Incredible Forgiveness: Christian Ethics Between Fanaticism and Reconciliation

Didier Pollefeyt

Peeters Publishers, 2004 - Religion - 216 pages

Christian ethics is threatened today by two opposite dangers: on the one hand, violence by moral and religious fanatics and on the other hand, too-easy forgiveness and cheap grace. The main challenge of Christian ethics in the present context is how it can invite people to react powerfully against moral evil without becoming fanatical on the one hand, and how it can bring the Christian message of forgiveness and reconciliation without creating in people an attitude of moral indolence on the other hand. Such questions call for a wrestling with the dilemmas between justice and forgiveness. It also asks for dealing with tensions like taking the perspective of victims and of perpetrators and choosing between remembrance of the past and a common hope for the future. In eight contributions, internationally recognised scholars in the field of Christian ethics offer ways to approach this tension and to integrate both moral passion and mercy. Topics such as tolerance, radicalism, terrorism, forgiveness, non-violence, etc. are discussed from a Christian moral viewpoint. In a world so deeply shaken by forms of immense individual and collective evil, these are very delicate yet pressing matters. Readers will find in this book new perspectives to deal with these moral dilemmas and tensions in such a way that Christian ethics does not cool down into moral mediocrity nor become inflamed into moral terror, but can place itself in the service of justice and peace.

Contents

• INCREDIBLE FORGIVENESS: 1
• BECAUSE YOU ARE LUKEWARM I SPIT YOU: 7
• CHRISTIAN ETHICAL RADICALISM WITHOUT: 53
• REDEMPTION AS EROSION OF CHRISTIAN ETHICAL: 60
• IN DEFENSE: 85
• TOLERANCE PLURALISM AND TRUTH: 103
• ETHICS FORGIVENESS AND THE UNFORGIVABLE: 121
• THE ETHICISING OF THE EVILDOER: 136
• ROOM FOR FORGIVENESS? A THEOLOGICAL: 161
• A HUMAN IMPOSSIBILITY: 167
• THE CHURCH AS A FORGIVING COMMUNITY FORGIVING: 178
• CRITIQUE OF THE VARIOUS THEORIES ON THE NATURE: 185
• COMPLETE: 193
• TRUTH JUSTICE: 199
• LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS: 215

About the author

Didier Pollefeyt is Professor of Pastoral Theology and Theology of Jewish-Christian Relations at Katholieke Universiteit (Catholic University) in Leuven, Belgium.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Incredible Forgiveness: Christian Ethics Between Fanaticism and Reconciliation
• Editor: Didier Pollefeyt
• Publisher: Peeters Publishers, 2004
• ISBN: 9042913177, 9789042913172
• Length: 216 pages
• Subjects: Religion / Theology