Miroslav Volf tells how to stop the 'shield of memory' from turning into a sword.
Interview by Collin Hansen | posted 5/18/2007 01:50PM
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After the Grave in the Air | True reconciliation comes not by ignoring justice nor by putting justice first, but by unconditional embrace. By Miroslav Volf (Sept. 21, 2001).
How Can You Be Croatian? | Why national identities are worth preserving. (Miroslav Volf, Books & Culture, January 1, 2001)
Love Your Heavenly Enemy | How are we going to live eternally with those we can't stand now? (Oct. 23, 2000)
Peace Be With You | Looking beyond naivete and cynicism about peacemaking at Wheaton's Christianity and Violence conference. (March 20, 2000)
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I look forward to reading this book and learning more. I had one theological question from the interview above. In response to the question, "What is Christianity's unique contribution to remembering rightly?", Volf said, "... Well, I have to remember it as a wrong of a person for whom Christ has died, even if that person isn't receiving that redemption personally. Then I look at myself. Christ died for my sins, too."
Given that Volf is a member of the PC(USA) that affirms the Reformed doctrine of limited atonement, it seems inconsistent with this doctrine to affirm necessarily that Christ died for this person who committed the wrong. As I understand this controversial point of Reformed theology, Christ died for those whom God gave him to save, but not all people. So that might include this person who committed the wrong, but it might not. Perhaps there's no problem as Volf may not affirm this doctrine or I may have misunderstood his meaning.
Patrick Gann
Posted: May 19, 2007 9:49 PM
Miroslav Volf is a true theologian of our time, one I respect highly. I pray that we as Christians can learn to use memory in just this way, and hopefully others will learn to do the same as we do so as well. Those interested me also want to read the somewhat weighty volume "Exclusion and Embrace" from Miroslav Volf. It is an excellent read!
Trevor
Posted: May 18, 2007 4:11 PM
Wonderful approach by Miroslav Volf , very Christ-like bearing no malice and forgiving those who cause harm, because they do not know what they are doing; those who cause harm live in darkness and so are unaware of what they do, but Jesus died for them too. The attitude of all Christians towards all sinners should be to bear no malice or hatred but to pray for them, praying for the Father to forgive them and for Christ's blood to redeem them, just as God planned from the beginning. The Father wants all to come to repentance and like the Father of the prodigal son He will welcome them; and all heaven will celebrate for each and every sinner who comes to repentance.
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