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Forgive Us: Confessions of a Compromised Faith
Many people have become angry and frustrated with organized religion and evangelical Christianity, in particular. Too often the church has proven to be a source of pain rather than a place of hope. Forgive Us acknowledges the legitimacy of much of the anger toward the church. In truth, Christianity in America has significant brokenness in its history that demands recognition and repentance. Only by this path can the church move forward with its message of forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace.
Forgive Us is thus a call to confession. From Psalm 51 to the teachings of Jesus to the prayers of Nehemiah, confession is the proper biblical response when God’s people have injured others and turned their backs on God’s ways. In the book of Nehemiah, the author confesses not only his own sins, but also the sins of his ancestors. The history of the American church demands a Nehemiah-style confession both for our deeds and the deeds of those who came before us.
In each chapter of Forgive Us two pastors who are also academically trained historians provide accurate and compelling histories of some of the American church’s greatest shortcomings. Theologian Soong-Chan Rah and justice leader Lisa Sharon Harper then share theological reflections along with appropriate words of confession and repentance.
Passionate and purposeful, Forgive Us will challenge evangelical readers and issue a heart-felt request to the surrounding culture for forgiveness and a new beginning.
Forgive Us is thus a call to confession. From Psalm 51 to the teachings of Jesus to the prayers of Nehemiah, confession is the proper biblical response when God’s people have injured others and turned their backs on God’s ways. In the book of Nehemiah, the author confesses not only his own sins, but also the sins of his ancestors. The history of the American church demands a Nehemiah-style confession both for our deeds and the deeds of those who came before us.
In each chapter of Forgive Us two pastors who are also academically trained historians provide accurate and compelling histories of some of the American church’s greatest shortcomings. Theologian Soong-Chan Rah and justice leader Lisa Sharon Harper then share theological reflections along with appropriate words of confession and repentance.
Passionate and purposeful, Forgive Us will challenge evangelical readers and issue a heart-felt request to the surrounding culture for forgiveness and a new beginning.
231 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 23, 2014
48 people are currently reading
655 people want to read
About the author
Mae Elise Cannon
14 books28 followersRev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon is the executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace. She is an author, speaker, and advocate who cares deeply about God's heart for the poor and the oppressed.
She is the author of Beyond Hashtag Activism (IVP, May 2020); co-editor of Evangelical Theologies of Liberation and Justice (IVP, 2019); editor of A Land Full of God: Christian Perspectives on the Holy Land (2017); author of Social Justice Handbook: Small Steps for a Better World (IVP, 2009) and Just Spirituality: How Faith Practices Fuel Social Action (IVP, 2013); and co-author of Forgive Us: Confessions of a Compromised Faith (Zondervan, 2014).
Cannon is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). Her ministry and professional background includes serving as the Senior Director of Advocacy and Outreach for World Vision-US, the executive pastor of Hillside Covenant Church (Walnut Creek, California), Director of Development and Transformation for Extension Ministries at Willow Creek Community Church (Barrington, Illinois), and as a consultant to the Middle East for child advocacy issues for Compassion International. Her work has been highlighted in The New York Times, CNN, Chicago Tribune, Christianity Today, Leadership Magazine, The Christian Post, Jerusalem Post, EU Parliament Magazine, Huffington Post, and other international media outlets.
She received her first doctorate in American History with a minor in Middle Eastern studies at the University of California (Davis) focusing on the history of the American Protestant church in Israel and Palestine and her second doctorate in Ministry in Spiritual Formation from Northern Theological Seminary. Cannon holds an M.Div. From North Park Theological Seminary, an M.B.A. from North Park University's School of Business and Nonprofit Management, and an M.A. in bioethics from Trinity International University. Cannon completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Chicago in History, Philosophy, Social Studies, of Science and Medicine.
She is the author of Beyond Hashtag Activism (IVP, May 2020); co-editor of Evangelical Theologies of Liberation and Justice (IVP, 2019); editor of A Land Full of God: Christian Perspectives on the Holy Land (2017); author of Social Justice Handbook: Small Steps for a Better World (IVP, 2009) and Just Spirituality: How Faith Practices Fuel Social Action (IVP, 2013); and co-author of Forgive Us: Confessions of a Compromised Faith (Zondervan, 2014).
