It's been 10 years since a white supremacist shot and killed nine people studying the Bible at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. In a statement that shocked many people, relatives of the dead offered their forgiveness to the gunman. A similar opportunity came last Sunday at a memorial for Charlie Kirk in Phoenix, Arizona.
Kirk's widow, Erika, told the thousands who attended and many more likely watching on television: "I forgive (the shooter) because it was what Christ did, and it is what Charlie would do."
President Trump was having none of it. Instead of echoing Erika's powerful statement, the president chose the low road. He said he disagrees with Erika,"hates my opponents" and "doesn't want what's best for them." So much for lowering the political temperature.
If you were to take a survey and didn't attach names to those contrasting quotes, which one do you think respondents, even those who are not Christians, would say reflect Christian beliefs? The president, who claims to be a Christian - and many of his followers who believe him to be one - displayed none of the biblical admonitions that include Jesus' final words from the cross: "Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34)
By one count there are 30 verses about forgiveness in the New Testament. Among them are these other words of Jesus:" For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14)
How about this one: "Then Peter came up and said to him, 'Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times? Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.'" I'm not counting but given the president's record I would say he likely falls far short of that number (as everyone does). (Matthew 18:21-22)
Last December, following his election to a second term, Trump promised not to seek revenge against his political enemies. "Retribution will be through success," he said. What happened to that softer tone?
In remarks given by several other members of his administration and enthusiastically applauded by the crowd in Phoenix, there again seemed to be a desire to bind the kingdom Jesus said is His and not of this world with the perishing kingdom that is. These supporters of what some critics have called "Christian nationalism" never say how political power alone is going to convince non-Christians, and even some fellow Christians, to accept their earthly and temporal agenda.
Erika Kirk and the people at Mother Emanuel Church have discovered something far greater than the fleeting power of politics, government and especially revenge. Forgiveness robs the offending person of whatever influence he might think he had in committing a heinous act. It also cleanses the person who has been unjustly wronged from bitterness which can infect the soul. Must I add this does not absolve one from the legal consequences of a criminal act?
Two more verses that should focus attention. The Apostle Paul writes: "Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord." (Romans 12:19) This verse is also quoted in Hebrews 10:30 and is a direct quote from Deuteronomy 32:35, where God claims the right to enact justice is His alone. It is a warning against taking personal vengeance. Instead, the believer is told to trust in God's perfect justice and retribution.
What a difference between the way President Trump thinks, and the commands in Scripture. Erika Kirk has it right. Sadly, the president does not.
Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas' latest book "A Watchman in the Night: What I've Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America" (HumanixBooks). (C)2025 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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