What is forgiveness? When is it appropriate? How is it encouraged or inhibited? Answering these questions one way rather than another can alter our lives and our relationships in dramatic ways. If we think that forgiveness is or involves a passion that we experience but over which we have little control, then we will respond to it differently than if we think forgiving is something we choose to do. If we think forgiveness is something to be earned or deserved
then we will not even consider forgiving certain agents; whereas if we think it is something that can be freely given, forgiving these agents may become a live option. Glen Pettigrove explores the
nature and norms of forgiveness: he highlights the significance of character, both of the forgiver and of the forgiven, for common perspectives on what forgiveness is and when it is appropriate, and explores the relationship between forgiving, understanding, and loving.