Ready, set, speak!
It was late and one chair sat empty when I got an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Looking at the panelists seated up front, I knew the speaker from the Jewish tradition, the Islamist, and the Buddhist were present. By process of elimination, I figured the other two occupying their chairs were the Hindu and Baha’i speakers. Which left a lone seat empty for the Christian.
I had planned on attending the Interfaith Panel Discussion on Forgiveness hosted by Fargo’s Center for Interfaith Projects as a member of the audience seated comfortably at the back of the room. I had even considered sneaking out early. But, there it was: an empty chair up front. As the organizer of the event walked slowly towards me and asked, kindly and without presumption, if I’d jump in as the voice from the Christian tradition, I knew I’d say “yes.” (It’s sort of my job, after all.) The tougher question — the much tougher question — was what I’d say at the microphone when it came my time to present a few minutes later. What is the Christian perspective on forgiveness? How could one best explain it in an interfaith setting? No time to think.
As I frantically scribbled notes on the back of my program (while trying simultaneously to listen to the first presentations) I was not in the mood to analyze my approach to the task. In the moment, I found myself longing for my quiet office filled with textbooks and Bibles, historical creeds and spiritual writings. I wanted Google books, a concordance, and theological dictionary all at my fingertips. But I only had a half sheet of blank paper, my iPhone, and 20 minutes (half listening to the other speakers) before needing to present something halfway respectable to a crowd of curious guests.
