The Theological Foundations of Forgiveness and Reconciliation in Post-Conflict Communities in Plateau State

This study examines the theological foundations and practical expressions of forgiveness and reconciliation in post-conflict communities in Plateau State, North Central Nigeria, a region that has experienced cyclical ethno-religious violence since the early 2000s. Drawing on reconciliation theology, transitional justice theory, and African communal ethics, the research investigates how Christian communities in affected areas conceptualise, practice, and institutionalise forgiveness as part of long-term peacebuilding. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, data are gathered from forty interviews with conflict survivors, church reconciliation practitioners, and community elders across Jos North, Barkin Ladi, and Riyom Local Government Areas. The study also reviews the theological resources deployed by church-led reconciliation organisations operating in the region. Findings indicate that genuine reconciliation in Plateau State's post-conflict communities requires more than inter-group apology rituals. It demands structural truth-telling, acknowledgment of historical grievances, material restitution, and the rebuilding of shared civic institutions. Theologies of forgiveness that bypass justice or demand premature closure are perceived as re-traumatising rather than healing. The study proposes a contextual reconciliation theology framework that integrates lament, truth, justice, and renewed covenant as sequential and interdependent dimensions of peacebuilding. Keywords: forgiveness theology, reconciliation, post-conflict, Plateau State, peacebuilding