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[Woodstock Report, March 1996, No. 45]
This issue of the Woodstock Report features an exceptionally thoughtful talk by Donald Shriver, past president of and currently professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York. His remarks are based on his recent book, An Ethic for Enemies: Forgiveness in Politics (Oxford University Press, 1995).
I must confess to an original feeling of surprise, if not shock, when I first read the title of his book. Forgiveness? In Politics? Forgiveness fits relations between individual people, not between nations or groups, I thought. Between large hostile groups, "conflict resolution" or "peace-making" or "reconciliation of differences" is surely appropriate. But "forgiveness?"
Then I slowly warmed to the idea. First, the more I pondered, the clearer it became that conflicts will really not be resolved unless the unfolding steps that Shriver includes in "forgiveness" are at the heart of it. Failing this kind of forgiveness, resentments still smolder, poised to erupt on yet another day. Second, from the point of view of Woodstock's mission ("bringing theological reflection to contemporary social issues"), forgiveness in politics should certainly rank higher on the priority list of our interests. In his desire to heal the wounds and divisions of society, forgiveness distinctively characterized Christ's mission and message. "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do," he said from the cross. And he taught us to do the same when he taught us the Lord's prayer: "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."
That being said, the prospect of giving and receiving forgiveness remains a daunting challenge for hostile communities. We need only think of Bosnia, Northern Ireland, South Africa, and race relations in our own country. In an effort to figure out what Woodstock might appropriately do in this area, we have held a series of meetings, following up on the forum reported here. We have discussed ways of testing Don Shriver's thesis, deepening and refining it, and making it better known and available to others for their practical use. Catching a sharp focus on such a complex and widespread question, finding the funding to support it and the personnel to run it have not been easy. But the great need for forgiveness in the public arena refuses to go away.
By the time you are reading this Report we will have held another Woodstock Forum, which will, in its own way, be an instance of "forgiveness in politics." The topic will be welfare reform legislation. The focus, however, will not be on the arguments per se, but on the quality of the debate about welfare reform. Polls show that many Americans are discouraged at the superficiality of public debate. Are legislators so committed to special interests that they forget the common good? Have 30-second sound bites of vilification replaced well-developed arguments? This forum, an event of the Woodstock program area, "Public Discourse and the Common Good," headed up by Father Randy Rainey, S.J., will address this serious problem.
Prayers for a joyous Easter season,
James L. Connor, S.J.