Martin Marty
Award-winning author and professor emeritus, University of Chicago

Martin Marty

Historian, author, professor emeritus at the University of Chicago, where he taught religious history, chiefly in the Divinity School, for 35 years.

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Unforgiving? Talk to Jesus

Taking off from Max Scheler, on whom Pope John Paul II wrote his doctoral dissertation: the "offender" has to ask not "what did I do?" or "what kind of person am I that I could do that?" but "what kind of person am I now that I am capable of doing that?"

An aggrieved party (e.g. the Rutgers team) has to feel that the offender has asked himself that, and can then take him or her seriously. Christians (and I try to be one) live between "unforgivingness" and "cheap grace."

Unforgiving? Jesus has parables denouncing the forgiven who can't forgive others. They have not caught on.

We are not to be interested in casual, public relations-related apologies. All onlookers can spot a phony who uses them.

Forgiving is great: neither party has to keep on keeping score. So it is liberating. But the forgiver has to be aware that after the mouthing of the "I'm sorry" phrase, we do not always or even often see amended lives.

One always hopes, and, therefore, takes risks.

Jesus has parables denouncing the forgiven who can't forgive others. They have not caught on.

By Martin Marty  |  April 26, 2007; 6:15 AM ET
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Previous: Conditions for Forgiveness | Next: Transforming Celebrity Apologies

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MR MARK,

It looks like you've put your own spin on what God does. Well, don't we all. On the other hand, when God created everything He started by "Let it be done....light, heaavens, earth, sun, moon, stars, seas, land, animals of sea and land, plants, trees, flowers.... in a word He asked everything to bloom, and it did, and He said it is good.
In the case of the fig tree, it didn't bloom. What could He say other than "It is bad!" It was, wasn't it?
What do you say when something is wrong, do you say that it is right?
Well, reading your comment, it looks like there is a mix up there.
Take care

Posted by: Aida Bode | April 30, 2007 10:38 AM
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The lesson of the fig tree:

God will curse you just for being you.

Posted by: Mr Mark | April 27, 2007 4:06 PM
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One more thing to add to my previews post, it wasn't even fig season!!!
Impatient Christ?? Tststsss...

Posted by: Aida Bode | April 27, 2007 10:08 AM
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There is another story in the Bible, the story of the cursed fig tree. Jesus was hungry and the tree had no fruits, and he cursed it.
It tells me that there is not any forgiveness for the fruitless.
May be I am wrong, but that tree was cursed for a very long time.
Should there be any forgiveness for these fruitless people mentioned above??

What do I know, I am just a christian. ;)

Posted by: Aida Bode | April 27, 2007 10:06 AM
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Go to www.choosejesusrightnow.com & click on BUMPER STICKERS.

Posted by: Karen Finley | April 27, 2007 7:05 AM
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Life doesn't care about your feelings.
Forgive nothing. Apologize for nothing. Regret nothing. If you don't like what you are, or what someone else is doing, do something about it.
Whining accomplishes nothing.

Posted by: God is dead | April 26, 2007 7:58 PM
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did you have a real point? i sure dont see it. not every act or word, even if it offends someone, real or imagined, requires an apology. and not every act or word requires forgiveness. and i did not read that jesus forgave everyone everything. he was selective. there is one story about the stoning of the adultress - that jesus bent down and wrote in the dirt. the story is that he wrote the sins of adultry that the stoners had committed and the crowd left so that their would not be there for everyone to see.
when i asked previously where jesus said forgive everyone everything someone responded with the line from the lords paryer. forgive me my tresspasses as i forgive those who have tresspassed against me. now there are those who think that means i get forgiven for everything i have ever done so i have to forgive everyone for what they have done, no matter what it is.
first, i dont have the authority to forgive anyone anything.
second, i think that it asks god to judge me by the same standard that is used to judge others, no harsher and no easier. by my standard there are some that will spend eternity in hell, and others will not. why have a paradise if we did not have a place to go to equally bad? revelations talks about the war and those who are saved and those who are not saved. someone sure must not get to be forgiven.

Posted by: frank collins | April 26, 2007 4:15 PM
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People sometimes forgive, sometimes not, there are times when there isn't a sincere apology or a sincere forgiveness.
People who always forgive are nowadays called by a bad name, and those who never forgive are called that same bad name.
it's a bit complicated.
Most people forgive because we are all transgressors and since we don't want to be hipocrites; when we in turn ask the lord forgiveness for our shortcomings. so it's basically a quid pro quo.
Then again you can't live with so many grudges in your heart nor you can easily forgive all grievances.

Posted by: Miguel | April 26, 2007 3:40 PM
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Forgiveness yes. however, the fact that Paul Wolfowitz concieved of, managed, and failed the entire Iraq war effort from the top should disqualify him from jobs such as "president of the world bank" .

I forgive him - but It obviously was a mistake to trust him ever again. He's as corrupt as the officials he complains about at gov't banks around the world.

Forgiveness does not mean the person is now worthy of hiring for another big position of import where one's past failings would harm America - or anything else for that matter - if repeated!

Posted by: JBE | April 26, 2007 2:49 PM
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Everybody thinks that what offends them is more egregious than anything they might have done to offend others. That's why it's important to try and really understand how you ripped the fabric, so you can help sew it up.

Posted by: Viejita del oeste | April 25, 2007 2:50 PM
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