Is Christian forgiveness wimpy? Or the most powerful force in the world?

What does Christian forgiveness offer a culture caught in a cycle of rage? Profoundly everything, said Amy Orr-Ewing, British author, speaker and theologian.

In a recent Friday Forum, Orr-Ewing traced the rise of grievance culture on both the left and the right – and explained how the gospel speaks grace to both sides.

“We are living in a moment when a generation is crying out [against injustice], and a sense of victimhood feels real to people,” said Orr-Ewing. “But when we think about the pain that harm causes, the word forgiveness can make people flinch because it sounds like a minimization of harm.”

Nothing could be further from the truth, she said. “Christian forgiveness – because it underlines the seriousness of the hurt and evil that has occurred – is not cheap because it requires the suffering and death of God in history.”

Christian forgiveness also speaks to the culture warriors pushing back on victimhood. “In reaction to identity politics and intersectional theory, a grievance mentality has taken hold in those who oppose “woke” culture,” said Orr-Ewing.

Nursing their own sense of victimhood, populist activists may “foster radicalization… leading to real world violent fantasies and aggression.”

The cross of Jesus Christ addresses both victim and aggressor. Forgiveness through Christ validates the victimhood we feel. “Every human being is entitled to empathy and protection because we have inherent moral worth made in the image of God.” While we should work for civil justice, forgiveness frees us from the need for vengeance, leaving ultimate justice  in God’s hands.

The cross also “challenges rage and cruelty – the desire to scapegoat the other – by saying that there is one who can carry away the sins of the world, there is one who can give us freedom and new life, and who did it at a cosmic level.”

“The case needs to be made again for Jesus in our day –  whether it’s with the warriors of identity politics or the “incels” and the populist activists. What both sides seek ultimately can only be found in the death of the Son of God in history. Those ideologies will only lead to hopelessness and despair.”

“Genuine faith shaped by the historical personality of Jesus Christ has something profound to offer our moment. The instinct in identity culture that harm matters profoundly, that a person should pay and even die a death of “cancel culture,” points beyond itself to a story that has given meaning for over 2000 years.”

Thank you, Amy, for bringing good news to Capitol Hill! In the words of one staffer, “I really liked the talk on political forgiveness. It showed me the direct connection between living out the gospel and our work on the Hill. Forgiveness enables us to disagree well.”

Amen and amen.

Faithfully,