Cannon is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). Her ministry and professional background includes serving as the Senior Director of Advocacy and Outreach for World Vision-US, the executive pastor of Hillside Covenant Church (Walnut Creek, California), Director of Development and Transformation for Extension Ministries at Willow Creek Community Church (Barrington, Illinois), and as a consultant to the Middle East for child advocacy issues for Compassion International. Her work has been highlighted in The New York Times, CNN, Chicago Tribune, Christianity Today, Leadership Magazine, The Christian Post, Jerusalem Post, EU Parliament Magazine, Huffington Post, and other international media outlets.
She received her first doctorate in American History with a minor in Middle Eastern studies at the University of California (Davis) focusing on the history of the American Protestant church in Israel and Palestine and her second doctorate in Ministry in Spiritual Formation from Northern Theological Seminary. Cannon holds an M.Div. From North Park Theological Seminary, an M.B.A. from North Park University's School of Business and Nonprofit Management, and an M.A. in bioethics from Trinity International University. Cannon completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Chicago in History, Philosophy, Social Studies, of Science and Medicine.
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September 12, 2016
We all make mistakes, but only some of us admit them and seek to make amends. A refusal to take responsibility compounds the original offense. The Christian Church has made some mistakes as well, one of which is failing to admit fault and to seek forgiveness and reconciliation. Churches, like people, are often more focused on the sins of others than on their own. It’s so much easier and more fun, after all, to criticize someone else. It’s also human nature to more readily recognize faults in those we consider opponents than in ourselves.
Four evangelical Christians wrote Forgive Us. They believe the credibility of Christian witness to the world is damaged by Christian hypocrisy, by refusing to remove the log from our own eye first, as Jesus commanded, before calling out the specks in the eyes of others. According to Robert Putnam in American Grace (2010), many young adults perceive evangelicals as judgmental, self-righteous and intolerant. Mae Cannon and her co-authors propose that the church should offer “a counter-narrative…of authentic confession and genuine reconciliation.”
Evangelicals understand well the process on an individual level of acknowledging sin, repenting, and seeking forgiveness. Scripture tells us that it should also be done on the corporate level. Repentance is a recurring them in the Bible because God’s people are frequently called to repent. Nehemiah, for instance, confessed the sins “we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you” by disobeying the laws God gave to Moses. Then Nehemiah planned how to correct the situation by going to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls.
The problem is that Christians as a group are not very good confessing collective failure and seeking forgiveness for it. The absence of confession is related to the absence of lament in church services. A lament recognizes the reality of suffering and offers a petition trusting in God’s judgment, but does not propose a solution. Some 40 percent of Psalms are laments. The book of Lamentations contains a lament and confession on behalf of God’s people. In short, confession in scripture is not limited to the personal and private, but is offered on behalf of the entire community.
Worship in American churches, however, does not include communal laments about corporate culpability. Modern evangelicals focus on sin in the culture, but not among ourselves. “Corporate confession challenges us to see beyond our individualistic, Western worldview. It recognizes that sin operates collectively, and that the responsibility of the church as a whole is to recognize that it too has sinned collectively.”
So what are the shortcomings in the American Christian context? The book examines the history of several:
• environmental degradation and the failure to properly steward God’s creation
• the genocide of the indigenous people in the America’s and the Church’s culpability
• racism and the theological roots thereof
• the oppression of women and the justification of sexism in the church
• the marginalization of the LGBTQ community
• nativism
• prejudice against Jews and Mormons.
This review will expand on one of those areas – the failure to properly steward God’s creation.
The early colonists were primarily Protestants who came to conquer the wilderness in the new world influenced by Genesis 1:28: “Replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” Consequently, they cleared the forests, killed animals such as wolves, panthers and bears, and “subdued” the wilderness.
When Genesis says humanity is given “dominion” over the earth, the word has been misinterpreted as “domination,” when it is better understood as responsibility or stewardship, contend the authors. That’s how the agricultural Hebrews would have understood it. Their law required that every seven years the land itself must rest. (Leviticus 25:1-7). In short, humanity is to protect the wellness of creation. God creates humans from the dust of the earth. Humanity is placed in a garden and instructed to “till and keep it” (Gen. 2:15-16).
The lack of good stewardship did not end in the colonial era. In the 20th century, there was growing exploitation of the land for its natural resources. The after-effect of strip mining, for example, on the land and nearby inhabitants was not a prime concern of the mining industry. Poor communities were more likely to face risks to their health from toxic dumping by deregulated industries.
