SOME ENEMIES DESERVE OUR HATRED. DON'T THEY?
DOES JESUS COMMAND US
TO LOVE EVEN HEINOUS ENEMIES?
Learn from those who have forgiven the unforgivable.
In diverse cultures around the world.
So you can forgive the enemies in your world.
Theology Psychology Trauma Military Ethics Combat Personal Testimony
Hating and Forgiving
Hating and Forgiving argues that because Christians have been forgiven and reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, they are called and empowered to forgive even the deepest personal and collective evils without excusing wrongdoing, denying justice, or minimizing suffering. This book demonstrates that forgiveness is not emotional weakness or passive resignation, but a profoundly biblical response to evil that interrupts cycles of hatred and promotes spiritual, emotional, and psychological healing.
Drawing together biblical theology, contemporary psychology, trauma studies, military ethics, and historical and cross-cultural case studies, Hating and Forgiving explores how victims of violence, combat soldiers, veterans, and witnesses to injustice can move from hatred toward forgiveness. At the heart of the book is the “river of forgiveness,” a practical and theological framework that guides readers through the difficult but life-giving process of forgiving others, oneself, and enduring suffering in the light of God’s grace.
Why not hate?
Hating and Forgiving contends that hatred, while often culturally reinforced and emotionally understandable, deepens psychological harm and intensifies trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, and moral injury. By contrast, biblically grounded forgiveness can sustain long-term spiritual and psychological well-being.
Does proficiency in combat require hatred of the enemy?
Hating and Forgiving offers a pathway toward greater freedom from the destructive power of hate and toward healing, resilience, and peace. Drawing on theology, psychology, trauma studies, military ethics, and the experiences of people who have faced profound evil, it helps readers understand why forgiveness matters and how the difficult journey from hatred toward forgiveness can begin.
Whether you have been deeply wounded by another person, struggle with anger or hatred, or simply want to understand more fully what forgiveness means, this book offers insights that can help. Its exploration of forgiveness and its relationship to psychological well-being is accessible to readers irrespective of whether they have a spiritual faith.
For Christian readers, Hating and Forgiving also provides a deeper understanding of why forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith and how Jesus Christ can enable us to forgive even those who have committed terrible wrongs against us.
How can this book help me?
Hating and Forgiving offers a pathway toward greater freedom from the destructive power of hate and toward healing, resilience, and peace. Drawing on theology, psychology, trauma studies, military ethics, and the experiences of people who have faced profound evil, it helps readers understand why forgiveness matters and how the difficult journey from hatred toward forgiveness can begin.
Whether you have been deeply wounded by another person, struggle with anger or hatred, or simply want to understand more fully what forgiveness means, this book offers insights that can help. Its exploration of forgiveness and its relationship to psychological well-being is accessible to readers irrespective of whether they have a spiritual faith.
For Christian readers, Hating and Forgiving also provides a deeper understanding of why forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith and how Jesus Christ can enable us to forgive even those who have committed terrible wrongs against us.
Praise for Hating and forgiving
What theologians, psychologists, survivors and others are saying.
Dr. Brian Harris
“We ourselves have forgiven the murderer of our child, and that forgiveness, although profoundly costly, proved to be the only path to life, freedom, and healing. Such forgiveness would have been impossible without Jesus Christ.”
Dr. Minna Joki-Erkkilä, MD, PhD,
&
Dr. Veli-Pekka Joki-Erkkilä, MD, PhD
"We ourselves have forgiven the murderer of our child, and that forgiveness, although profoundly costly, proved to be the only path to life, freedom, and healing. Such forgiveness would have been impossible without Jesus Christ."
Rev. Dr. Michael Brown, PhD
"I fought as an infantry officer in the United States Army for a decade in Bosnia and Iraq. ... War destabilizes individuals through moral injury, post-traumatic stress, death, and much more. In the long arc of human conflict, forgiveness and warfare must eventually be brought into conversation with one another."
READY TO EXPLORE THE JOURNEY
FROM HATRED TOWARD FORGIVENESS?
