Rev. Dr. John Amankwah, an associate professor in the Department of Communication and New Media Studies at the Mount, Published his third book Forgiveness in a Cynical Age.
Rev. Dr. John Amankwah accomplished the publication of his third book, Forgiveness in a Cynical Age, on September 11th, 2023. His other two published books are Dialogue: The Church and the Voice of the Other and Discourse on Women's Ordination. Along with his three published books, he has presented several articles at different academic conferences, he jointly published in the Journal of Border Education, and has a chapter featured in the book, Philosophies of Communication: Implications for Everyday Experience. His academic interests are in "dialogue" in the Catholic Church along with intercultural and Organizational Communication Issues. Rev. Dr. Amankwah also gave a commencement speech on Civic Education and National Development in Ghana (his birthplace). Excerpts of his speech were carried in the National Newspapers. In addition to being an associate professor in the Department of Communication and New Media Studies at the Mount and a published author, Rev. Dr. John Amankwah was ordained as a Catholic priest on June 30th, 1979.
Rev. Dr. John Amankwah’s book, Forgiveness in a Cynical Age, is now available on Amazon. Read below for more insight into the book, Forgiveness in a Cynical Age, and hear directly from Rev. Dr. John Amankwah about his inspiration for writing this book, communication skills to aid in forgiveness, the main message he would like readers to gain from reading this publication, and why he believes forgiveness is essential.
Forgiveness in a Cynical Age, Book Summary:
Forgiveness in a Cynical Age taps into a rich fountain of ideas from religion and communication to explore how we can forgive others that wrong us. Using communication as a point of departure, the author challenges readers to take a journey with those who offend us. By accepting the wrongdoer and walking with them, we can forgive them—and it is in forgiving that we are also forgiven. Steeped in wisdom from the Old and the New Testaments, the book considers questions such as: How can we define forgiveness? What do we gain by forgiving others? How did the people in the Bible and other religions view forgiveness? We all know that it takes a lot out of us to truly forgive someone, whether it is a small or heinous offense. By reading this book, readers will be better equipped to forgive those who have wronged them, offering wrongdoers the immeasurable love that comes out of forgiveness. (Amazon)
When Rev. Dr. John Amankwah was asked what his inspiration for writing, Forgiveness in a Cynical Age, his response was, “As a communication professor, I have wondered over the last few years what has been going on in Christendom and our American society regarding human interactions. My observations of our Christian responses to some of the social messages led me to conclude that our Christian orientations have been caught in a whirlwind of cynicism. Cynicism in our postmodern era is dangerous because it makes us become self-centered individuals, leading us to neglect our Christian duties of which forgiveness is foundational.
All of us have become cynics turning our backs on each other and behaving as if we are enemies to each other. Thus, my book Forgiveness in a Cynical Age draws our attention, both Christians and non-Christians alike to begin to turn and look at each other in the eye and begin to accept the trace of God or the trace of humanity embedded in all of us and leave behind the strategic rhetoric that is nurtured through cynicism.”
When asked if he tied any communication skills into the book, as an associate professor in the Department of Communication and New Media Studies at the Mount, Rev. Dr. John Amankwah replied, “Yes, I offer some communication skills, for example, learning to accept each other by talking through our tensionalities and conflicts, accepting each other from where we are (standpoint), and learning to respect the opinions of others as we explore ways to find common ground.”
Finally, Rev. Dr. John Amankwah hopes “readers will learn to forgive those who have offended and hurt them and offer them the incalculable love and peace that emanate from forgiveness.” He believes “forgiveness is important because it sets us free from the pain and anguish that we have endured from the actions of a wrongdoer.”