What do you think?
Rate this book
Radical Forgiveness: God's Call to Unconditional Love
Recover the true beauty of Christianity as found in forgiveness.
If Christianity is to be a compelling and relevant voice in the twenty-first century, it needs a fresh message. Not a new innovation or novel interpretation, but a return to our roots. For if Christianity is not about forgiveness, it’s about nothing at all.
Beginning with the horror of the Holocaust, Radical Forgiveness explores what forgiveness means--and how far it should go--in the real world of rape, child abuse, genocide, and other atrocities. With honesty and compassion Zahnd tackles questions such as...
Pushing you beyond intellectual exercises, Radical Forgiveness will challenge your thinking by juxtaposing absolutely bottom-line examples with the simple What would you do?
Previously published as Unconditional?
If Christianity is to be a compelling and relevant voice in the twenty-first century, it needs a fresh message. Not a new innovation or novel interpretation, but a return to our roots. For if Christianity is not about forgiveness, it’s about nothing at all.
Beginning with the horror of the Holocaust, Radical Forgiveness explores what forgiveness means--and how far it should go--in the real world of rape, child abuse, genocide, and other atrocities. With honesty and compassion Zahnd tackles questions such as...
Pushing you beyond intellectual exercises, Radical Forgiveness will challenge your thinking by juxtaposing absolutely bottom-line examples with the simple What would you do?
Previously published as Unconditional?
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 4, 2011
39 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
Brian Zahnd
52 books392 followersBrian Zahnd is the founder and lead pastor of Word of Life Church in St. Joseph, Missouri. As the lead pastor, he is the primary preacher during our weekend services, and he oversees the direction of the church. Pastor Brian is a passionate reader of theology and philosophy, an avid hiker and mountain climber, and authority on all things Bob Dylan.
He and his wife, Peri, have three adult sons and five grandchildren. He is the author of several books, including Unconditional?, Beauty Will Save the World, A Farewell To Mars, and Water To Wine.
He and his wife, Peri, have three adult sons and five grandchildren. He is the author of several books, including Unconditional?, Beauty Will Save the World, A Farewell To Mars, and Water To Wine.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 30, 2018
This is the second Brian Zahnd book I’ve read (the other being Farewell to Mars). The thing I have appreciated most about both books is that he does a great job of articulating just how radical and outrageous Jesus and his teachings are. It seems terribly accurate that Christians often water down or “forget” some of the commands of Jesus because they are so incredibly difficult to do and/or don’t seem to be in keeping with the way the world works.
Zahnd does a great job of explaining how forgiveness is the only thing that can truly put an end to the never ending cycle of revenge. He writes “Evil is only defeated when someone absorbs the blow and forgives, thus ending the cycle of evil. Absorbing the blow without retaliation by exercising the option to forgive is not weakness or acquiescence with injustice; it is taking up your cross and following Jesus… it the power of God to overcome evil by depriving evil of a host for retaliation.”
The book is littered with powerful stories of radical forgiveness, like Corrie ten Boom, Nelson Mandela, and the Amish community after the West Nickel Mines school shooting. In the past, I have heard stories like this used as a weapon to demonstrate that your lack of forgiveness for lesser crimes is unjustified. Zahnd, however, does a good job of showing the strength and power of forgiveness to redeem even the darkest situations, and how it is the tool that God uses to overcome evil.
All in all, this is a powerful book on the subject of forgiveness, and I found it very motivating. My one frustration with the book was in the final few chapters. The final three chapters were still well written and made a lot of good points, but they did not relate very specifically to the overall subject of the book. It felt to me like Zahnd had enough really good material for a 7 chapter book, but his publisher required 10 chapters. The last three chapters felt like good material that could stand on their own as a collection of essays, but felt out of place shoehorned into an otherwise great book about forgiveness. I felt distracted by them as I was trying to figure out how they fit into the rest of the book.
I’ll finish with my favorite quote from the book.
“As Miroslav Volf has pointedly observed:
‘Pilate deserves our sympathies, not because he was a good though tragically misunderstood man, but because we are not much better. We may believe in Jesus, but we do not believe in his ideas, at least not in his ideas about violence, truth, and justice.’
But we must believe. We must believe in Jesus–not only by believing in what the creeds confess concerning his identity–but by also believing in his ideas. Yes, we must dare to believe in Jesus’s radical ideas of enemy-love and endless forgiveness, because without this kind of love and this kind of forgiveness, there is no future.”
Zahnd does a great job of explaining how forgiveness is the only thing that can truly put an end to the never ending cycle of revenge. He writes “Evil is only defeated when someone absorbs the blow and forgives, thus ending the cycle of evil. Absorbing the blow without retaliation by exercising the option to forgive is not weakness or acquiescence with injustice; it is taking up your cross and following Jesus… it the power of God to overcome evil by depriving evil of a host for retaliation.”
The book is littered with powerful stories of radical forgiveness, like Corrie ten Boom, Nelson Mandela, and the Amish community after the West Nickel Mines school shooting. In the past, I have heard stories like this used as a weapon to demonstrate that your lack of forgiveness for lesser crimes is unjustified. Zahnd, however, does a good job of showing the strength and power of forgiveness to redeem even the darkest situations, and how it is the tool that God uses to overcome evil.
