Counterfeit Forgiveness: How a Modern Myth Betrays Victims, Protects Abusers, and Corrupts the Gospel

In Counterfeit Forgiveness: How a Modern Myth Betrays Victims, Protects Abusers, and Corrupts the Gospel, Teasi Cannon challenges a definition of forgiveness most Christians never question. Drawing on Scripture, church history, and her own experience as an abuse survivor, she argues that "therapeutic forgiveness"—the popular idea that forgiveness is an internal, self-directed act for emotional healing requiring nothing from the offender—is a secular counterfeit foreign to Jesus and the early church. Biblical forgiveness, she shows, is a relational exchange grounded in repentance, truth, and reconciliation. Written with compassion and clarity, this book exposes the counterfeit's damage and recovers forgiveness as God designed it. Foreword by Hillary Morgan Ferrer, founder of Mama Bear Apologetics. "This is an important book—a book that has the potential to change minds and hearts about a central message of the Christian faith. It flows from Teasi’s sound knowledge of Scripture and her deeply heartfelt desire to reveal truth and effect change. Compelling, difficult to put down, and worth reading more than once." —Vee Chandler, author of Biblical Boundaries of Forgiveness and Victorious Substitution "Counterfeit Forgiveness is a much-needed correction to a modern distortion of biblical truth. Many of us grew up with the therapeutic model of forgiveness, which does not bring true healing, restoration, or freedom. Teasi Cannon exposes the counterfeit with clear, accessible language and biblical clarity, then restores the life-giving meaning of forgiveness found in Scripture. This message has been personally impactful for me, and I pray it will be for you too!" —Alisa Childers, author of Another Gospel? and host of The Alisa Childers Podcast "Teasi Cannon has written an important book that equips readers to distinguish between a biblical understanding of forgiveness and the counterfeit or therapeutic definition of forgiveness that is the dominant view of our culture. She does so through a careful study of Scripture and interaction with important sources. Her book is both accessible and persuasive. I highly recommend this book for victims, pastors, and biblical counselors, as well as those seeking to understand how a wrong understanding of forgiveness has captured much of cultural Christianity." —Chris Brauns, pastor and author of Unpacking Forgiveness and The Way of Repentance "Every once in a while, a book comes along and rearranges the theological furniture in your brain, putting a few things back where they belong. Counterfeit Forgiveness is one of those books. As I read through it, I kept thinking, “Wow. This explains a lot.” Teasi brings much-needed clarity to one of the most misunderstood issues in the church. She points readers to a faithful, biblical understanding of forgiveness, grounded in humility, compassion, and a robust argument rooted in Scripture. She tackles the hard questions we all inevitably ask when wrestling with biblical forgiveness, exposing the consequences of some of the most popular assumptions about forgiveness that many of us have never fully thought through or followed to their logical end. Counterfeit Forgiveness is comforting, challenging, and deeply needed. I believe it will help readers better understand God, forgiveness, healing, justice, and healthy boundaries." —Melissa Dougherty, content creator and author of Happy Lies Teasi Cannon is an author, speaker, and host of the True Comfort Podcast. She holds an M.A. in Pastoral Counseling from Liberty Theological Seminary, and a certificate in Christian Apologetics from Southern Evangelical Seminary. She is mentor and board member with the non-profit ministry BeEmboldened.