Apologies are judged authentic only through changed attitudes and actions, not words
Evidence
Given the SBC’s white supremacist legacy, this resolution received widespread attention, including front-page coverage in the New York Times. But while some black religious leaders welcomed the move, many others, such as Reverend Arlee Griffin Jr., pastor of the four-thousand-member Berean Missionary Baptist Church in Brooklyn and historian for the historically African American Progressive National Baptist Convention, were more skeptical. Citing the denomination’s long legacy of racism, Griffin replied, “It is only when one’s request for forgiveness is reflected in a change of attitude and actions that the victim can then believe that the request for forgiveness is authentic.” — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long, 162
Categorization
- APHORISMS: Almost a working maxim: for a harmed party, forgiveness’s authenticity rests on demonstrated change, not on the request.
- XREF: connects to: Perceived insincere apologies backfire while unequivocal ones can advance peace. — Scott Atran, The Devoted Actor: Unconditional…, 42; Even sincere institutional apologies rarely lead to restitution or lasting change — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long: The Legacy of White…, 163; Institutional apologies for harm can coexist with active legal resistance — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 541 (+2 more)
Broader Connections
- Even sincere institutional apologies rarely lead to restitution or lasting change
#corroborates(0.85) — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long, 163 - Corporate apologies for racism often substitute gestures for structural change
#corroborates(0.85) — David Theo Goldberg, John Solomos, A Companion to Racial and Ethnic Studies, 1489 - Institutional apologies for harm can coexist with active legal resistance
#corroborates(0.82) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 541 - Perceived insincere apologies backfire while unequivocal ones can advance peace.
#corroborates(0.80) — Scott Atran, The Devoted Actor, 42