An Inkling
I’m not sure who first said it. The earliest attribution I can find is the mid-90s. Here’s the quote: “We live in an age in which everything is permitted and nothing is forgiven.” (Alan Jones, Dean of Grace Episcopal Cathedral in San Francisco)
That’s what came to mind this week as I read about Roman Polanski and David Letterman. Polanski has been arrested for the sexual assault of a 13 year old many years ago, and Letterman was forced by a would-be extortionist to acknowledge his multiple trysts with women on his staff. The resulting public conversation is instructive.
Both men have their defenders. For Polanski: “He’s a great artist who has done so many good things. Besides, that was forever ago. Let it go.” And for Letterman: “He’s come clean and apologized. Anyway, everyone has indiscretions.” Polls indicate that public response on both men is all over the map.
Why the confusion? Because “when everything is permitted, nothing is forgiven.” If we have no real sense of right and wrong, then forgiveness is, by definition, impossible. Indulgence is possible, but not forgiveness – indulgence being the affirmation that “we’ll just let it go this time,” and forgiveness being the gift of grace even though a sure enough wrong has been done.
Confused? The culture is. But think about how this plays out in parenting. We see what happens when children have no boundaries, and are indulged rather than held accountable and forgiven. Such children become insufferable. Why would we imagine that it works differently with adults?
May God have mercy on Polanski and Letterman. Not dumbed-down masquerade mercy, but the real mercy that is ours in Jesus Christ. He doesn’t permit everything, but he can and does forgive anything.
Blessings,
Keith
