Forgiveness, Reconciliation, and Moral Courage: Motives and Designs for Ministry in a Troubled World available in Paperback
Forgiveness, Reconciliation, and Moral Courage: Motives and Designs for Ministry in a Troubled World
- ISBN-10:
- 0802827748
- ISBN-13:
- 9780802827746
- Pub. Date:
- 04/22/2004
- Publisher:
- Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
- ISBN-10:
- 0802827748
- ISBN-13:
- 9780802827746
- Pub. Date:
- 04/22/2004
- Publisher:
- Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Forgiveness, Reconciliation, and Moral Courage: Motives and Designs for Ministry in a Troubled World
Paperback
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780802827746 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company |
| Publication date: | 04/22/2004 |
| Series: | Studies in Practical Theology |
| Pages: | 264 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.59(d) |
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Read an Excerpt
FORGIVENESS, RECONCILIATION, AND MORAL COURAGE
By Robert L. Browning Roy A. Reed
William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Copyright © 2004 Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.All right reserved.
ISBN: 0-8028-2774-8
Chapter One
What People Are Really Thinking: A Survey of Four ChurchesIn considering seriously our ministries of confession, forgiveness, reconciliation, and the development of moral courage it is necessary to come down from the heights of theological inquiry and biblical investigation and enter into conversation with people in the churches who hopefully both receive and share these ministries. Any consideration of how things ought to be needs to take realistic stock of how things are. We naturally have some judgments about this on the basis of our own experience, but we wanted to sample opinions and experiences of laypeople. While we did not have the resources to conduct an exhaustive and scientific survey, we did prepare a survey of attitudes concerning confession, forgiveness, reconciliation, and moral fidelity or failure, and we met with small groups of laypeople (15 to 25) who generously gave of their time to respond to the survey. The congregations were from Roman Catholic, United Methodist, Southern Baptist, and Pentecostal denominations. After the survey, these groups of laity met with us a second time to discuss the results and to explore their ideas and experiences further with us. We then met subsequently with pastors to garner their responses. We are extremely guarded in drawing hard and fast conclusions from these encounters. They are certainly not descriptive of denominations, or even of local congregations, but they are genuine and lively meetings of minds and feelings with real people concerning our subject matter. The surveys and discussions tell us some important things, if not everything. They are openings to and indications of a wider discussion that needs to take place in our churches.
In selecting particular congregations for our survey we were aware that there was no way to find the typical representative of any Christian denomination. We selected churches in central Ohio where we knew that members represented various strata of our society and culture.
The Catholic Church
Church and Values
The Catholics who participated in our survey were communicants at a prestigious church at the heart of a large metropolitan city. The congregation assembles from all over the city and is generally a sophisticated group drawn together by the appeal of good liturgy, fine historic architecture, good preaching, great music well performed, and sensitive attention to human need.
The Catholic laypeople who participated in our survey were generally confident and well informed in their church's understandings of what constituted faithfulness and transgression. "Our core values come from the church." They were of different minds about some things, but they were basically loyal to church teachings. They were clear in their awareness that the Bible and church teaching need interpretation, but were suspicious of "too much interpretation" and rationalizing of behaviors. While they were critical of our culture, its confused and lax morality, and our failure to inculcate basic values in new generations, they were painfully aware of the complexity of our lives today and the impossible demands and pressures on families. They understood the radically plural character of our culture and while they stood for a core of values, most were reluctant to try to force values on people. They acknowledged that we are often too quick to judge and too late to forgive.
Affirming the truth and continuity of core values in the tradition of the church did not mean that they ignored changes in that tradition. As one person put it, "The church used to condemn and judge you a lot; today is different, there is more love in it."
Sin and Guilt
Questions involving guilt revealed much uncertainty among this group of Christians, as they did with every group. They were, for instance, strong in their belief in original sin (A2), but unsure about guilt being a "universal human condition" (B1). They were seriously conflicted about whether God always punishes the guilty (B5) or whether the righteous and faithful find eternal life while the sinful and unrepentant are condemned to hell (G5).
In discussion about sin and/or guilt being "original" the group concluded that what was really the rock of their certainty was "original grace, original goodness." About sin and guilt one member observed, "If you ain't got it when you get into this world, it ain't going to take you long to get it."
