Forgiving As We’ve Been Forgiven
L. Gregory Jones & Celestin Musekura
(C) 2010
IVP Books
Completed Jan, 2020
Summary:
If you’ve over a certain age, you remember the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Many of us in the USA have only a passing knowledge of that series of events. We are aware that there were two tribal groups involved – the Tutsi’s and the Hutu’s. But that’s about as far as it goes. Most of us have no idea of the revenge killings that continued until 1998. It is from the experiences of Celestin Musekura and his family that this flows.
Jones and Musekura have written a book about forgiveness that I would not have thought was necessary. Musekura writes of his family experiences and the ministry of African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM, Inc). His theology of forgiveness is practically lived out. Jones writes thoughtfully about forgiveness and the process among believers. Both of them argue that forgiveness is often overlooked in the process of building Christian community. It is evident that both of them have a great passion for seeing forgiveness practiced within Christian church, community and civic arenas.
The authors remind us that Jesus talked about the necessity of forgiveness in John 17. “While the histories behind divided communities are complex, the call of John 17 is simple: if the church is to be an instrument of national healing and reconciliation, we must first forge communities of forgiveness in tribal environments, offering some real alternative to the ways of the world.” (Page 111)
That quote seems to have us looking at the problem only as a tribal problem in Africa. But, earlier in the book there is this statement, “We envision a biblical Christianity replacing a tribal Christianity.” (Page 31) What startled me, thought was when Jones gave some examples of conflicts in American churches that involve groups of people set against other groups of people. Tribes!!! Forgiveness needs to be extended!
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has a heart to see people resolve differences. The theological discussions are balanced with the practical applications.
Get this book. Read it. Practice the principles presented. And remember, we are commanded in Scripture, whether the offender (Matt 5:23-24) or the offended (Matt 18:15ff) to take the initiative to resolve problems. Leave a comment with your questions or ideas.