THE GUIDE: REVOLUTIONARY
FORGIVENESS
Eric E. Wright,
Evangelical Press, small paperback, price £8.00, pages:
320 
How to develop a forgiving lifestyle in an age
of anger
In our Lord’s pattern Prayer he says: “Forgive
us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us”. How
practical a request is this? Eric Wright says: “Why another book on
forgiveness? Until a decade or two ago, most books on forgiveness
focussed on God forgiving sinners.” This new book Revolutionary
Forgiveness covers: how we ought to forgive one another;
overlooked principles of forgiveness; distinctions between forbearance
and forgiveness; how to break the cycle of unforgiveness; and how
individual Christians or churches should deal with forgiveness. From
this list alone you can see that the author – Eric Wright - leaves no
stone unturned in this vital and often-neglected topic. Perhaps we
would find a panacea to some of the imbalanced reactions of our age –
road rage, trolley rage, and even computer rage, if more attention were
given to this!
What gift would you give our society that would
make the greatest difference to the greatest number of lives? The
author Eric E. Wright has no doubt: the giving and receiving of
forgiveness. As he says, “Learning to give and receive forgiveness
is an essential element of Christian living. Without it our
relationships become brittle and tattered — or non-existent!” In
this latest book in the topical series of The Guide, Eric E.
Wright examines the whole subject of forgiveness in almost classical Dr
Lloyd-Jonesian terms: ‘what it is and what it is not’ (the positives
and negatives)! He deals with forgiveness from both a personal and a
heavenly perspective; who should take the first step; reconciliation;
restitution and so on.
The book has two major aspects: creating a
climate of forgiveness and on the flip side of the coin - the practical
application of the doctrine. Eric Wright challenges you to embrace a
lifestyle of forgiveness by following the model forgiver, Jesus Christ
himself. Reading the book through, graphically illustrates how
forgiveness is alien to our fallen natures. It shows you how
revolutionary a solution it is: a right attitude to this subject, far
from being a sign of weakness, as many believe, can radically change
lives. Our human pride can prevent us forgiving and
forgetting but that is just what God has done for us in all our
rebellion.
As the blurb says: “Revolutionary
Forgiveness is a biblically rooted assessment of the causes
of bitterness, anger and alienation that prescribes a thoroughly
Scriptural solution with particular reference to the joy of divine
forgiveness and the practical guidance to be found in the teachings and
example of Jesus Christ.” Author Eric Wright,
served the Lord in Pakistan for sixteen years where he helped to found
the Open Theological Seminary. He continues to minister in Ontario,
Canada, as a part-time seminary professor and pastor. Evangelical Press
has published three of his previous books: ‘Tell the world’, ‘Church — no
spectator sport’ and ‘Strange fire?’ In 1992 Eric and his wife, Mary Helen, moved to the rolling
hills of Northumberland County, east of Toronto. Eric and Mary Helen
have three married children and nine grandchildren.
In keeping with The Guide series ethos, the author is both straightforward and readable. Through the publishers, this book is linked to its own web site - where further questions may be directed to a team of experienced, spiritual counsellors. Other books in the series include The Bible book by book, Colossians and Philemon, Ecclesiastes and Esther. Finally, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ – Revolutionary Forgiveness looks ‘boring’ but the gemstones are with in! Nevertheless, it has a pleasant design and layout. It is full of real life illustrations and contains discussion questions at the conclusion of each chapter, which make it ideal for either group study or personal devotions.