Reframing Forgiveness: A Contextual Approach for Taiwanese Christian Spirituality Through Linda Zagzebski’s Exemplarist Theory

This article proposes a contextual model of forgiveness for Taiwanese Christianity by integrating Linda Zagzebski’s Exemplarist Moral Theory and Divine Motivation Theory. It critiques the limitations of paradigms shaped by Confucian didactic teaching, evangelical penitential piety, and secular morality. By grounding forgiveness in divine motivation and embodied exemplars rather than abstract moral principles, this approach reframes forgiveness as a transformative practice that nurtures spiritual maturity while avoiding moral legalism and self-condemnation. It further demonstrates how narrative and imitation form moral imagination, allowing believers to participate in God’s forgiving life. In doing so, the model offers a theologically robust and culturally sensitive contribution to the study of Christian spirituality and moral formation in contemporary Taiwan.