Erskine Seminary
Strength To Forgive:
An Interview with Alumnus Chaplain (MAJ) William Anderson
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You recently co-authored Strength To Forgive: Soldiers Forgiving Others, For- giving Themselves. What is this book about? This book provides an overview of the impact of forgiveness on the heart and mind, perspectives from different religions (written by other chaplains), and also provides helpful guidance for those who have struggled to forgive by lay-
What led to this publication?
My Doctor of Ministry dissertation topic focused on forgiveness by reex- amining key passages of Scripture, evaluating various theological approaches to forgiveness, and introducing recent counseling scholarship and evidence- based models. While I was completing my research and writing, the Army Chaplain Corps began placing more and more emphasis on spiritual resilience and readiness in reference to forgiveness. It was my belief that soldiers could they had experienced. I counseled, taught classes, and led groups on the topic with encouraging results. After a few years I realized that something in writing, to chaplains, counselors, and soldiers. Dr. Everett Worthington, Jr., a world-re- nowned educator and scholar on this topic, agreed to write this book with me and brought exceptional expertise to the project.
The project and its product are for Army soldiers and their families. The book itself can only be printed through approved processes and mostly funded from but for now it is only for those in the military.
What do you hope to achieve with this publication? Life is hard, military life is harder. Our soldiers face incredible demands
and pressures, often at the expense of relationships. Added to this, most of the time when a soldier is struggling to forgive, it is someone they have served
anywhere hurting soldiers need help in overcoming pain in their lives through forgiveness and not through maladaptive behaviors that often scar them and others. It is good to remember that as Christians, we are very near the heart of God when we forgive. Forgiv- ing others is so important that our Lord included it in his prayer that - cally added commentary to it! When we forgive the trespasses of others mercy of God and demonstrate the power of the Gospel to change lives.
Chaplain (MAJ) William Anderson (M.Div.’03, D.Min.‘18) has served as Brigade Chaplain for the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade (Fort Liberty, North Carolina), the 1-229 Attack Reconnais- sance Battalion (JBLM, Washington), the United States Disciplinary Barracks (Fort Leavenworth, Kansas), the 6th Brigade Engineer Battalion (JBER, Alaska), and the 83rd Civil Affairs Battalion (Fort Liberty, North Carolina). He previously pastored churches in Georgia and North Carolina. Chaplain Anderson and his wife Christy have four children and live on Fort Cavazos in Killeen, Texas.
March/April 2025
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