History shows that Christians not only participated in slaughtering wild animals and deforestation, but were silent when environmental degradation was happening. Often churches were strong supporters of the polluting industries. Prominent Christians criticized the environmental movement. Dr. James Dobson, for instance, attacked Al Gore’s climate change message.
In recent years, some evangelicals have realized their responsibility to be good stewards of nature, not just exploiters of it. In his book, Green Like God, Jonathan Merritt invokes a Christian theological framework for creation care.
In Genesis I:31, at the end of the sixth day of creation, “God saw everything he had made, and indeed, it was very good.” Biblical scholar Terry McGonigal reads that verse this way: “God is delighting in the totality of all creation, the interconnected web of relationships now complete.” It was not just the parts of creation that were very good, but the relationships between things as well. Humanity is part of creation and has a relationship with the rest of creation, which industrialization markedly altered.
“Creation groans” as deforestation continues, pesticides affect the health of animals and us, and the level of carbon emissions cause the seas to warm and rise, alter the climate, and put animals and people at risk. “Human exploitation of the land has led to its mounting destruction and a break in the stewardship relationship that God established.”
The book contains some interesting research on the other topics as well.
* In 1864, a Methodist minister -- John M. Chivington -- led a famous massacre at Sand Creek, Colorado, which killed more than a hundred Natives and destroyed a friendly village. Rev. Chivington justified his massacre: “Damn any man who sympathizes with Indians…I have come to kill Indians, and believe it is right and honorable to use any means under God’s heaven to kill Indians.”
* Suffragists fighting for the right to vote were accused by pastors of working against “God’s intended order.”
* The American Bible Society was founded to distribute Bibles and fight slavery, but it also opposed Catholicism. The renowned minister Lyman Beecher, father of Harriett Beecher Stowe and president of Lane Theological Seminary, also preached about the evils of Catholic immigration.
* The revival of the KKK in 1915 included a strong anti-Catholic sentiment. KKK members had to be Protestant. Their motto was “Native, White, Protestant Supremacy!”
Forgive Us avoids three controversial issues: abortion, whether same-sex behavior is automatically a sin, and the New Testament verses prohibiting women from speaking in church. Nevertheless, the book is well researched and challenging. Their point is well taken that Christians won’t have credibility in spotlighting the failures of others while failing to recognize their own. ###
Four evangelical Christians wrote Forgive Us. They believe the credibility of Christian witness to the world is damaged by Christian hypocrisy, by refusing to remove the log from our own eye first, as Jesus commanded, before calling out the specks in the eyes of others. According to Robert Putnam in American Grace (2010), many young adults perceive evangelicals as judgmental, self-righteous and intolerant. Mae Cannon and her co-authors propose that the church should offer “a counter-narrative…of authentic confession and genuine reconciliation.”
Evangelicals understand well the process on an individual level of acknowledging sin, repenting, and seeking forgiveness. Scripture tells us that it should also be done on the corporate level. Repentance is a recurring them in the Bible because God’s people are frequently called to repent. Nehemiah, for instance, confessed the sins “we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you” by disobeying the laws God gave to Moses. Then Nehemiah planned how to correct the situation by going to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls.
The problem is that Christians as a group are not very good confessing collective failure and seeking forgiveness for it. The absence of confession is related to the absence of lament in church services. A lament recognizes the reality of suffering and offers a petition trusting in God’s judgment, but does not propose a solution. Some 40 percent of Psalms are laments. The book of Lamentations contains a lament and confession on behalf of God’s people. In short, confession in scripture is not limited to the personal and private, but is offered on behalf of the entire community.
Worship in American churches, however, does not include communal laments about corporate culpability. Modern evangelicals focus on sin in the culture, but not among ourselves. “Corporate confession challenges us to see beyond our individualistic, Western worldview. It recognizes that sin operates collectively, and that the responsibility of the church as a whole is to recognize that it too has sinned collectively.”
So what are the shortcomings in the American Christian context? The book examines the history of several:
• environmental degradation and the failure to properly steward God’s creation
• the genocide of the indigenous people in the America’s and the Church’s culpability
• racism and the theological roots thereof
• the oppression of women and the justification of sexism in the church
• the marginalization of the LGBTQ community
• nativism
• prejudice against Jews and Mormons.
This review will expand on one of those areas – the failure to properly steward God’s creation.
The early colonists were primarily Protestants who came to conquer the wilderness in the new world influenced by Genesis 1:28: “Replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” Consequently, they cleared the forests, killed animals such as wolves, panthers and bears, and “subdued” the wilderness.
