Tim Keller: We Need a Gospel Perspective
In the past several years, the new racial justice movement has begun. But unlike the previous racial justice movements of Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela, whose actions and methodology were marked by Christian beliefs and “the ethics of love, forgiveness and reconciliation,” this new battle for justice is leaving the concept of forgiveness behind.
Tim Keller (via Facebook)Though the reasons for this shift in approach are manifold, ranging from a deep desire for accountability and change after years of minimal progress to a generation that is no longer rooted in Christian ethics to a “therapeutic culture” that primarily looks out for the feelings of each individual, forgiveness has become a symbol of weakness and a means of continuing oppression.
Where those who experienced horrific tragedies in school shootings or the murder of a loved one were once applauded for their public declarations of forgiveness for the perpetrator, the new line of thinking argues, “our constant forgiveness [only] perpetuates the cycle of attacks and abuse.”
This thoughtful and challenging article by Dr. Tim Keller explores the slippery tightrope of forgiveness and its accompanying movements: truth-telling, rectification, reconciliation, and restoration. In a culture that prefers to remove and punish those who step out of line, the gospel has much to say about forgiving the unforgivable, extending mercy, and allowing love to ultimately conquer hate.
Christian Union wants to equip believers of every age to be able to think biblically and theologically in order to challenge a culture that rejects the foundations of God’s created order. Christian Union develops leaders to lead in the public sphere with humility, modeling forgiveness and justice, and pursuing the work of Christ in all that they do.
