Welcome to the Eric Mataxas Show. Please keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times. This is your final warning. Now here's your host, Mr. Thrill Ride himself, Eric Mataxas.

Hey there folks. I got to tell you we kind of mix it up on this show. We do comedy, we do tragedy, we talk about everything we hope that will concern you who are listening.

Today we have something that is unspeakably difficult to discuss and ultimately unspeakably beautiful.

I'm sitting in the studio today with someone I just had a privilege to meet. You know about his story.

Four years ago there was a horrific shooting. Nine people were murdered in a church in Charleston.

Many of those folks were praying while they were doing a Bible study. They were murdered by this young man, Dylan Roof.

Out of this horror came something that most of us cannot imagine. A number of the people who were the victims of this, whose family members were killed, chose to privately and publicly forgive the murderer.

I can't get my head around that, but fortunately I have in the studio Pastor Anthony Thompson whose wife, Mira, was killed that day. He's written a book called, called to forgive is the title of the book. Pastor Thompson, welcome.

Thank you so much for having me this morning.

It's so difficult for anybody to comprehend what you've been through because we don't want to comprehend it.

It's just such agony to think about somebody going through what you went through. So let's get into your story.

First of all, you are a pastor. You've been a pastor. Your wife, Mira, who was killed was also pursuing ministry.

You have children? Yes, we have one daughter, two boys.

Okay, so three kids. Tell us the story. Before you get to forgiveness, which is itself a staggering thought given what you went through, where were you before this? How did this unfold in your life?

Well, before this actual tragedy, my wife and I were making plans, of course, for her to ask the pursuant ministry to amy church to become a minister and probably work right there to amy church.

Well, I continue my my ministry at Holy Trinity before me, Piscobal Church.

So you're you're you're a pastor at a different church in Charleston, yes. And how long have you been at that church?

I've been at Holy Trinity since 2010. I've been in the ministry for about 25 or 30 years. And are you a lifelong Charleston resident? Yes, I was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina.

That is my home. One of the most beautiful cities I've ever visited. I've had the privilege of visiting a number of times and speaking in a number of churches there. And it's just a remarkable place. So when I heard this news, it hit me in a more personal way than it would have if it happened in a different city because I've been a number of those churches and just feel a connection such as such a sweet place.

Well, how did you find out about this? You were not at the church at the say, Amy church when this took place. No, I was not present. I wanted to be there for some reason. She kept telling me not not to come. And it was what do you mean? Well, she and I always went everywhere together, especially were speaking, especially her having her Bob study for the first night for some reason.

I kept telling me not to come. Wait, wait, this was you said that your wife, Myra, who was pursuing ministry. This was her first Bible study. She was teaching her first Bible study at the church at the church. And she kept telling you not to come. Why? Why?

Well, I'm not certain. I found out afterwards. It was, you know, God's desires. But initially I didn't understand why because she and I always went everywhere together, especially when we were participating in a special event like she was that night.

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