When Genesis says humanity is given “dominion” over the earth, the word has been misinterpreted as “domination,” when it is better understood as responsibility or stewardship, contend the authors. That’s how the agricultural Hebrews would have understood it. Their law required that every seven years the land itself must rest. (Leviticus 25:1-7). In short, humanity is to protect the wellness of creation. God creates humans from the dust of the earth. Humanity is placed in a garden and instructed to “till and keep it” (Gen. 2:15-16).
The lack of good stewardship did not end in the colonial era. In the 20th century, there was growing exploitation of the land for its natural resources. The after-effect of strip mining, for example, on the land and nearby inhabitants was not a prime concern of the mining industry. Poor communities were more likely to face risks to their health from toxic dumping by deregulated industries.
History shows that Christians not only participated in slaughtering wild animals and deforestation, but were silent when environmental degradation was happening. Often churches were strong supporters of the polluting industries. Prominent Christians criticized the environmental movement. Dr. James Dobson, for instance, attacked Al Gore’s climate change message.
In recent years, some evangelicals have realized their responsibility to be good stewards of nature, not just exploiters of it. In his book, Green Like God, Jonathan Merritt invokes a Christian theological framework for creation care.
In Genesis I:31, at the end of the sixth day of creation, “God saw everything he had made, and indeed, it was very good.” Biblical scholar Terry McGonigal reads that verse this way: “God is delighting in the totality of all creation, the interconnected web of relationships now complete.” It was not just the parts of creation that were very good, but the relationships between things as well. Humanity is part of creation and has a relationship with the rest of creation, which industrialization markedly altered.
“Creation groans” as deforestation continues, pesticides affect the health of animals and us, and the level of carbon emissions cause the seas to warm and rise, alter the climate, and put animals and people at risk. “Human exploitation of the land has led to its mounting destruction and a break in the stewardship relationship that God established.”
The book contains some interesting research on the other topics as well.
* In 1864, a Methodist minister -- John M. Chivington -- led a famous massacre at Sand Creek, Colorado, which killed more than a hundred Natives and destroyed a friendly village. Rev. Chivington justified his massacre: “Damn any man who sympathizes with Indians…I have come to kill Indians, and believe it is right and honorable to use any means under God’s heaven to kill Indians.”
* Suffragists fighting for the right to vote were accused by pastors of working against “God’s intended order.”
* The American Bible Society was founded to distribute Bibles and fight slavery, but it also opposed Catholicism. The renowned minister Lyman Beecher, father of Harriett Beecher Stowe and president of Lane Theological Seminary, also preached about the evils of Catholic immigration.
* The revival of the KKK in 1915 included a strong anti-Catholic sentiment. KKK members had to be Protestant. Their motto was “Native, White, Protestant Supremacy!”
Forgive Us avoids three controversial issues: abortion, whether same-sex behavior is automatically a sin, and the New Testament verses prohibiting women from speaking in church. Nevertheless, the book is well researched and challenging. Their point is well taken that Christians won’t have credibility in spotlighting the failures of others while failing to recognize their own. ###
April 10, 2021
I'm glad the book was written and I'm not the primary intended reader so if you're Christian and embedded in a US church community, don't take my lackluster rating as discouragement to read this.
There are some useful and powerful contributions:
P80 [...] "it is not the place of the ones who sinned to decide how to repair the relationship. It is the place of the ones who have been sinned against to decide what repair requires."
That said, it is not clear what dialogue the authors had with theologians or communities to whom they are suggesting the church owes apology and repair.
P169 "Theologian Willie Jennings asserts that theology is the 'imaginative capacity to redefine the social.' [...] The reality of a broken world, however, means that Christians often engage in dysfunctional theological imagination."
P171 "Far too many Christian leaders and adherents assumed that a superior expression of God's image existed in the body of the white American, allowing the rejection of those who differ from the body imagine of the Anglo American. This belief reflects a fundamental violation of the imagine of God found in all people."
This commitment to see and acknowledge the image of God in each human being is a solid foundation that is probably the most important thing said by the authors -- and for which I am grateful.
P172 "Christian Americans have been guilty of misapplying the doctrine of imago Dei, producing a broken community due to the belief in the inequality of human worth. The shared story of being made in the image of God should yield a sense of human unity."
p194 "We are talking about the fundamental belief that human dignity is not inherent, that it is only conferred upon conversion."
