Mennonite Weekly Review

Forgiveness is complicated enough when one person tries to forgive another who has wronged him or her. It is even more complex when whole groups of people ask forgiveness for wrongs they did not personally commit.

The Council of the Lutheran World Federation, which represents 68 million Lutherans worldwide, agreed during its June 25-30 meeting that it would formally ask forgiveness for persecuting Anabaptists in the 16th century.

It is difficult to imagine how a Mennonite today could forgive a Lutheran who lived more than 400 years ago. Instead, this request for forgiveness should affect present attitudes and actions. Forgiving Lutherans could mean seeking to understand why their spiritual ancestors persecuted ours and engaging them in respectful relationships today.

Forgiveness should resemble the love of Paul’s first Letter to the Corinthians. Forgiveness should not boast or be proud. It should not be rude, self-seeking or easily angered.

It should keep no record of wrongs, at least not the kind of record that is used as a trump card in a theological debate.

Forgiveness rejoices with the truth.

As we forgive, we can learn from the different perspectives of truth that ignited church conflict during the 16th century.

Tripp York wrote in his 2007 book, The Purple Crown: The Politics of Martyrdom, that in the persecution at that time, “being a martyr was possible only if one died for true doctrine.”

Other Christians torturing and killing Anabaptists at that time did not see themselves as creating martyrs, but rather prosecuting dangerous criminals spreading heresy, York wrote.

Understanding 16th-century perspectives on faith and government can allow us to see contemporary Lutheran theologians in a new light. They believed they were using the earthly power granted to them to protect the church.