Most of these Catholics admitted that while they affirm and accept God's forgiveness, after absolution they still struggle with guilt. "Feeling guilt free can be hard, even when you believe you are forgiven." The pastor in a follow-up interview did not find this conclusion inconsistent with his experience as a priest hearing personal confession. "Many will say at the end of confession, 'and I want to remember the sins of my past life.' If I say, 'did you confess them,' the person might say, 'yes, but I still want to say I am sorry for them.' This is certainly an expression of lingering sorrow, if not guilt." The priest acknowledged that "many come to the Sacrament of Reconciliation with a limited idea of repentance and forgiveness. They don't necessarily have the sense of joy that they might have over the notion of the angels in heaven rejoicing over one repentant sinner. They may get a sense of a slate wiped clean, but forgiveness for them may not be a light which shows new possibilities."
Sacrament of Love
While these members were predominantly convinced that "confession of sin is necessary for faithful Christian living" (C1), most denied that "personal confession to a priest" was "necessary to receive God's forgiveness." That conclusion was no barrier to their strong affirmation of the rite of confession and absolution. "I love it," one member acclaimed. "I need it; it helps me to feel good about myself." Others in the group were movingly supportive of the values of this sacrament in their lives. The Sacrament of Reconciliation and Forgiveness is something very precious in the minds of the persons in this sample group. It clearly reinforces and in some sense creates in them the strong affirmation of the love of God they have experienced. In their view, the God who is all-forgiving never gives up on us. "Even in that last breath there is a chance to find God's love. We cannot know the mind of God, and we find it hard to accept God's love, but God does love us and pursues us even after death."
Self and Community
The perception of the Sacrament of Forgiveness was very personal and individual. When asked to expand on the "reconciliation" dimension of the sacrament, people generally expressed their concern about "getting right with God personally." "That is what Confession is - something with the individual. Coming together as a unit strengthens faith, but I don't need to be with a group of people to experience God." Or, "God is divine, he forgives, not the community. Forgiveness is through the priest; he represents God and acts for God." There was little sense of a role for the community of faith in forgiveness, or that the priest was a representative of the congregation as well as of God. On the survey less than a third of the respondents considered "reconciliation with the faith community an essential part of divine forgiveness" (E5). One of the questions on the survey concerned the importance of confession in public worship. Not much more than half considered it helpful, and in the subsequent discussion some were unaware that it was a part of regular worship. Reference by other members to its recurring role in the Mass and the place of the Lord's Prayer in worship brought recognition. The important distinction for these Christians is the sacramental one. The communal service of reconciliation and the confessional elements in worship may be helpful, but they are not sacramental. "The power of reconciliation was passed down from Peter to the priest, and when he is sitting in the confessional, he is Jesus."
There was, however, some clear articulation of a communal dimension on the part of some participants. "In the Mass, when we say the confession, I sense a solidarity. We are all alive together. In the past, growing up I didn't feel that way. It was all personal guilt. I was less aware of the fellowship." And it should be pointed out that in the survey all of the respondents agreed that "it is the role of every Christian to be a forgiver" (E4).
The pastor noted that in his experience as a confessor, adolescents have a greater sensitivity to the social aspect of sin, while for older Catholic adults sin is "something between me, my body, and God." He was encouraged that in the section of the survey evaluating parts of the liturgy helpful in a person's need for forgiveness the Sacrament of the Eucharist rated very high. He judged that prior to Vatican II this would not have been the case. He was disappointed that the passing of the peace rated as low as it did. In the group discussion one participant avowed that the forgiveness of the community might not be essential to the reconciling sacrament but that there is now a more significant role for the community. "It's a little more of the community than it is just God. What happens in the Mass, even the passing of the peace, is extremely important."
The priest of this parish expects that in the future there will be more of a corporate sense of reconciliation in the church because of the way that children are now introduced into the sacrament. It is a communal event. Children come with their classmates and families, and families are encouraged to enter into the sacrament. After the liturgy there is a celebration, with food and fellowship. The priest believes that this experience of children can create a new sensibility and understanding of reconciliation as something that happens among the body of Christians as well as within individuals.
Education
This group was especially affirmative of parent education concerning moral and spiritual development and of Bible study highlighting reconciliation. They were relatively supportive of the study of social problems that require forgiveness and of small groups where reconciliation can be experienced in communal support.
