UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The ability to forgive in the aftermath of a major tragedy is seemingly elusive. In the case of a school shooting, families of the victims and of the gunmen alike seek forgiveness.
The next installment of WPSU-TV’s "Conversations LIVE" will discuss the psychological and physical effects of forgiveness, and the role it plays in alleviating anger and grief.
The 60-minute show is interactive, taking viewers’ phone calls, emails and questions via Twitter. Viewers can join the conversation by calling 800-543-8243 during the show, emailing connect@wpsu.org or tweeting @WPSU. "Conversations LIVE: Forgiveness" will air at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, on WPSU-TV, WPSU-FM, WQLN-TV in Erie and online at www.wpsu.org.
Veteran host Patty Satalia will be joined by Donald Kraybill, Terri Roberts and Kenneth Briggs to discuss the subject.
Kraybill is a professor and senior fellow at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College. Internationally recognized for his scholarship on Anabaptist groups, he is the author and editor of dozens of books and professional articles. He has served as a consultant for various projects related to Amish and other Anabaptist groups.
Roberts is a resident of Strasburg, Pa. A mother, wife and grandmother, Roberts was propelled into the public eye seven years ago after her son was the gunman in the Nickel Mines Amish Schoolhouse shooting in Lancaster County that took the lives of five girls. Roberts will share her experiences finding forgiveness and the journey she has since taken to help others find forgiveness as well.
Briggs has written about religion and culture for nearly 40 years. His reporting for Newsday and The New York Times from the 1960s through the 1980s broke new ground for coverage of religion in American journalism. Briggs has also contributed articles to numerous publications and taught courses in religion and journalism at Lafayette College, Lehigh University and Columbia University. His book "The Power of Forgiveness," a companion to the PBS documentary from Journey Films, examines the force of forgiveness at work in the world.