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Raymond G. Helmick, S.J., and Rodney L. Petersen (eds.). Forgiveness and Reconciliation: Religion, Public Policy, and Conflict Transformation. Philadelphia: Templeton Foundation, 2001. Pp. v + 440. $34.95 (Cloth).
Mueller, Joan
Mueller, Joan
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"This volume is a collection of essays growing out of a symposium entitled, "Forgiveness and Reconciliation: Religious Contributions to Conflict Resolution," which was sponsored by the Sir John Templeton Foundation and held at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, in October 1999, at Harvard University. The premise of the project is that in the twenty-first century concepts such as forgiveness and reconciliation will have potential beyond the seminary and other specifically religious contexts and have efficacy within the arena of public policy. [2] The book is divided into four sections. Part one deals with the theology of forgiveness, part two with forgiveness and public policy, part three with forgiveness and reconciliation, and part four with the task of seeking forgiveness after tragedy. The book jacket promises that "Forgiveness and Reconciliation will be an essential resource for libraries, scholars, conflict negotiators, and all people who hope to understand the role of forgiveness in the peace process." [3] Rodney L. Petersen's essay, "A Theology of Forgiveness" opens the collection. If one had hoped for a solid systematic presentation of forgiveness to serve as the foundation for the project, one is disappointed. The essay takes a whirlwind tour of forgiveness within Christian theology without defining a precise context for the theology under investigation. Realizing the problem, a second section of Petersen's essay is entitled "The Terms of Forgiveness." It is again disappointing, although the author tells stories about how this lack of precision has in the past been problematic when applying his theology in fieldwork. Another essay in the first section, Forgiveness and Reconciliation, by Stanley S. Harakas limits itself to an orthodox perspective. The essay argues for the advantage of an orthodox theology of forgiveness over legalistic understandings of sin and forgiveness found in Roman Catholicism or some Protestant traditions. While one might question how recalling the painful divisions between Christians really helps the project of moving Christian values into political spheres of conflict, Harakas's essay does admit that there isn't some doctrine of forgiveness on a shelf somewhere that Christians can easily take down and apply in the marketplace. Harakas closes his essay by reflecting upon aspects of sacramental forgiveness and reconciliation that might serve as a model for forgiveness within public contexts."(pg 1)
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2001
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With permission of the license/copyright holder