There are a lot of people celebrating Brandt Jean’s forgiveness of Amber Guyger. I don’t know Brandt Jean, so I won’t comment on his faith or motivation. That’s his heart, his conscious and his brother. I wish him and the family all the best moving forward; however, this is a moment we can reflect on.
While some are basking in the glow of this amazing sign of grace and forgiveness ask yourself: how many innocent men, women and children would be alive if our “Christian” nation practiced this kind of forgiveness?
We execute Americans every year for the crime of murder. We dropped two atomic bombs because we couldn’t forgive. There are hundreds of thousands dead Iraqis and Afghans because we couldn’t forgive. When innocent Americans are killed we call for revenge. We have bombed countries for less than what Amber Guyger did.
What if America responded to 9/11 like Brandt Jean responded to the murder of his brother? Think about all of the American and Allied Forces soldiers who lost limbs. Think about all of the soldiers who lost their lives. 18 years later we are still sending troops into those countries. Why don’t we practice more forgiveness when it comes to jurisprudence and international affairs?
How much PTSD could we have prevented? How many suicides could we have prevented? When was the last time our Christian nation showed such forgiveness?
The tradition of forgiveness cultivated and nurtured inside the Black church has been a strength and a weakness. Grace shouldn’t be reduced to a quid pro quo, but what has all of this turning the other cheek gotten our communities? Black folks have been forgiving America for things she won’t even apologize for. This was a senseless tragedy. I hope we don’t allow this sign of undeserved love to be used as a form of absolution.