P197 "One does not have to convert to become human according to Scripture. One is born human, born with the image of God imprinted on one's soul."
P177 "As J. Kameron Carter states: 'The loss of a Jewish-inflected account -- and thus a covenantal, nonracial account -- of Christian identity cleared the way for whiteness to function as a replacement doctrine of creation. Hence, the world was re-created from the colonial conquests from the late fifteenth century forward in the image of white dominance, where "white" signifies not merely pigmentation but a regime of political and economic power for arranging ... the world.'
Carter finds that the severing of Christianity from its Jewish roots allows Christianity to become embedded in Western culture. 'Behind the modern problem of race is the problem of how Christianity and Western civilization came to be thoroughly identified with each other, a problem linked to the severance of Christianity from its Jewish roots.'"
This seems like a good starting place to lament and repent American Christian collusion with sin including anti-semitism, for example, but it is disappointing (to me) that the Jewish scholar they quote is Alan Dershowitz instead of more consistent proponents within the Jewish community for acting as though all of humanity was created in God's image. It also struck me as weird (and unhelpful) that as Protestants they avoided engaging with Luther's writings on the Jews. Really, the only difference between Luther and Himmler was a lack of access to suitably advanced technology. So it wasn't a coincidence that Protestant theologians were mostly (limited kudos to Boenhoffer) useless or complicit. If the authors had stayed focused on the US church they might have been given more latitude here but they engage with Nazi Germany while ignoring Luther's foundational anti-semitism.
There are some useful and powerful contributions:
P80 [...] "it is not the place of the ones who sinned to decide how to repair the relationship. It is the place of the ones who have been sinned against to decide what repair requires."
That said, it is not clear what dialogue the authors had with theologians or communities to whom they are suggesting the church owes apology and repair.
P169 "Theologian Willie Jennings asserts that theology is the 'imaginative capacity to redefine the social.' [...] The reality of a broken world, however, means that Christians often engage in dysfunctional theological imagination."
P171 "Far too many Christian leaders and adherents assumed that a superior expression of God's image existed in the body of the white American, allowing the rejection of those who differ from the body imagine of the Anglo American. This belief reflects a fundamental violation of the imagine of God found in all people."
This commitment to see and acknowledge the image of God in each human being is a solid foundation that is probably the most important thing said by the authors -- and for which I am grateful.
P172 "Christian Americans have been guilty of misapplying the doctrine of imago Dei, producing a broken community due to the belief in the inequality of human worth. The shared story of being made in the image of God should yield a sense of human unity."
p194 "We are talking about the fundamental belief that human dignity is not inherent, that it is only conferred upon conversion."
P197 "One does not have to convert to become human according to Scripture. One is born human, born with the image of God imprinted on one's soul."
P177 "As J. Kameron Carter states: 'The loss of a Jewish-inflected account -- and thus a covenantal, nonracial account -- of Christian identity cleared the way for whiteness to function as a replacement doctrine of creation. Hence, the world was re-created from the colonial conquests from the late fifteenth century forward in the image of white dominance, where "white" signifies not merely pigmentation but a regime of political and economic power for arranging ... the world.'
Carter finds that the severing of Christianity from its Jewish roots allows Christianity to become embedded in Western culture. 'Behind the modern problem of race is the problem of how Christianity and Western civilization came to be thoroughly identified with each other, a problem linked to the severance of Christianity from its Jewish roots.'"
This seems like a good starting place to lament and repent American Christian collusion with sin including anti-semitism, for example, but it is disappointing (to me) that the Jewish scholar they quote is Alan Dershowitz instead of more consistent proponents within the Jewish community for acting as though all of humanity was created in God's image. It also struck me as weird (and unhelpful) that as Protestants they avoided engaging with Luther's writings on the Jews. Really, the only difference between Luther and Himmler was a lack of access to suitably advanced technology. So it wasn't a coincidence that Protestant theologians were mostly (limited kudos to Boenhoffer) useless or complicit. If the authors had stayed focused on the US church they might have been given more latitude here but they engage with Nazi Germany while ignoring Luther's foundational anti-semitism.
June 1, 2021
A helpful starting point for seven areas where the Christian church is complicit in destruction, dehumanizing, and great harm. Whew. This book made me angry and sad and a but overwhelmed. But, important content.
Side note: I wasn't sure how the four authors would write this book together. I thought they did a great job of making the book cohesive and not jumping from voice to voice.
