Called to Forgive

On June 17, 2015, Dylan Storm Roof entered the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. He went down to the fellowship hall, joined a Bible study, and as they finished the study with prayer, he got out his gun and shot 77 times, killing 9 people, and horrifying a nation. He calmly walked out of the church, got in his car and left. His reason? They had the wrong color skin. His tracker showed that he drove to another church that same evening, sat outside for a few minutes and then left. His regret? Absolutely nothing. And yet, two days later, at his bond hearing, Reverend Anthony Thompson stood up and publicly forgave Dylan, imploring him to give his life to God.

This book was different than I expected. While giving a lot of details about the shooting and the trial, it also pulled in a lot of other hate crimes and really centered the most on Biblical forgiveness. I was expecting more of a story format, but in reality, it is an excellent resource for Biblical forgiveness.

In my own words, I would say Rev. Thompson choice more to forgive for his own purposes than for Dylan. He knew that to remain unforgiving was going to bind Dylan to him, was going to create bitterness, and would delay or even stop healing. By forgiving Dylan, he was able to put Dylan behind him and move forward with healing and hope. Forgiveness is a choice, not an emotion. He didn't want to stand up and publicly forgive Dylan. In fact, he didn't even want to go to the hearing, but he felt God speaking to him and telling him to stand up and speak.

He quotes another pastor in the book and I thought it was so good: "When someone chooses to forgive, we are watching someone pay an enormously heavy and personal cost,...It requires daily 'working out' - a daily willingness to look at the scars of injustice and choose to press deeper into grace instead of turning back toward anger and revenge."

This book was thought-provoking as it looks at the power of forgiveness and the cost of unforgiveness. And even though, to my knowledge, Dylan still lacks any form of remorse, Reverend Thompson and all the others who chose to forgive can live in freedom because they are not bound by hatred and bitterness.

I received this book from Bethany House and NetGalley and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed in this book are my own.