Forgiveness and Christian Ethics (New Studies in Christian Ethics)

223 Pages·2007·2.1 MB·English

by  Anthony Bash

FORGIVENESS AND CHRISTIAN ETHICS
What does it mean to forgive? The answer is widely assumed to be
self-evidentbutcriticalanalysisquicklyrevealsthecomplexitiesofthe
subject. Forgiveness has traditionally been the preserve of Christian
theology,thoughinthelasthalfcentury–andatanacceleratingpace–
psychologists, lawyers, politicians and moral philosophers have all
beenmakinganimportantcontributiontoquestionsaboutandour
understandingofthesubject.AnthonyBashoffersavigorousrestate-
ment of the Christian view of forgiveness in critical dialogue with
thosebothwithinandwithouttheChristiantradition.Forgivenessis
amuchmorecomplicatedsubjectthanmanytheologiansrecognise.
Bashexplorestherelevanceofthetheoreticaldiscussionofthetopic
torecenteventssuchastheTruthandReconciliationCommissionin
SouthAfrica,post-Holocausttrials,theaftermathof9/11and7July
andvarioushigh-profilecriminalcases.
anthony bash isRectoroftheDurhamNorthTeamofparishes
andHonoraryResearchFellowintheDepartmentofTheologyand
Religion,DurhamUniversity.HeisauthorofAmbassadorsforChrist
(1997)andanumberofarticles.
new studies in christian ethics
GeneralEditor:RobinGill
EditorialBoard:StephenR.L.Clark,StanleyHauerwas,RobinW.Lovin
Christianethicshasincreasinglyassumedacentralplacewithinacademictheology.
At the same time the growing power and ambiguity of modern science and the
risingdissatisfactionwithinthesocialsciencesaboutclaimstovalue-neutralityhave
promptedrenewedinterestinethicswithinthesecularacademicworld.Thereis,
therefore,aneedforstudiesinChristianethicswhich,aswellasbeingconcerned
with the relevance of Christian ethics to the present-day secular debate, are well
informedaboutparalleldiscussionsinrecentphilosophy,scienceorsocialscience.
NewStudiesinChristianEthicsaimstoprovidebooksthatdothisatthehighest
intellectual level and demonstrate that Christian ethics can make a distinctive
contributiontothisdebate–eitherinmoralsubstanceorintermsofunderlying
moraljustifications.
NewStudiesinChristianEthics
Titlespublishedintheseries:
1. RightsandChristianEthicsKieranCronin
2. BiblicalInterpretationandChristianEthicsIanMcDonald
3. PowerandChristianEthicsJamesMackey
4. PluralityandChristianEthicsIanS.Markham
5. MoralActionandChristianEthicsJeanPorter
6. ResponsibilityandChristianEthicsWilliamSchweiker
7. JusticeandChristianEthicsE.ClintonGardner
8. FeminismandChristianEthicsSusanParsons
9. Sex,GenderandChristianEthicsLisaSowleCahill
10. TheEnvironmentandChristianEthicsMichaelNorthcott
11. ConceptsofPersonandChristianEthicsStanelyRudman
12. PrioritiesandChristianEthicsGarthHallett
13. Community,LiberalismandChristianEthicsDavidFergusson
14. TheMarketEconomyandChristianEthicsPeterSedgwick
15. ChurchgoingandChristianEthicsRobinGill
16. InequalityandChristianEthicsDouglasHicks
17. BiologyandChristianEthicsStephenClark
18. AltruismandChristianEthicsColinGrant
19. ThePublicForumandChristianEthicsRobertGascoigne
20. EvilandChristianEthicsGordonGraham
21. LivingTogetherandChristianEthicsAdrianThatcher
22. TheCommonGoodandChristianEthicsDavidHollenbach
23. SelfLoveandChristianEthicsDarleneFozardWeaver
24. EconomicCompulsionandChristianEthicsAlbinoBarrera
25. GeneticsandChristianEthicsCeliaDeane-Drummond
26. HealthCareandChristianEthicsRobinGill
27. Alcohol,AddictionandChristianEthicsChristopherC.H.Cook
28. HumanEvolutionandChristianEthicsStephenJ.Pope
29. ForgivenessandChristianEthicsAnthonyBash
FORGIVENESS AND
CHRISTIAN ETHICS
ANTHONY BASH
CAMBRIDGEUNIVERSITYPRESS
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB28RU, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521878807
© Anthony Bash 2007
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of
relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place
without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2007
ISBN-13 978-0-511-34259-2 eBook (NetLibrary)
ISBN-10 0-511-34259-4 eBook (NetLibrary)
ISBN-13 978-0-521-87880-7 hardback
ISBN-10 0-521-87880-2 hardback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls
for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not
guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
Contents
Generaleditor’spreface pagevii
Preface ix
1 Forgivenessandwrongdoing 1
2 Forgivenessthenandnow 23
3 Forgivenessandpsychologicaltherapy 36
4 Justiceandforgiveness 57
5 ForgivenessandtheNewTestament 79
6 Theidealofforgiveness 101
7 Forgivenessandstructuralwrongdoing 111
8 Forgiveness,punishmentandjustice 141
9 Varietiesofforgiveness 159
10 Afterthoughts 174
Bibliography 187
Indexes 201
v

