Private Matters and Public Trust

The Bible promises us that God will forgive us seventy-times-seven--which makes it difficult for a believer to place too many restrictions on forgiveability. Of course, forgiveness requires that the sinner be genuinely repentant and willing to make amends with those who have been most offended. With public figures like John Edwards, though, we have to distinguish between forgiveness as a personal act and forgiveness as a public absolution.

This distinction is clearest in criminal cases. A person who has been a victim of a crime may well grant personal forgiveness to the person who committed the crime. But that is very different than the granting of a legal pardon--a transaction that must meet larger criteria. Something like this holds in the Edwards case. I pray that he is genuinely repentant and that his loved ones will forgive him--no fellow sinner could ask for anything else on his behalf. But whether the American public should grant him a kind of absolution--that is a different matter. He has violated the public trust in a serious way, and we may well continue to entertain doubts about his ability to provide significant political leadership.

By Richard Mouw  |  August 13, 2008; 2:06 AM ET Save & Share:                 
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