Political reconciliation, forgiveness and grace

Scarre, Geoffrey

Abstract

This essay argues that the overuse of the idiom of forgiveness has distorted our understanding of the nature and requirements of political reconciliation, and proposes its supplementation by a notion of grace. This is a mode of response to wrongs that is less hedged around by conventions and conditions, and grace complements forgiveness in contexts in which the latter is inappropriate; it is also more serviceable for maintaining inter-community harmony in the long term. Following a detailed analysis of grace in the political environment, the paper concludes by tracing a concept of grace in the Sermon on the Mount.

Citation

Scarre, G. (2011). Political reconciliation, forgiveness and grace. Studies in Christian Ethics, 24(2), 171-182. https://doi.org/10.1177/0953946810397442

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: May 1, 2011
• Deposit Date: Feb 23, 2012
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 13, 2015
• Journal: Studies in Christian Ethics
• Print ISSN: 0953-9468
• Electronic ISSN: 1745-5235
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 24
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 171-182
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0953946810397442
• Keywords: Forgiveness, Grace, Memory, Northern Ireland, Political, Reconciliation, Sermon on the Mount
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1511660