Episode #147 - Forgiveness: An Alternative Account with Rev. Dr. Matthew Ichihashi Potts

In this episode we talk about forgiveness with Rev. Dr. Matthew Ichihashi Potts, who is Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard Divinity School, an ordained episcopal priest serving as the minister at the Memorial Church at Harvard, a co-host of the podcast, Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, and the author of the book we discuss on this episode, Forgiveness: An Alternative Account (published by Yale University Press). As Rev. Dr. Potts explains, accounts of forgiveness in broader Christian thinking tend to place the onus of forgiveness on victims, virtually requiring that their feelings of anger or grief change and lead to reconciliation with the one who harmed them. In contrast to this, Rev. Dr. Potts gives an account of forgiveness that is a separate matter from reconciliation, and something that can accommodate an honest recognition of wrongdoing and the feelings of anger and grief that it has caused. Fundamentally, forgiveness for Rev. Dr. Potts is about non-retaliation against one’s enemy. As we explore this together, over the course of our conversation, we address how this idea relates to the justice system, social media, literature (including Harry Potter), the philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard, and the teachings of Jesus. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. Amber Bowen, Dr. John Anthony Dunne, Rev. Daniel Parham, and Rev. Dr. Chris Porter.

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