Side note: I wasn't sure how the four authors would write this book together. I thought they did a great job of making the book cohesive and not jumping from voice to voice.
January 31, 2022
Reading this book has left me sad but uplifted. It's sad to read of the ways people who profess Christ have sinned against those they claim to be evangelizing. It's sad to read of ways many congregations have sat back and allowed this to happen.
But it's uplifting to know that God forgives and gives us second chances. To be whole, we need to come to him with our sins and ask to be forgiven. We need to lament, as King David did so often. There have always been churches that have done the right thing, too, even when they were in the minority.
Finishing this book, there's a high that is hard to sustain. I have the desire to do something about what I've just read. How do you sustain something like that when you don't have the energy to follow through? I suppose it starts with honest prayer.
But it's uplifting to know that God forgives and gives us second chances. To be whole, we need to come to him with our sins and ask to be forgiven. We need to lament, as King David did so often. There have always been churches that have done the right thing, too, even when they were in the minority.
Finishing this book, there's a high that is hard to sustain. I have the desire to do something about what I've just read. How do you sustain something like that when you don't have the energy to follow through? I suppose it starts with honest prayer.
April 30, 2017
It is truly wonderful to see a book by Christians confessing and lamenting the sins of the Church. I often found myself struggling through the pages, but ultimately it was spiritually rewarding and renews my focus on the repentance of the church in America in ways that are productive. However, I do have a few critiques. The chapter on women does not go far enough for me. They decide to refuse to go into the issue of the ordination of women, which I believe is one of the church's biggest sins against women. The chapter on LGBTQ community also did not go far enough for me as the author's did not seem willing to address theological topics that might cause a vitriolic response. Finally, the chapter on Muslims and Jews was just clunky. Conceptually it seemed to lack any unity (throwing American Christianity's sins against Jews and Muslims into one chapter almost ensures glossing over the particular ways we have sinned against these two communities), there were mere anecdotes where a litany of sins could be pointed out and I got the sense that they felt that anti-Semitism is a thing of the past, which has now been replaced by Islamophobia. This seems to glaze over the variety of ways our society continues to stereotype and hurt Jews (FBI hate crime statistics showed that in 2014 Jews were the most likely target of a religious hate crime). I think it is wonderful that we are starting to publicly confess our sins in this matter, but I think this attempt, while valuable and productive, still shies away from some sins of the church.
June 4, 2015
An important Christian book that most Christians won't read! As a reader from the UK, I don't usually read books which are focused on an American audience. But there is so much that I and other Christian readers from all over the world can benefit from by reading this brilliant book. The concept of the book examines the church's reputation of being hurtful to certain classes and genres over the years eg other religions, women, slaves and LGBTQ. Through historical evidence and theological response, the 4 co evangelical authors confess the church's public failings and calls its readers to 'reengage the surrounding culture in a new and transformative way.' Apart from forgiveness, 2 other important themes feature heavily throughout this book, namely confession and lament- the latter to help engage in the practice of the former. A brave, important, hard-hitting book which examines our failings and urges our forgiveness.
March 30, 2015
Excellent collection of essays on a very difficult topic of how the church relates back to it's past sins in our society, country and the world. I know that my purpose in reading this was in reaction to Rev. Graham's post on Facebook that had an open letter written by a group that used this back as a backdrop for their letter. I believe that all Christians need to step back and think through how they approach different cultures in today's world. It's so easy to say something without any understanding of a neighbor, friend or relative and end up causing misunderstanding and hurt. It's time for the church to do soul searching in these key areas of our present and past history.
March 21, 2015
insightful & convicting must read about the shortsightedness of the American Church!
It's time that Christians & the church see their role in not standing up to injustice. We continue to live in a racist country where most churches are still blind to their part in this sad story. It's too easy to hide my prejudices and display a false sense of empathy to the many who've been put down & hurt by our false gospel of "White, capitalistic & consumer driven religion". This isn't true Christianity that lives out the parable of the Good Samaritan.
It's time that Christians & the church see their role in not standing up to injustice. We continue to live in a racist country where most churches are still blind to their part in this sad story. It's too easy to hide my prejudices and display a false sense of empathy to the many who've been put down & hurt by our false gospel of "White, capitalistic & consumer driven religion". This isn't true Christianity that lives out the parable of the Good Samaritan.
