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Introduction:
Blessed are the Peacemakers
Derek Poole
Comment
Mark Houston
From
the Director
David Porter
Peacemaking
Arthur Chapman
Gentleness:
An attribute of Peace
Graham Cheesman
A
Long Road to Healing
David Porter
All
Taigs are Targets
Neil Smart
God's
Holy Warrior
Alwyn Thomson
Book
Reviews
Alwyn Thomson David Porter
BOOK REVIEWS
The
Art of Forgiveness
Geiko Muller-Fahrenholz
WCC Publications, 1996
"The Bible understands forgiveness as a process which includes both the perpetrator and the victim. Forgiveness can occur when the perpetrator asks for it and the victim grants it. This mutuality is basic to an understanding of the biblical concept. Both sides are changed by the encounter. A healing takes place that paves the way for a better co-operation between formerly conflicting partners. Much more than a word or gesture, forgiveness is a genuine process of encounter, of healing, of the releasing of new options for the future. A guilty and painful past is redeemed in order to establish reliable foundations for renewed fellowship in dignity and trust. Forgiveness frees the future from the haunting legacies of the past." (4-5) From this biblical perspective Muller-Fahrenholz explores the nature of forgiveness — both personal and political.
At the core of that exploration is the conviction that forgiveness has been cheapened and trivialised because the concept of guilt is no longer taken seriously. Taking guilt seriously, Muller-Fahrenholz argues, means taking the other person seriously and dealing with forgiveness in the context of a relationship. Every act of transgression ties victim and perpetrator together, but the act of forgiveness sets both victim and perpetrator free for a new relationship. Yet many are afraid to enter into that relationship for it requires that both lay aside their defences and become exposed and vulnerable. However, when this happens forgiveness becomes possible - a painful experience, it is also liberating.
Forgiveness, argues Muller-Fahrenholz, is also related to remembering. No longer the tool of suspicion and bitterness, remembering can shape "a commitment to try again, a readiness to start afresh!' (36) Thus forgiving is not forgetting it is, in Muller-Fahrenholz's words, a re-membering.
Having discussed forgiveness at a personal level, Muller-Fahrenholz asks "Is forgiveness an element in politics?" and argues that it can be. At the core of politics, he suggests, is not economics but memory. However, a people's memories can be highly selective. These selective memories form "a way of rereading history that looks at national victories without counting the damage done to others ... without contemplating the guilt involved ... Processes of forgiveness, by contrast, start by taking into account the victims of each victory ... Forgiveness knows that victims are the same everywhere. So it approaches history in an inclusive way." (4 8) Muller-Fahrenholz turns to specific examples to illustrate his argument, focusing in particular on the role of leaders. Leaders, argues Muller-Fahrenholz, "encapsulate the corporate identity of their respective peoples." But when they venture beyond that identity — rejecting or redefining the chosen memories and encompassing others in those memories — they become traitors to some. The consequence is that those leaders who dare to step out end up victims of the violence once directed at the enemy. Such was the fate of Anwar Sadat and Yitzhak Rabin. No wonder, then, that it is difficult for leaders to make that breakthrough.
Yet those who do, encouraged and aided by others in society, can transform situations of conflict. "The art of remembering is ... an effort to transfigure past pains in order to construct vital and forward-looking societies." (59)
Much has been written on forgiveness and reconciliation, and much of what has been written is hardly worth reading. This book is an exception. It is wise, biblical and always insightful. It is highly recommended.
Alwyn Thomson is Research Officer with ECONI and is currently involved in the 'God, Land & Nation' project.
Pardon
and Peace:
Reflections on Making Peace in Ireland
Nicholas Frayling
SPCK
This is a difficult book to review. It is hard to disagree with its central thesis, that repentance is at the heart of creating the conditions for peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland To suggest otherwise is to run the danger of denying the very heart of Christian faith and spirituality. Yet while there is much to affirm there are some fundamental deficiencies.
The content of Pardon and Peace is primarily a personal journey. As such it lacks the rigour of biblical, historical and political critique that must inform our discussion, if only to correct our limited grasp of the complexity of the Northern Ireland situation. By relating a series of personal encounters with small groups and individuals, the author allows their perceptions to provide the basis for his analysis of the way forward. This serves only to perpetuate the myths and half-truths that so easily define perceptions in Ireland. His personal reaction tends to dominate the legitimate insight he brings, and his method of relating the stories at times carries a patronising tone. His response, particularly towards Unionists, reinforces the worst caricatures.
Most disturbing is the underlying drift, which although qualified, nevertheless sets the pattern and tone throughout. Namely, that ecumenism is the only context for true reconciliation; that the logic of land, nationhood and history necessarily points towards a united Ireland; that there is a given model of a Christian nation, national church and national repentance; and that the British (English) should apologise and get out.
All of these are highly contested points and while the author presents his case with conviction, the absence of any acknowledgement or engagement with the alternatives makes this a highly unsatisfactory book, especially to give to an interested outsider. I found the book simply did not go far enough in providing a radical biblical alternative. The fundamentalist ecumenism of Frayling is as dangerous an ally of peace as fundamentalist evangelicalism is its opponent. Ecumenism and peace making are not two sides of the same coin.
Equally the gospel is no more advanced by uniting Ireland than it is by defending Ulster. For me this assumption was the most disappointing part of Frayling's argument. The author appears to assume the sacralist model of church and state that plagues both Protestant and Catholic traditions, not only in Ireland. This needs to be biblically challenged root and branch and not replaced with a more benign interpretation of a distorted model. Consequently, while he rightly challenges us to repentance, it is hard to escape the implication that the English should repent and get out simply for the sake of their own national wellbeing. What hope does that leave for the divided community of Northern Ireland? Whose national side in Ireland is God on?
The flaws in the book are too serious for me to give unqualified recommendation and I honestly question its value in informing a wider audience of their responsibilities towards Ireland. Personally, I found this book disturbing reading. It not only closed down my space both theologically and politically but also brought out the worst of the non-conformist dissenter in me. At best it is a warning to read more widely, make longer visits and certainly don't let the natives see how you explain them to your friends!
David Porter is Director of ECONI
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