APOLOGIES

Apologies are much in the news this week— from Congressman Joe Wilson’s apology-to-the-Congress-but-not-to-the-President, to Venus Williams’s regret at yelling at the line judge, to Kanye West’s heartfelt apology to Taylor Swift, there are lots of people on deck to say they are sorry.

But, what does it mean to apologize? The word ‘apology’ has a Greek origin: apo, meaning “from/off”, and logos, meaning “speech.” But the word itself is a bit ambivalent in meaning. It can mean, to express regret. It can also mean to justify. When the same word has come to mean two nearly opposite things, we might be in for a bit of trouble.

Not many know that at the General Conference of United Methodists in 2008, the denomination voted to prepare a formal apology to Native Americans for presentation at the 2012 General Conference. However, no funds were allocated to this effort, and those who are seeking both to illuminate the history of our denomination in relationship to the Native Americans and to prepare a meaningful act of confession and repentance, have almost no resources with which to do so.

I’m hopeful that United Methodist churchs and organizations from around the United States will help fund this effort, and we won’t reach 2010, merely say, “Sorry!” and move on. I hope we’ll take a hard look at the modern consequences of our history, and take concrete, effective steps to address those consequences.

After all, unless we take steps to address the damage our actions cause, our apology becomes a justification of our actions, not an expression of regret. Better, I think, to take the time for a thorough look at what went wrong, and why— then, take steps to address the damage. Then, and only then, can an apology truly mean we are sorry for what happened and don’t want it to happen again.

(For further reading on the issue of apologies and reparations, check out When Sorry Isn’t Enough: The Controversy over Apologies and Reparations for Human Injustice, edited by Roy L. Brooks.)