November 6, 2018
This book was a heavy book. One I needed to read. It took me many months because I would read one chapter and mull over it for a long time before I was ready to pick it up and read it again. This book opened my eyes even more to the sins of the American church throughout history, and it caused me to grieve for those who have been terribly harmed by us in the past, as well as people groups who even still are mistreated and unloved by the church. This book became the start of my own journey of learning how to lament.
May 8, 2017
This book should be a requirement for every American Christian. Especially us Euro-folks. This book gives a great overview of specific examples of how Christianity has been used as justification to harm others. If we truly want to move forward and "love our neighbors as ourselves," we need to accept, acknowledge, and publicly repent of the ways our faith has been used to fuel hatred, violence, and harm.
Just go read it. Right now. You won't regret it!
Just go read it. Right now. You won't regret it!
February 15, 2017
This important book challenges the American Christian community to accept responsibility and repent of perpetrating or refusing to stand up against structural sin since our country was founded. The chapters on sins against Indigenous Peoples and immigrants were particularly heartbreaking. I felt the chapter on LGBT oppression fell short, but otherwise this was a challenging and life-changing book.
August 20, 2018
This was a good read. However, if there was some question about whether or not I was an evangelical, this book helped me answer it. I wondered if it was simply because I’m too liberal but this book was very liberal and I still couldn’t relate to it. I am simply not a Biblical literalist. So many of the theological arguments were lost on me. But this is an important work for evangelicals to read.
November 29, 2015
excellent overview that touches on history, theology and current debates without assuming you are a theologian or a news hound. This would be a great book for a college bible study, a women's group or a group of friends to study together. It also made a great personal Advent reading :)
June 18, 2018
This will be one of those books that I keep on my shelf to look back on. It’s a great introduction to a variety of topics, and points you towards other resources if you’re interested in digging deeper.
March 28, 2015
Must read for every Christian!
January 4, 2016
Would give 3.5 stars if possible. Important message overall. First 4 chapters were great. The last 3 were disappointing.
Read
February 6, 2016I learned some interesting things. I hope lots of people pick up this book and read it, before it becomes out of date. A valuable book, I'll be recommending it to others.
January 9, 2017
Everybody who has grown up in the church should read this. Sobering and necessary.
March 12, 2018
This is a book that every person who claims Jesus in America needs to read.
May 7, 2023
While most of this book is deeply familiar ground for me, its target audience seems to be those Christians who, conservative or not by label, have not considered wider real-world contexts for their religious-political beliefs. Each chapter, which address various sins of “the church” broadly over the course of US history, is mostly made up of history, historical theology/politics, and anecdotes in rapid-fire fashion. This works well for the purposes of accessibility and getting the larger points across, but it does make for some tedious reading for those of us already aware of most of the issues raised. Than again, it’s always good to be reminded of our own proximity and complicity in the sins of the church.
What I liked best were the opening and closing sections of the book (and, really, the end of each chapter), which work to emphasize the crucial — and largely lost — disciplines/practices of lamentation and confession in the Christian faith. Lamentation is a kind of prayer no major denomination uses in the US, at least not with serious widespread or major issues. Confession has been largely given over to Catholics and is even derided by some Protestants. Repentance and remorse aren’t really valued as virtues anymore. So this book’s primary goal seems to be to impress on its readers the need for these virtues and practices in order to truly follow Christ rather than the rhetoric of conservative, theocratic nationalism.
What I liked best were the opening and closing sections of the book (and, really, the end of each chapter), which work to emphasize the crucial — and largely lost — disciplines/practices of lamentation and confession in the Christian faith. Lamentation is a kind of prayer no major denomination uses in the US, at least not with serious widespread or major issues. Confession has been largely given over to Catholics and is even derided by some Protestants. Repentance and remorse aren’t really valued as virtues anymore. So this book’s primary goal seems to be to impress on its readers the need for these virtues and practices in order to truly follow Christ rather than the rhetoric of conservative, theocratic nationalism.
August 30, 2020
Forgive Us is a timely book for this point in history where the church needs to do some soul searching and account for some of the injustice it has either purposefully participated or passively ignored. If you have been hurt by the Christian church, I am sorry. We are not perfect people, though some have treated people, maybe you, in a judgemental, racially injust, power seeking or unkind manner. I ask for forgiveness.
In regards to the content of this book, they covered many topics. At times they get a little off topic and end up in topics of other chapters (hence the 4 stars, instead of 5). But worth the read if you are willing to face the fact the church is not perfect and has a history of getting in the way of people encountering God's love.
