The word of the day is “blessing.”  The laws of the United States stipulate that offenders must compensate those injured by such wrongs as crimes, auto accidents, and slander. This demand for redress of grievance seems only fair and just.  However, in our reading of 1 Peter 2:21-3:4, the apostle writes that the faithful should not return “evil for evil but, on the contrary, return it with blessing…” (vs. 9). Should We Bless Only Within the Church? Such advice seems ideal but unrealistic in our society.  An answer to this objection might be that the apostle is speaking only of the faithful’s conduct within the Body of Christ.  For instance, Paul was upset when he learned that the Corinthians were…