OPINION: Chris Brown Issues Public Apology

In this video-taped apology to the public, Chris Brown expresses remorse for beating Rihanna, admits that he is and has been seeking counseling to understand his behavior and to prevent it from ever happening again. He admits to growing up in a home where domestic violence occurred, and knows better than to resort to violence because he has seen the damage that it causes “first hand.”

Unfortunately, whenever a person, especially a batterer comes forward, it is difficult to discern whether or not (s)he is sincere.  The temptation is to stand in judgment.  But truthfully, only God can ever be certain of what changes take place in a person’s heart. The rest of us can only judge a man’s actions. Is Chris Brown sincere? We may never know. However, only time will reveal if he has learned his lesson. In the meantime, the rest of us can support Rihanna and Chris in prayer, while taking care take to exercise self control in our own lives, confess and repent of our own wrong doing, and stand against domestic violence in our own faith communities and the culture at large.

Watch and listen for yourself.

Other related articles:

Rihanna To Testify Against Chris Brown

Manny Ramirez Knows What Forgiveness Is!

Fighting Fair: Hit Your Mark Without Wounding Your Target

Facing An “Epic Fail?”

How To Move Forward When You’ve Blown It