All in all, this is a powerful book on the subject of forgiveness, and I found it very motivating. My one frustration with the book was in the final few chapters. The final three chapters were still well written and made a lot of good points, but they did not relate very specifically to the overall subject of the book. It felt to me like Zahnd had enough really good material for a 7 chapter book, but his publisher required 10 chapters. The last three chapters felt like good material that could stand on their own as a collection of essays, but felt out of place shoehorned into an otherwise great book about forgiveness. I felt distracted by them as I was trying to figure out how they fit into the rest of the book.
I’ll finish with my favorite quote from the book.
“As Miroslav Volf has pointedly observed:
‘Pilate deserves our sympathies, not because he was a good though tragically misunderstood man, but because we are not much better. We may believe in Jesus, but we do not believe in his ideas, at least not in his ideas about violence, truth, and justice.’
But we must believe. We must believe in Jesus–not only by believing in what the creeds confess concerning his identity–but by also believing in his ideas. Yes, we must dare to believe in Jesus’s radical ideas of enemy-love and endless forgiveness, because without this kind of love and this kind of forgiveness, there is no future.”
August 9, 2022
There is so much truth and guidance within the pages of this book. Zahnd graciously challenges the reader and Christ followers to break the cycle of revenge and keep forgiving.
There is so much wrong in our world, but Zahnd inspires the belief that love is more powerful than hate - forgiveness can be radical as we look at Jesus as our example and we can have the grace to practice this kind of forgiveness.
to quote: "I'm afraid that too much of what we have considered "standing up for Jesus" has really been in your face antagonism. Do we need to fly the flag of Christian cultural identity as much as we need an emphasis on the cultivation of Christlike character."
As followers of Christ, we are not so much called to know the answer or preach the answer as much as we are called to be the answer. We are to model the answer by being Christlike in a Caesar-like world. This is what the Sermon on the Mount is all about.
We are called to keep on praying.... this is how peace comes to our heart, our home, our world...
There is so much wrong in our world, but Zahnd inspires the belief that love is more powerful than hate - forgiveness can be radical as we look at Jesus as our example and we can have the grace to practice this kind of forgiveness.
to quote: "I'm afraid that too much of what we have considered "standing up for Jesus" has really been in your face antagonism. Do we need to fly the flag of Christian cultural identity as much as we need an emphasis on the cultivation of Christlike character."
As followers of Christ, we are not so much called to know the answer or preach the answer as much as we are called to be the answer. We are to model the answer by being Christlike in a Caesar-like world. This is what the Sermon on the Mount is all about.
We are called to keep on praying.... this is how peace comes to our heart, our home, our world...
June 2, 2018
Using the framework of the Holocaust and many other horrid events in history, Zahnd examines what radical forgiveness can look like because of the Cross. This forgiveness does NOT sacrifice justice or cause us to "forget" what happened, but rather it's absorbing the wrong so that the cycle of revenge does not continue (because avenging is not our job). This is what Jesus did on the cross - he broke the cycle of revenge, because a life without revenge is a better life. This is not looking at forgiveness in an academic classroom or in a theoretical, ideal world - this is grappling with the real issues.
This was the first book by Zahnd that I've read, and it definitely won't be my last. Zahnd's writing is fresh and daringly prophetic, but please understand when I write "prophetic" I don't mean hell-fire-brimstone, I mean the office of the prophetic that is the heart revealer of the church that reveals all in grace, mercy, and truth. Highly recommended.
This was the first book by Zahnd that I've read, and it definitely won't be my last. Zahnd's writing is fresh and daringly prophetic, but please understand when I write "prophetic" I don't mean hell-fire-brimstone, I mean the office of the prophetic that is the heart revealer of the church that reveals all in grace, mercy, and truth. Highly recommended.
November 21, 2019
Zahnd makes the case that forgiveness is the fundamental Christian virtue and we must exercise it at all times, even (especially) when it's costly/difficult. There are issues the author leaves unexplored (what does reconciliation look like when the aggressor does not repent? What about structural violence? What about ongoing abuse?), but it's still a good reminder for everyone who claims to follow Jesus Christ.
May 28, 2025
Excelente livro! Deveria ser leitura obrigatória, faz-nos olhar para o amor e perdão de uma forma "fora da caixa".
Deixo uma frase que gostei imenso: "um milagre conseguido não apagando a sua história mas transformando a sua identidade" - é disto que o livro trata, de passados nunca apagados, mas de novas identidades criadas!
Deixo uma frase que gostei imenso: "um milagre conseguido não apagando a sua história mas transformando a sua identidade" - é disto que o livro trata, de passados nunca apagados, mas de novas identidades criadas!
January 8, 2020
Excellent.
It’s an excellent book on forgiveness. Many chapters bring up really important aspects. Redundancy of the topic is a bit tedious (especially last two chapters) but probably necessary!
