Living Unoffended Podcast

Can you forgive someone without reconciling with them? Brant explores the important difference between forgiveness and reconciliation, and why healthy boundaries can still be part of a forgiving life. He looks at what it means to genuinely want God's best for someone who has hurt you—without pretending the hurt never happened, removing consequences, or making yourself vulnerable to the same harm again. Forgiveness isn't passive; it's choosing not to let someone else's cruelty reproduce itself in you.

Is there ever a good reason to hold on to anger? Brant looks at several passages people use to defend the idea of "righteous anger" and asks whether that really fits with the broader teaching of Jesus. He also responds to a thoughtful listener question about loving enemies while still recognizing real evil, accountability, and justice—and why forgiveness does not mean pretending hurt isn't real or ignoring wrongdoing. Instead, it means trusting God with vengeance, refusing contempt, and choosing to remain for people even when they have done real harm.

What if the way we forgive others reveals something about how we understand God's forgiveness toward us? Brant revisits Jesus' words about mercy, judgment, and forgiveness, including the parable of the servant who was forgiven an enormous debt but refused to extend that same grace to someone else. He explores the challenging idea that forgiveness is not just something we receive—it is also a way of life we are called to practice, shaping how we treat others and how we understand the mercy of God.

What kind of faith can shape a family for generations? Recording from Corrie ten Boom's home in Haarlem, Brant reflects on the remarkable legacy of a family committed to prayer, hospitality, forgiveness, and loving their enemies. He looks at how that way of life helped prepare the ten Booms to shelter hundreds of Jewish people during World War II—and how the values we practice now can echo far beyond our own lifetime.

What if the real danger isn't just anger—but contempt? Brant looks at why contempt is so destructive, especially among Christians, and why Jesus takes it so seriously. From social media insults to self-righteousness and shame, he explores how easily we can devalue people we disagree with—and why the goal isn't to become less passionate about truth, but to become more like Jesus in the way we handle disagreement.