Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey
Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey

Ep 1398 | Heresy? Alisa Childers Addresses Her “Forgiveness” Controversy

September 21, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

When Forgiveness Requires Repentance

Alisa Childers found herself at the center of a firestorm after a short clip circulated online in which she said Christians don't have to forgive someone who hasn't repented. The backlash was swift: accusations of being unbiblical, even anti-gospel. But Childers, a longtime apologetics teacher and speaker at Allie Beth Stuckey's Share the Arrows conference, argues that the controversy reveals a deeper confusion about what the Bible actually teaches on forgiveness—and how therapeutic self-help ideas have quietly reshaped Christian thinking on the matter.

The Therapeutic Version vs. Biblical Forgiveness

Childers draws a sharp distinction between two competing frameworks. The first is what she calls "therapeutic forgiveness," which entered the church through the self-help movement. In this model, forgiveness is a solo act performed in your own mind and heart, with the goal of giving yourself emotional release from the pain of being sinned against. The burden falls entirely on the victim to do the hard internal work of forgiving, regardless of what the offender does.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 Main Outline
  • 2 (00:00) **Therapeutic Forgiveness vs. Biblical Forgiveness** - Opening thesis: a therapeutic, self-help version of forgiveness has infiltrated the church, redefining forgiveness as a solo emotional exercise rather than an interpersonal transaction
  • 3 (00:54) **Host's Pregnancy Update & Personal Context** - Allie Beth Stuckey shares her 34-week pregnancy update and discusses her history of going past due dates
  • 4 (06:14) **Share the Arrows Conference Preview** - Invitation to the upcoming conference with speaker lineup including Alisa Childers, Rosaria Butterfield, Natasha Crain, and worship with Shane & Shane
  • 5 (08:17) **God's Unhindered Redemptive Plan** - Theological reflection on how God's eternal plan of redemption proceeds without interruption despite suffering and evil in the world
  • 6 (12:57) **The Forgiveness Controversy Introduced** - Allie explains how she learned about the controversy surrounding Alisa Childers' comments on forgiveness and her approach to evaluating such claims
  • 7 (13:43) **The Controversial Clip: Forgiveness Requires Repentance** - The actual clip that sparked the controversy, where Alisa discusses forgiving someone like Candace Owens

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Allie is joined by Alisa Childers who was recently caught up in controversy online surrounding the topic of forgiveness. Alisa appeared on Alex Clark’s podcast, Culture Apothecary, where she was discussing the topic of forgiveness and repentance. Many found a specific clip pulled from the show confusing and began to jump to the conclusion that Alisa was promoting the idea that Christians can harbor bitterness and unrepentance towards others. Allie invites Alisa onto Relatable to clarify what she meant and explain what biblical forgiveness looks like as seen in scripture. They discuss therapeutic forgiveness vs biblical repentance, what it looks like to forgive someone who does not repent, and why women are more susceptible to manipulation because they are more emotionally driven. 


Do you have a question for Allie? Leave a voicemail at 844-755-5252 


Share the Arrows 2026 is on October 10 in Dallas, Texas! Tickets are on sale now at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sharethearrows.com⁠⁠⁠


Share the Arrows is sponsored by:

A'del Natural Cosmetics: AdelNaturalCosmetics.com

Range Leather: RangeLeather.com/ALLIE

We Heart Nutrition: WeHeartNutrition.com


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Time Codes

00:00 Intro

0:54 Pregnancy Update!

7:30 God’s Plan Cannot Be Hindered

12:16 Controversy With…Alisa Childers?

22:13 Alisa Provides Clarity

32:27 Therapeutic vs Biblical Forgiveness

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Today's Sponsors:


World Watch News | Visit worldwatch.news/allie or use promo

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