concept of forgiveness with reference to the aforementioned issues is discussed.

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Forgiveness and Restoration: A Theological Exploration

Cited by 19 publications

References 11 publications

Anger, Forgiveness, and Restorative Justice in Light of Clerical Sexual Abuse and Its Cover-up

Anger, Forgiveness, and Restorative Justice in Light of Clerical Sexual Abuse and Its Cover-up

Balancing Justice and Mercy

Human Health and Christianity in the Context of the Dilemma of Forgiveness

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