Forgiveness, Matthew Ichihashi Potts
Forgiveness, Matthew Ichihashi Potts
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Forgiveness
An Alternative Account

Author: Matthew Ichihashi Potts

Narrator: Roman Howell

Unabridged: 12 hr 50 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 11/29/2022


Synopsis

A deeply researched and poignant reflection on the practice of forgiveness in an unforgiving world

In this sensitive and probing book, Matthew Ichihashi Potts explores the complex moral terrain of forgiveness, which he claims has too often served as a salve to the conscience of power rather than as an instrument of healing or justice. Though forgiveness is often linked with reconciliation or the abatement of anger, Potts resists these associations, asserting instead that forgiveness is simply the refusal of retaliatory violence through practices of penitence and grief. It is an act of mourning irrevocable wrong, of refusing the false promises of violent redemption, and of living in and with the losses we cannot recover.

Drawing on novels by Kazuo Ishiguro, Marilynne Robinson, Louise Erdrich, and Toni Morrison, and on texts from the early Christian to the postmodern era, Potts diagnoses the real dangers of forgiveness yet insists upon its enduring promise. Sensitive to the twenty-first-century realities of economic inequality, colonial devastation, and racial strife, and considering the role of forgiveness in the New Testament, the Christian tradition, philosophy, and contemporary literature, this book heralds the arrival of a new and creative theological voice.

About Matthew Ichihashi Potts

Matthew Ichihashi Potts is the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard Divinity School and the Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church at Harvard University. He lives with his family in Cambridge, Massachusetts.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Nicole

There’s a lot to like about this book, I do wish it were more accessible. It seems to be written more for an academic audience than everyday people.......more

Goodreads review by George

I’m officially a fan of Potts. This was a terrific read. Literature made relevant to the big questions of theology.......more

Goodreads review by Conrade

Forgiveness is the necessary bridge over troubled waters. It is the glue for broken relationships. It is the essence of human relationships. Yet, when the pains inflicted defy the theories of forgiveness, that becomes a totally different thing. "Why forgive?" becomes "Why me?" For deep hurts, it mig......more

Goodreads review by Justin

A luminous book about forgiveness that the author describes as "writing theology in the margins of literary texts." Matthew Ichihashi Potts dialogues with Marilynne Robinson, Louise Erdrich, Kazuo Ishiguro, & Toni Morrison plus an impressive range of philosophers & theologians. Potts treats forgiven......more

Goodreads review by Dave

Shout out to the staff member who sectioned this book off as a personal pick at the Fargo Barnes and Noble. Helped bring it to my attention, prompting a spontaneous purchase. At the very least I proved that such marketing tactics work :) It wasn't difficult to see why this person singled out this re......more