In a culture that has given itself over almost entirely to extreme moral accountability, mercy often appears dangerous and reckless.
Eighteen-year-old Brandt Jean offered forgiveness to his brother Botham's murderer during victim-impact statements last Wednesday. He, an African-American man, implored Amber Guyger, the white woman who had killed his brother, to ask God for forgiveness and to give herself to Christ. He then gave Guyger a hug. A video taken in the courtroom shows Judge Tammy Kemp in tears as the young man hugs Guyger. Jean's act of mercy inspired Kemp to present her personal Bible to Guyger in the courtroom—while instructing Guyger to read John 3:16 and telling her that her sins do not set her apart from forgiveness in Christ.
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