BET Archive | Volume 8 - Essays on Forgiveness
Title
Community and Embrace: Redemptive Forgiveness and Paul's Use of Charizomai
Zachary Wagner
Abstract (from the Editorial of BET vol. 8.2)
Zachary Wager explores the cultural dynamic, rooted in resentment of abuses of power, to refuse to forgive, an attitude that is more and more celebrated in our day and is symbolized by the “cancel culture” prevalent in our society. In order to engage this attitude, Wagner pushes against truncated views of forgiveness that have too often marked the church, and that have been utilized as covers for abuse. Exploring Paul’s use of chorizomai, Wagner offers a more full-orbed vision of forgiveness as “re-humanization,” the dynamic act of forgiveness by which we affirm the humanity of those who have sinned against us, an act of obedience that follows Christ’s own re-humanization through the cross of those who sinned against His Father.
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Zachary Wagner is the Editorial Director of the Center for Pastor Theologians. He is a DPhil candidate in New Testament at the University of Oxford, researching the Apostle Paul’s view of reward. Zach is also writing a book on toxic masculinity, purity culture, and abuse scandals in the evangelical church to be published with InterVarsity Press in 2022. He is a member of the St. Basil Fellowship of the Center for Pastor Theologians.
