Acknowledgments
I have a very great indebtedness to many people. One of the difficulties of writing in the later years of one's life is the problem of identifying the precise persons. Over the years, insights from many sources have become so much a part of my own thinking that they are no longer traceable, but the debt remains very large. Specific quotations from published sources are easy enough to identify, and I am grateful for the help those authors have provided.
David Augsburger is an example of both sides. His Caring Enough to Forgive / Caring Enough to Not Forgive is the specific book that triggered my own desire to do some study of forgiveness. My book is the end result of the process that began in the early 1980s. I quote Augsburger a number of times. Beyond that, anyone familiar with his work will recognize my indebtedness to him. I gladly acknowledge how much his study has meant to me. If my book can be as profitable to others as his book has been to me, I shall be abundantly rewarded.
One of my seminary professors, Edward J. Carnell, is another who has enriched my thinking
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tremendously. Specifically, his book Christian Commitment is profoundly powerful. Alas, it is no longer in print. He was especially helpful on the relationship between justice and forgiveness.
I would also like to make special mention of Melody Goddard Rhode. Melody, the daughter of longtime and very close friends, Homer and Isabelle Goddard, earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. Her dissertation, "Forgiveness, Power and Empathy," provided some challenging insights.
Over the years, my involvement with people in a variety of situations has enriched my life and provided insights into forgiveness. I thank all those unnamed people.
As I began the process of writing, I enlisted the help of a few family members and close friends. I sent them a number of pages at a time asking them to critique the material. That process proved to be immensely valuable to me and has greatly strengthened this study. My "elect" group was made up of my wife, Maureen (whose help and encouragement and love go far beyond comments on the text); our daughter, Cathy Thwing; a sister-in-law, Polly Gwinn; a brother, the Rev. Bill Gwinn; a long-time friend, the Rev. Richard Grout; a former colleague and close friend from Tarkio College, Dr. Larry Pattee; two staff colleagues from Rose Hill Presbyterian Church, the Rev. Brad Buff and
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Mrs. Debbie Jacobson; a member of that church and a friend, Randy Foldvik. I must make particular mention of the help of Larry Pattee and Randy Foldvik. They often replied with letters of three, four or five pages. Their questions and suggestions were very valuable. My responses to them as well as to the others often were incorporated into the text.
I wish also to thank the Rev. Earl Palmer, both my pastor and friend, for his perceptive comments on the text. I am especially indebted to him for writing the foreword.
I am grateful to Readable, Ink., and, in particular, to Janet Moneymaker, co-owner, for her illustrations and layout.
Mrs. Lois Curley provided valuable editorial comments.
Thanks to the staff of McDougal Publishing for their care and help.
