162. Rethinking Forgiveness — A Conversation with Matthew Potts

Faith Matters

Faith Matters Foundation

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4.4 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 15 April 2023

⏱️ 56 minutes

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Summary

In June 2015, a white supremacist entered the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and murdered 9 members of the church during a Bible study. During the first court hearing, a number of family members of victims said that they forgave the murderer, Dylann Roof. This act of forgiveness shocked many people. Some people were shocked by witnessing such an act of Christian charity. Others were shocked because they thought expressing forgiveness for such an act, especially so quickly, was wrong, and was only perpetuating the violence on the community under attack.

In his new book, Forgiveness: An Alternative Account, Harvard minister Matthew Potts draws upon this event and others to explore the deep complexity and transformative power of forgiveness. As he shares in today’s conversation with Zach Davis, forgiveness is less about settling debts of harm and more about learning to move forward in new life, even if our wounds never fully heal.

Matthew Potts is the lead minister at Harvard University’s Memorial Church and the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard Divinity School. His research and teaching focuses on sacramental and moral theology, religion and literature, and preaching. He is the author of two books, Cormac McCarthy and the Signs of Sacrament and Forgiveness: An Alternative Account. He is also co-host of the podcast "Harry Potter and the Sacred Text".

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey everyone, I just want to take a second to invite you to join me this year at Restore
0:06.6	a Faith Matters Gathering happening October 13th and 14th.
0:12.0	It's going to be at the Amount and America Expo Center in Sandy and it promises to be
0:16.5	an exceptional conference.
0:18.4	I attended last fall and found it to be a remarkably inspiring, hopeful two days of listening
0:27.2	to really well-prepared, thoughtful talks as well as inspiring music and really feeling
0:36.7	a deep connection with my other Latter-day Saint brothers and sisters around me in our
0:41.8	shared desire to speak to the best in our faith and to speak to one another and find a sense
0:48.6	of connection.
0:49.9	I'm also going to be one of the people speaking.
0:52.3	I'll be speaking a bit about eros energy and its connection to spirituality and to the
0:59.6	light of Christ and so I hope to see you all there.
1:08.4	Hey everybody, this is Aubrey Chavez from Faith Matters.
1:11.4	In June of 2015, a white supremacist entered Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church
1:16.2	and murdered nine members of the church during a Bible study.
1:19.3	During the first court hearing, a number of the family members of victims said that they
1:22.1	forgave the murderer, Dylan Roof.
1:24.4	This act of forgiveness shocked many people.
1:26.5	Some people were shocked by witnessing such an act of Christian charity.
1:29.8	And others were shocked because they thought expressing forgiveness for such an act, especially
1:33.2	so quickly was wrong and was only perpetuating the violence on the community under attack.
1:38.3	In his new book, Forgiveness and Alternative Account, Harvard Minister Matthew Potts draws
	...

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