Publishers Weekly
★ 09/05/2022
Potts (Cormac McCarthy and the Signs of Sacrament), a Christian morals professor at Harvard Divinity School, delivers an erudite consideration of forgiveness. Lamenting that “Christian forgiveness does too often deny or diminish grief,” Potts suggests understanding forgiveness as the “refusal of retaliatory violence” rather than as reconciliation or emotional catharsis. He decries “compensation of harm through proportional punishment” because it relies on a “sovereign” authorized to administer violence and instead urges readers to acknowledge the past to build a better future. Potts frames his arguments around perceptive analyses of novels by Louise Erdrich, Kazuo Ishiguro, Toni Morrison, and Marilynne Robinson; for example, he digs into efforts by Gilead protagonist John Ames to forgive the wayward son of his friend, and delineates a model of forgiveness based in “persistent penitence and retaliatory restraint.” The common interpretation of Jesus’s resurrection as the “resolution of past wrongs” is inadequate, the author contends, arguing that forgiveness must grapple with sin at the expense of “happy endings.” Potts’s mastery of such theorists as Derrida, Foucault, and Jankélévitch fleshes out his thoughtful theology, making for an intellectually rich contemplation of how to forgive without dismissing injustice. Sober and serious, this is essential reading for anyone interested in Christian ethics. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
Broad in its philosophical sweep and fine in its literary analysis, this work redefines forgiveness as the modest yet heroic ability to hold pain and anger together with hope and nonviolence.”—Joie Szu-Chiao Chen, Lion’s Roar“Potts diagnoses the real dangers of forgiveness yet insists upon its enduring promise. . . . This book heralds the arrival of a new and creative theological voice.”—Englewood Review of Books, “Ten Theology Books to Watch For—November 2022”“Forgiveness is situated in that sweet spot where applied theology and scholarly thinking meet. . . . [It] is a surprisingly accessible work that’s readily applicable to pastors and others who want to offer a helpful Christian approach to forgiveness, whether from the pulpit or in pastoral counseling and care.”—Presbyterian Outlook“Forgiveness: An Alternative Account is a truly original work that will benefit anyone wrestling with the dilemma of forgiveness. . . . [It] provides a helpful corrective in a world where forgiveness is too often replaced by cheap grace.”—Kazusa Okaya, Themelios“Potts layers, illuminates, and unpacks multiple meanings of forgiveness through philosophical, literary, and theological themes. His interdisciplinary approach rewards readers of various fields.”—Peter Admirand, Philosophy in Review“The way in which Matthew Ichihashi Potts approaches forgiveness is not to treat it as a miraculous change of heart so much as a paradigmatic ethical question to which the whole of the Christian gospel is an answer. Forgiveness is a rich and rewarding text, which argues that forgiveness is both a habit of grief and a practice of mourning.”—Stephen Cherry, Church Times“Potts brings a fresh vision to forgiveness.”—Nick Ripatrazone, Catholic Herald“Brilliant analyses of the novels of Kazuo Ishiguro, Marilynne Robinson, Louise Erdrich, and Toni Morrison are the fulcrum of each chapter. . . . Potts’s book should be considered required reading for all graduate students studying the concept of forgiveness.”—Christian Century“This book is brilliant and generative and learned. A compelling apologia for forgiveness, it takes seriously and yet disarms many current-day critiques of forgiveness.”—Lauren Winner, Duke University“Both the impossibility and the power of forgiveness are illuminated in this important and necessary work. Theologically potent, a complex vista of the schisms of our traumatized, violent reality is painted with lucid colors. Forgiveness is an invaluable guide for our fractured world.”—Makoto Fujimura, artist and author of Art and Faith: A Theology of Making“Our world needs authentic approaches to the wounds we have suffered and inflicted. Matthew Ichihashi Potts brilliantly navigates this in Forgiveness, a book that moves beyond the performance and into the profound challenge to embody compassion and to repair and transform our mutual humanity on the pathway toward healing.”—John Paul Lederach, author of The Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Building Peace“Matthew Ichihashi Potts meets our moment honestly with an account of forgiveness as a practice rooted in grief. Grounding his argument in life, literature, theology, and philosophy, Potts challenges us to regard forgiveness not as a change in how we feel but a decision about how we respond. Essential reading.”—Stephanie Paulsell, author of Religion Around Virginia Woolf“In this profound and moving book, Potts convincingly demonstrates that contemporary novelists understand what Christian theology too often forgets: forgiveness is more tragic than triumphant.”—Constance M. Furey, coauthor of Devotion: Three Inquiries in Religion, Literature, and Political Imagination
Lauren Winner
“This book is brilliant and generative and learned. A compelling apologia for forgiveness, it takes seriously and yet disarms many current-day critiques of forgiveness.”—Lauren Winner, Duke University
