When Forgiveness Doesn't Make Sense

Jeffress, pastor of a Baptist megachurch in Wichita Falls, Tex., approaches the familiar subject of forgiveness from a new angle. He stresses that the reason ""many people find it difficult to forgive is that they don't understand what true forgiveness is and what it isn't."" Jeffress notes that sin is ultimately an offense against God, and that it is hard for those who haven't experienced forgiveness to grant forgiveness to others. He compares God's forgiveness to people's forgiveness of others and gives detailed steps for the reader to know when and how to both seek and grant forgiveness. Forgiveness, according to Jeffress, is more for the victim than the offender, to prevent the festering of bitterness in the heart of the person wronged. Jeffress explores various possible responses from all parties involved, discussing forgiveness as it is related to forgetting (it is not the same as forgetting, he emphasizes), consequences, repentance and reconciliation. This engaging, accessible book is written in an easy style and supplemented with numerous anecdotes. Jeffress has taken what some would deem a touchy topic and made it palatable, offering a concrete process for extending--and receiving--forgiveness. (Apr.)