General editor’s preface
ThisbookmakesatimelycontributiontotheseriesNewStudiesinChris-
tian Ethics. It provides a nuanced and well-written account of forgive-
ness that takes fully into consideration a wide range of scholarly material
in philosophy, psychology, law (Anthony Bash originally trained in law
andpractisedasasolicitorbeforeordination),NewTestamentstudiesand
theology. It makes important links with other books in the series, espe-
ciallyDavidHollenbach’sTheCommonGoodandChristianEthicsandJean
Porter’s Moral Action and Christian Ethics. And it fulfils well the two key
aimsoftheseriesasawhole–namely,topromotemonographsinChris-
tianethicsthatengagecentrallywiththepresentsecularmoraldebateatthe
highest possible intellectual level and, second, to encourage contributors
to demonstrate that Christian ethics can make a distinctive contribution
tothisdebate.
Theissueofforgivenessiscertainlytimely,asAnthonyBashdemonstrates
through the many examples that he takes, such as the process of Truth
and Reconciliation in South Africa, post-Holocaust trials, the aftermath
of 9/11 and 7 July, and various high-profile crime stories. He also shows
that the virtue of forgiveness is much more complicated than is often
realised either in society at large or specifically in churches. Pointing to
philosophical,psychologicalandlegaldiscussionsofforgivenessheargues
thatincomparisonmanytheologicalaccountsofforgivenessareinadequate.
Indeed, very few other recent theologians have shown a proper awareness
ofthesedetailedseculardiscussionsofforgiveness.
AnthonyBasharguesthatforgivenessproperlyunderstoodisaprocess,as
psychologicalstudieshavesuggested.Healsosideswiththosephilosophers
who maintain that there are occasions when unconditional forgiveness is
actuallyinappropriate,forexamplewhenthevictimisdeadorwherefor-
givenessconflictswithjustice.Heconcludesthat,theologically,forgiveness
is properly seen as a gift rather than as a moral duty. We do have such a
vii
viii Generaleditor’spreface
duty,butitinturnisbestseenasadutytostrivetoforgive–believing,on
theologicalgrounds,thatitisfinallyGodwhoforgivesunconditionally.
Readers of this thoughtful book are likely to come away more (deeply)
confusedaboutforgivenessthanbefore.Theologicallyinclinedreadersmay,
Ihope,bepersuadedthatsecularaccountsofforgivenessdoneedtobetaken
seriously.Othersmaybechallengedbythebook’stheologicalfoundations–
forgivenessisaneminentlytheologicalvirtue.Thisisindeedachallenging
book.
robin gill
a note on the cover image: the essa cross
TowardstheendofthelastcenturyGertSwartwascommissionedtomake
a cross for the Evangelical Seminary of Southern Africa (ESSA), a multi-
culturalseminarydrawingstudentsfrommanycountriesinAfrica.ESSA’s
campus,asmallbutsignificantexampleofurbanrenewal,issituatedinthe
SouthAfricancityofPietermaritzburg,thecapitalofKwaZulu-Natal.
The complex symbolism of the cross was carefully selected to convey
several messages including the suffering of many South Africans in the
turbulent, violent years before the birth of our democracy, the suffering
of countless others in what must be one of the bloodiest centuries in the
historyoftheworld,and,crucially,oneofredemption,reconciliationand
hope.
Gertusedimagesofhishands,eachwithafingeronthetriggerofagun
directedattheLamb,tocontextualisethecross–inaprovinceknownasthe
‘killingfieldsofNatal’inthe1980s–andasacommentonthecomplicity
ofeachoneofusinthebrutalexecutionofChristonthecross.
Aspeoplegatheredtodedicatethecrosson11September2001newswas
filtering through of the audacious and devastating attacks on the Word
Trade Towers and the Pentagon. So it was that, while the USA reeled, a
smallassemblyintimatelyacquaintedwithterrorandtragedyexuberantly
celebrated the arrival of the ESSA Cross, a beacon of hope on a dark day
inadarkworld.
gert and istine swart