Is Forgiveness Counter-Cultural?

Recently, Charlie Kirk was assassinated by a shooter, and at the Charlie Kirk Memorial Service, Charlie’s wife Erika Kirk said,

“I forgive him because it was what Christ did and is what Charlie would do.” And she said, “The answer to hate is not hate. The answer we know from the Gospel is love and always love.”

After Erika, President Trump spoke and said,

“[Charlie Kirk] did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them. That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent and I don’t want the best for them, I’m sorry,” 

Now I think President Trump’s attitude is not that uncommon today.  Forgiveness is an unnatural act.  We want vengeance.  We may want to call it justice, but many times what we really want is vengeance. We want to hate those who hate us or even those who just oppose us.  Jesus has a better way of love and forgiveness.

Hatred and vengeance divides people.  Love and forgiveness brings people together.  People are reconciled when forgiveness is given and accepted.  It is not easy to love and forgive but with the help of the Holy Spirit we are able.  Jesus says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-48), and he also says “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27-28). He does not say to hate them.  Rather we are to “overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21), and “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless” (1 Peter 6:9).  It is not easy, but Christians are called to be different, to be counter-cultural.

The culture today sees the world in terms of power.  Many times it is expressed in terms of oppression.  This view is also divisive. It divides the world into us versus them.  They have and we want.  They are in control and we are not.  This view feeds the hatred and vengeance that was expressed by President Trump.  Christians see the world differently.  We view the world through the lens of God’s amazing love.  Christians are counter-cultural and one way we show our difference and our love is by forgiving people.  

So why do we forgive?  Because God has forgiven us so very much, and so out of gratitude we forgive others (Matthew 18:21-35).  God did not wait until we got our act together. No, he loved us while we were still broken ungodly sinners (Romans 5:6-8).  We all are broken sinners (Romans 3:23) from the worst of us to the best.  There is no difference.  There is no us versus them.  We are all in need of the Savior.  In response to God’s saving love, we love and forgive others as we imitate God (Ephesians 5:1-2).  That is why we forgive and in doing so we are counter-cultural.

So instead of being divisive, we Christians need work to reconcile and unite.  Let us love those we disagree with.  Let us be kind to those who hate us.  And let us forgive those who attack us.  Let us work to reconcile people to God and to each other.  This is what we have been called to do.  We have been given the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:16-21).  And from the little I know about Charlie Kirk, this appears to have been his goal too.  Let us reach out in love and forgiveness and share that Gospel message of love.