The Forgiveness Matters Course: A Theologically and Psychologically Integrated Approach to Help Churchgoing Adults Process Their Parental Wounds

Forgiveness is an enigma for many adult churchgoers who have been hurt by their parents. On one side, they believe that forgiveness is a central Christian tenet that can help adults to process their parental wounds. On another side, they do not know how to forgive effectively, or where to go to learn about the meanings, practices, and implications of forgiveness. Given the prevalence and ramifications of parental offenses, as well as the fact that there are no forgiveness courses in the New Zealand church that address these concerns, the aim of this study was to develop an effective church-based forgiveness course that could help adults to explore their parental relationships. Course effectiveness was measured in two ways. First, statistical analyses determined the significance of the relationship between people's precourse and postcourse scores on the Enright Forgiveness Inventory, the State Self-Forgiveness Scales, and the A God Scale, which evaluated whether forgiving one's parents affected one's relationship with God. Second, narrative inquiry was employed to interpret the participants' narratives. The study's findings show that the course was highly effective and that the process of forgiveness can be taught and learned. Statistical significance was reached on all the scales. Many insightful and miraculous stories emerged from the narratives. This article discusses the rationale behind the Forgiveness Matters course, the processes of developing it, the research results, and the implications of the research.