I came across this book in a Lent blog post by Rachel Held Evans (rest in peace). She loved to challenge the status quo and examine what is really going on in the Bible, to push us stubborn, blind Christians to examine our beliefs and whether they are cultural or Biblical.
In regards to the content of this book, they covered many topics. At times they get a little off topic and end up in topics of other chapters (hence the 4 stars, instead of 5). But worth the read if you are willing to face the fact the church is not perfect and has a history of getting in the way of people encountering God's love.
I came across this book in a Lent blog post by Rachel Held Evans (rest in peace). She loved to challenge the status quo and examine what is really going on in the Bible, to push us stubborn, blind Christians to examine our beliefs and whether they are cultural or Biblical.
October 10, 2020
It’s a start. The book goes into territory many Christians avoid - confession of sin, and even crazier, confession of corporate sin. During the present upheavals over the murder of George Floyd, many Christians are struggling to understand where all this is coming from. They have been blind to the history of the Christian Church in America. The book gives some historical background in several different areas. It’s not a history book but gets the reader acquainted. Then each area is approached theologically. Again, it’s just a starter. I greatly appreciate the authors’ conviction and courage in trying to do some real work toward unifying us as believers.
April 6, 2022
The Historical Reflection sections of this book are great. Going through the American history lightly of different sins against peoples is a great way to make readers aware of the wrongdoings, especially by some of the church.
The Theological Reflection sections are a bit lackluster. Each one seems to be summed up as this, "We are all made in the image of God". While it is true and holds great significance and importance, as a book and occurring in nearly each chapter it makes the section seem shallow. Especially in the "Sins Against LGBTQ" chapter this section seemed lacking in substance.
The Theological Reflection sections are a bit lackluster. Each one seems to be summed up as this, "We are all made in the image of God". While it is true and holds great significance and importance, as a book and occurring in nearly each chapter it makes the section seem shallow. Especially in the "Sins Against LGBTQ" chapter this section seemed lacking in substance.
March 10, 2021
Confession is a lost discipline in far too many evangelical protestant churches. The authors in this book explore the categorical sins of the church. This is a helpful book to understand the generational sins that have been passed on within the church. By confessing these sins the church is able to begin reconciling with God, self, and the world. The authors do a good job of doing this work without bashing the church.
May 15, 2023
Having read other books by Lisa Sharon Harper and Soong-Chan Rah, parts of Forgive Us felt mildly repetitive.
Organized thematically around key modern justice issues, Forgive Usgives an informational background, theological framework, then liturgical responses. For such short introductions to each justice issue, it's surprisingly thorough (and includes a notes appendix for further reading.)
Organized thematically around key modern justice issues, Forgive Usgives an informational background, theological framework, then liturgical responses. For such short introductions to each justice issue, it's surprisingly thorough (and includes a notes appendix for further reading.)
June 19, 2019
This book is intense and deep. It takes a while to get through and it should. This is not a book to be taken lightly or read quickly. Instead it’s a book to read reflectively and thoughtfully.
July 12, 2019
This is an amazing book but painful to read. If you can zip through this book without it breaking your heart, there is something wrong.
July 13, 2019
Beautiful.
December 4, 2014
Really excellent book that is exploring seven areas where American Christians have historically sinned against others and compromised their faith and witness. More broadly, it's a call to justice, humility, lament, and confession. Not unlike the call from the ancient prophet Micah to "do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God."
I'm especially intrigued by the call in the conclusion to both private and public confession. I've long wondered about the significance of compassion and justice in affirming the and embodying good news from Jesus.
"We do not fix the world with our triumphalistic exceptionalism; instead, we recognize how deeply we need God to fix us. In our effort to fix the world's problems, we fail to engage our own culpability while focusing on the failures of others. The problem with the church is not the world out there, but the failures within." (211)
Good word.
I'm especially intrigued by the call in the conclusion to both private and public confession. I've long wondered about the significance of compassion and justice in affirming the and embodying good news from Jesus.
"We do not fix the world with our triumphalistic exceptionalism; instead, we recognize how deeply we need God to fix us. In our effort to fix the world's problems, we fail to engage our own culpability while focusing on the failures of others. The problem with the church is not the world out there, but the failures within." (211)
Good word.
April 19, 2017
This is a great resource. A book that I return to time and time again. it has been a helpful resource in my own life and basic understanding of these "confessions" and why they are so needed, and also in practical ways such as studying hard questions of faith with our youth group.
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