Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

An interesting headline ran in Time Magazine last week. It asked, "What Does ‘Redemption’ Actually Mean?" The story tackles comedian Louis C.K. who recently came out of the shadows to perform after he was charged with serious sexual misconduct last year. C.K. failed to own up to his conduct or apologize to the women he hurt. So Time asks what is redemption?  Redemption implies that something went wrong and it needs to be fixed. We humans are morally frail and prone to sin. And when this sin hurts others we need to admit it and seek the forgiveness of the offended party. That's part of redemption. This is an inherently religious question and it’s an area where the religious meets the public realm. So when people of faith are asked what does redemption actually mean, if they give the right answer, it'll benefit all of society.