28/50: The Saving Embrace of God
A beautiful rendition of Augustine’s Confessions
“(Restorative Justice) is a far more personal approach, regarding the offense as something that has happened to persons and whose consequence is a rupture in relationships. Thus, we would claim that justice, restorative justice, is being served when efforts are being made to work for healing, for forgiving and for reconciliation.”
There are two big influences that helped me think about restorative justice and atonement.
The first was South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Over two years of hearings, the Commission listened to over 21,000 reports of the atrocities committed during the apartheid era. Victims were heard, perpetrators were given the opportunity to apply for amnesty based on their personal responsibility and willingness to tell the truth. The TRC is a case study in the effect and process of restorative justice.
South African theologian John deGruchy identified four elements that are required for reconciliation:
Creating space for truth-telling
Mutual willingness to be in truth-telling conversation
Ability to see things from another’s point of view
Commitment to ongoing process of reconciliation
My second influence was the work of Croatian theologian Miroslav Volf’s book Exclusion and Embrace. Speaking from the Balkan conflict, he asked what it takes to be able to forgive and be in relationship with one’s enemy.
He used the anatomy of an embrace that requires:
Open arms
Waiting for the other
Closing arms around each other
Opening our arms again
These two lists pair beautifully. They are both constructed from devastating tragedies. They both lead to reconciled relationship that is mutual and truthful.
So, where does atonement fit?
First, the open arms of Jesus created a space for truth-telling, and through Jesus, we see God’s arms open to the world. This is a moment of truth-telling in and of itself. The presence of God in Christ is a tangible, historical space into which God enters and seeks reconciliation. God has come to the world–this is a space for something to happen, and in the open arms of Jesus, we see a space for reconciliation.
Second, Jesus waits for us to tell the truth. The open arms of God expose us as the ones who refuse embrace. As Augustine said, “You were within me, but I was outside.” Jesus revealed a vulnerable God who does not force relationship. And, Jesus shows a truth-telling God who insists on honesty. We have to be willing to tell the truth about who we are and how we are living outside of love.
Third, Jesus closes his arms around us in truthful embrace and truly enters the “space between” us and God. In his incarnation, life, and death, we know that God in Christ knows what the heights and depths of human experience. God in Christ is our brother and partner in the earthly journey of human life, embracing the world with love and truth.
Fourth, Jesus opens his ams as we see him not just as a historic figure but the revelation of the Universal Christ (see Richard Rohr’s work). Jesus ascends to heaven and sends the Holy Spirit to continue the reconciling, embracing work of Christ. The embrace of God in Christ goes on in endless possibility, fueled and made real by the Holy Spirit. In truthful embrace, we are made at-one with God.