Society and Culture
Many in our group were aware and astute about the ways in which the subject we had gathered to discuss was manifested in society and culture. They identified problems relating to our consumer fixations, especially as this related to the effects of the media. They were insightful about the dynamics of contemporary family life. They saw societal manifestations of some of the ecclesial issues we were discussing, such as the obsession of our culture with confession and its exploitation on TV. They were very reluctant, though, to share any guilt for matters other than those for which they were personally responsible. Fewer than half expressed any feelings of guilt for evils in society, such as poverty, war, injustice, etc. (B6). "Why should I feel guilty for something I didn't do?" No sense of guilt was felt for societal evils in which we may be caught, whether we will or not, just because we are part of the societal structures. "I feel something, but not guilty. I feel anger about it, but if I didn't do it, I don't feel guilty." Some expressed feeling guilty for not doing something about various problems, but not guilty about causing them. "I need to be more proactive." In general the attitude was, "How can you be guilty for something you had no control over?"
Responses were mixed concerning the questions about social/political issues. Most were in agreement that nations should perform acts of restitution and reconciliation when appropriate, and that it was a good thing for the French Catholic Church to confess their collaboration with Nazis and ask Jews for forgiveness. Most disagreed with South Africa's amnesty policy. They thought that contrition was necessary. And many did not approve of or were unsure about President Clinton's apology for the syphilis experiment on black men.
The idea of a shared collective guilt in which we are caught because, willy-nilly, we are enmeshed in webs of wickedness for which we cannot extract ourselves, was not a shared sensibility among this group.
The United Methodist Church
The United Methodist congregation in our study has a membership of about five hundred and is located in a small town in a rural context experiencing the suburban expansion of a major city. There is a great deal of diversity in the church: all generations, many lines of work, but with little or no ethnic diversity. They see themselves as a family church, and a church "that has something for everyone." The congregation has seen marked growth in recent years due to urban sprawl in its direction. There is every indication that this growth will continue. They believe that they have also grown a great deal spiritually. The church has strong programs in the Emmaus movement (a United Methodist equivalent of the Roman Catholic Cursillo movement) and a United Methodist program called the Discipleship Bible Study. The building is used a lot by church and community. They have a very full schedule and are cramped for space. During the week there is a large day care program.
A Shared Life
This United Methodist congregation shares a rich fellowship. Many in the congregation have participated in small groups aimed at deepening spirituality, sacramental life, personal accountability, and responsibility to others. This has built among other things their sense of church as family. Their pastor believes that the church has benefited from these programs and developed a strong identity as a believing, caring community. He wishes that these enrichment programs had stronger "justice-making dimensions" to them and works to find ways to fill this lacuna. He sees himself and the other pastor of the church as fortunate receivers of the congregation's spiritual enrichment.
Original Potential
The people in our survey were pretty united in their ideas about what sin is, except for the sin that is original. Half of them believed in it. A third of them did not believe in it, and a few ducked the issue (A2). They were, appropriately and consistently, just as conflicted about whether guilt is a universal human condition (B1). One-third said "yes," one-third "no," and one-third "not sure." Discussion began with much questioning about "What is it?" They seemed generally to agree on a meaning of "inherently born bad." Most had trouble believing this, balking at accepting that "a baby was born bad." One brother concluded, "I believe in original sin, but I also believe in accountability. If a baby dies before he is accountable, he goes straight to heaven."
Continues...
Excerpted from FORGIVENESS, RECONCILIATION, AND MORAL COURAGE by Robert L. Browning Roy A. Reed Copyright © 2004 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.. Excerpted by permission.
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Table of Contents
| Acknowledgments | vii | |
| Introduction | 1 | |
| 1. | What People Are Really Thinking: A Survey of Four Churches | 19 |
| 2. | Are Forgiveness, Reconciliation, and Moral Courage Really Possible? (The Nature of Human Nature) | 48 |
| 3. | Forgiveness and Reconciliation in the Bible: The Relation of Justice and Mercy | 75 |
| 4. | A Brief History of Transgression and Reconciliation among Christians | 99 |
| 5. | Forgiveness and Reconciliation through Moral Development in Families, Churches, Schools, and Communities | 124 |
| 6. | A Four-Pronged Approach to Increasing Forgiveness, Reconciliation, and Moral Courage | 146 |
| 7. | Moral and Spiritual Education Linked to Sacramental/Liturgical Life | 175 |
| 8. | Dealing with Moral Failure: Forgiveness and Reconciliation in Christian Worship | 204 |
| Epilogue | 222 | |
| Appendix A | Survey of Attitudes concerning Confession, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation | 225 |
| Appendix B | Facilitator's Guide, Reconciliation Workshop | 233 |
| Appendix C | Psychological Variables That May Be Involved When We Forgive | 237 |
| Index | 239 |