It’s an excellent book on forgiveness. Many chapters bring up really important aspects. Redundancy of the topic is a bit tedious (especially last two chapters) but probably necessary!
March 7, 2019
Beautiful.
Zahnd paints a beautiful picture of the Jesus way. The way of self-sacrificial, Calvary-like, others-oriented merciful love. This is the beauty that saves the world.
Zahnd paints a beautiful picture of the Jesus way. The way of self-sacrificial, Calvary-like, others-oriented merciful love. This is the beauty that saves the world.
February 7, 2020
One Of Brian’s Best
Previously released with the title, Unconditional?, this book is a classic. In my opinion, there is not a better book about forgiveness and discipleship.
Previously released with the title, Unconditional?, this book is a classic. In my opinion, there is not a better book about forgiveness and discipleship.
July 8, 2024
This book started off a bit slow for me but really ended on a bang with some excellent commentary, especially on the Sermon on the Mount.
May 15, 2014
If Christianity isn’t about forgiveness, it’s about nothing at all.
Goal: to become disciples of love who master the art of forgiveness.
If we enter the Christian faith to find forgiveness, we must continue in the faith to become forgiving people, because to be an authentic follower of Christ we must embrace the centrality of forgiveness.
When Christianity speaks of forgiveness, should there be an asterisk attached to the word to indicate that forgiveness is not applicable in extreme situations like the concentration camps of Nazi Germany, the ethnic cleansing, in the former Yugoslavia, and the tribal massacres of Rwanda?
These are just a few quotes from the book.
I don’t usually read other people’s reviews before I read the book and write down my own thoughts. I’m not sure why I scanned through the reviews on Amazon, but I did. I was immediately apprehensive when one reviewer described “Radical Forgiveness” as a difficult book to read.
I’m not put off by scholarly books, but I was afraid that was what I was diving into.
I couldn’t have been more wrong!
What makes this book “difficult” is that it is very simple and direct. It is not the kind of book a person can read and remain unchallenged. I think it would make an excellent small group study for groups who are wanting to take their faith to a deeper level.
From the back of the book: Pushing you beyond intellectual exercises, “Radical Forgiveness” will challenge your thinking by juxtaposing absolutely bottom-line examples with the simple question: What would you do?
There are pages of endorsements in the front of this book. On the front cover you’ll find an endorsement by Eugene Peterson. This author, and particularly this work, are well-thought of in the Christian community.
Bonhoeffer challenged believers to go against “cheap grace.” Brian Zahnd has done the same for forgiveness in this book.
I would strongly recommend this book. I am pleased to have it in my library.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a review.
Goal: to become disciples of love who master the art of forgiveness.
If we enter the Christian faith to find forgiveness, we must continue in the faith to become forgiving people, because to be an authentic follower of Christ we must embrace the centrality of forgiveness.
When Christianity speaks of forgiveness, should there be an asterisk attached to the word to indicate that forgiveness is not applicable in extreme situations like the concentration camps of Nazi Germany, the ethnic cleansing, in the former Yugoslavia, and the tribal massacres of Rwanda?
These are just a few quotes from the book.
I don’t usually read other people’s reviews before I read the book and write down my own thoughts. I’m not sure why I scanned through the reviews on Amazon, but I did. I was immediately apprehensive when one reviewer described “Radical Forgiveness” as a difficult book to read.
I’m not put off by scholarly books, but I was afraid that was what I was diving into.
I couldn’t have been more wrong!
What makes this book “difficult” is that it is very simple and direct. It is not the kind of book a person can read and remain unchallenged. I think it would make an excellent small group study for groups who are wanting to take their faith to a deeper level.
From the back of the book: Pushing you beyond intellectual exercises, “Radical Forgiveness” will challenge your thinking by juxtaposing absolutely bottom-line examples with the simple question: What would you do?
There are pages of endorsements in the front of this book. On the front cover you’ll find an endorsement by Eugene Peterson. This author, and particularly this work, are well-thought of in the Christian community.
Bonhoeffer challenged believers to go against “cheap grace.” Brian Zahnd has done the same for forgiveness in this book.
I would strongly recommend this book. I am pleased to have it in my library.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for a review.
October 4, 2014
One of my all time favorites. It was a pleasure to digest and return to parts that I could read 100 times and still love and see new things. BZ is a thoughtful, diligent writer who obviously LOVES thinking, reading, reflecting, creating. But this is one of those books where you feel like you're looking into a life-long coming to terms with one of the most important of human choices. You feel like you know him as a friend by the time the book is done thanks to his appropriate vulnerability and rich honesty with himself. The trust he builds with you - the reader - is one of the biggest reasons his voice and discoveries really reached me.
June 27, 2013
This was a very thought provoking and spiritual read. If we say we want to be more like Jesus, forgiveness is the way to do that. It really puts into perspective our petty grievances when compared with all of the horrible atrocities that have happened to so many and yet they were able to forgive and even love their enemies. That is the Jesus way.
May 6, 2015
This is hands down the best book I have read on Christlike forgiveness and how that forgiveness not only transforms our lives but also our world.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews