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CNN Saturday Morning News

Author of 'When Forgiveness Doesn't Make Sense' Talks About 9/11

Aired September 07, 2002 - 08:22   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOUGLAS STICKLEY, SPRINGFIELD, VIRGINIA: I nominate Rick Rescorla, who died while supervising the evacuation of his company's personnel from the World Trade Center. He was a legend within his combat unit during the Vietnam War and he apparently never lost the heart of a lion. He knew he was likely to be killed, but kept doing his job until the very end, an inspiring man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES MOLINEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You may have seen our next guest on "Pathway To Victory," which appears on cable TV systems nationwide. Or maybe you've read his books, "Coming Home," "Say Good- bye To Regret" and "Guilt-Free Living."

Reverend Robert Jeffress has a new book, "When Forgiveness Doesn't Make Sense."

Jeffress is pastor of the First Baptist Church of Wichita Falls, Texas, and he joins us from Dallas this morning.

Reverend, thanks for being with us.

As we approach September 11, I think some people might think that forgiveness is the last thing that they want to think about. Why should we even be addressing it?

ROBERT JEFFRESS, AUTHOR, "WHEN FORGIVENESS DOESN'T MAKE SENSE": Well, I think, Charles, the main reason to talk about forgiveness is not because of what it does for our offender, but because of what it does for us. You know, forgiveness is many times the only way to settle a debt. I think it was god who said one time the law of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth can only sustain itself for so long because eventually both parties end up blind and toothless.

And, you know, one reason we have such a hard time forgiving and letting go of that bitterness is we think there's something our offender can do to make up for the loss that he's caused. But most of the time there's nothing that our offender can do to, you know, make up for a child killed by a drunk driver.

MOLINEAUX: Well, if it's not about the offender, if it's about the victim...

JEFFRESS: Yes? MOLINEAUX: ... what does forgiving do for the victim?

JEFFRESS: Well, what it does is it frees us to get on with our life. You know, if you've ever been to one of those old-fashioned picnics, a three-legged race, when you find yourself bound to another person and you try to hobble to the finish line together, you can't go farther or faster than your partner.

And when we refuse to forgive, we are binding ourself to our offender. But forgiveness is the process by which we say to our offender, you know what you did to me was wrong and you owe me for what you've done to me, but I want to be free from you. I'm letting go of the debt you owe me so I can be free to get on with my life.

MOLINEAUX: Well, now, in your book you say sometimes forgiven people still go to the electric chair and yet don't gloat when god evens the score. How do you reconcile a need for forgiveness with the need for justice with maybe a desire for revenge?

JEFFRESS: Charles, that's one of the greatest myths about forgiveness, that when we forgive, we give up the right for justice. You know, how is it that the parents of Danielle van Dam could ever forgive David Westerfield? Does that mean that they want him to go free? Of course not.

When I forgive, I give up my right to vengeance, my right to hurt you for hurting me. But I cannot give up society or god's right to exact justice from my offender. The key thing is when we are forgiving people, we're going to let somebody else settle the score instead of us.

MOLINEAUX: Removing your own personal stake. Now, of course, take, for example, the pope, who forgave and met with the man who had shot him. But, of course, who would have a right to forgive this man but the pope himself, the guy who was the victim? What about people whose loved ones were, in fact, victims, and may feel like forgiving a wrongdoer is turning their backs on these loved ones?

JEFFRESS: Well, again, remember, there's really nothing that the killer could do to make up or bring back that loss of life. And, again, I would say the main reason for forgiving is because of what it does for us. Somebody said when we forgive, we set the offender free and we discover the prisoner we set free is us. And that's the best reason to forgive, not because of what it does to the offender, what it does for us.

MOLINEAUX: Is America a forgiving society?

JEFFRESS: Pardon? I didn't hear that, Charles.

MOLINEAUX: Is America a forgiving society?

JEFFRESS: You know, we did a nationwide survey for our book "When Forgiveness Doesn't Make Sense" and in our survey we found that 40 percent of Americans are struggling right now with the issue of forgiveness. And the fact is, Charles, forgiveness isn't easy. It's messy. It's costly. It doesn't make sense. But in many ways it's the only remedy god has given us to heal the pain of the past.

MOLINEAUX: Well, but you speak, of course, from the Christian perspective.

JEFFRESS: Yes.

MOLINEAUX: The gospels order Christians to forgive. Is there a broader perspective beyond that that the rest of the world can embrace?

JEFFRESS: Yes. Anyone can forgive, people of faith or people of no faith. But Christians have an added incentive to forgive. I was listening to a very popular talk show on the radio recently. A mother called in and she said I'm having trouble forgiving the man who murdered my son, what can I do?

And the talk show host said you're talking to the wrong person because in my faith there is no ability to forgive without restitution, and since no one can bring your son back to life again, you can't forgive.

And, Charles, I thought to myself what a sad thing. This woman is not only sentenced to a lifetime of grief, but now to a lifetime of bitterness.

But the good news of the gospel is that Jesus came to pay the sin debt that we could never forgive. And that means we can forgive our offender, but the good news is we can also receive forgiveness for everything we've done.

MOLINEAUX: So forgive and free yourself?

JEFFRESS: That's right. You know, the bible says be kind, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as god and Christ has forgiveness you. Forgiveness is the obligation of those who have been forgiven.

MOLINEAUX: OK, thank you very much. Reverend Robert Jeffress.

JEFFRESS: Thank you.

MOLINEAUX: Again, the book is "When Forgiveness Doesn't Make Sense."

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