One month from today DO Justice Like Jesus convenes. This is something I can only describe is something I MUST do. After these past six years of working in the prison ministry and criminal justice reform advocacy fields, I struggle most days to NOT feel overwhelmed by the long journey our nation has traversed to get to this sad and dangerous condition.
It is quit sad enough to reach out to folks who are struggling to recover from mistakes, especially the kinds that land folks in jail and prison. But the longer I work in and learn about our legal system, the more I find I can not in good conscience call something to consistently broken a criminal justice system.
The most frustrating thing is this: for too many folks, and, yes, especially Christians, it is all too easy to be "in favor of justice and fair play" without intentionally weighing very large of references in the Bible defining our responsibilities. We are instructed to strive persistently, to work unceasingly, to insure justice is just, proportional and available for all people regardless of social status or "clout" of those harmed and those harming.
Christians SAY justice should be equally available and applied by our government's courts, yet seem unwilling to look with courage at what is actually happening ...
Please join us 29 February 2020 at DO Justice Like Jesus. For more information use the Contact button or look for Do Justice Like Jesus on Facebook Events. There are easy things that will help. There are opportunities to make a difference in individual lives, support chaplains working in such difficult situations, help your churches find ways to make a difference in ways big and small. It is a BIG job, but God is calling all sorts of folks to join His Army in protecting families, reclaiming lives, comforting those striving to be a part of ethical and effective professional work and a wave of volunteers.
PLEASE PRAY FOR US IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO THIS EVENT, THAT THE LIVES OF THOSE WHO ATTEND MIGHT BEAR FRUIT AND FOR HEALING FOR ALL THOSE ALONG THE LEGAL SYSTEM SPECTRUM.
It is quit sad enough to reach out to folks who are struggling to recover from mistakes, especially the kinds that land folks in jail and prison. But the longer I work in and learn about our legal system, the more I find I can not in good conscience call something to consistently broken a criminal justice system.
The most frustrating thing is this: for too many folks, and, yes, especially Christians, it is all too easy to be "in favor of justice and fair play" without intentionally weighing very large of references in the Bible defining our responsibilities. We are instructed to strive persistently, to work unceasingly, to insure justice is just, proportional and available for all people regardless of social status or "clout" of those harmed and those harming.
Christians SAY justice should be equally available and applied by our government's courts, yet seem unwilling to look with courage at what is actually happening ...
- in foster care's all too frequent failure to protect our most vulnerable victims of crime,
- in legal aid systems overcrowded and failing victim's, accused AND those who are employed in the system,
- in poor and unenforced pre-sentencing protocols ignored by the very courts all levels who we expect to insure justice,
- in dealing with trafficking victims, including returning them to their traffickers with disdain for minors,
- in providing protections for corrections officers from abuse BY THEIR EMPLOYERS (that's us folks!) and
- by making folks returning to the free world face hurdles that would overwhelm most of us, making returns to criminal activity too frequent and supporting the de facto creation of a laboring class with few options in employment, housing, making family and community restoration failures a hidden, persistent and growing reality.
Please join us 29 February 2020 at DO Justice Like Jesus. For more information use the Contact button or look for Do Justice Like Jesus on Facebook Events. There are easy things that will help. There are opportunities to make a difference in individual lives, support chaplains working in such difficult situations, help your churches find ways to make a difference in ways big and small. It is a BIG job, but God is calling all sorts of folks to join His Army in protecting families, reclaiming lives, comforting those striving to be a part of ethical and effective professional work and a wave of volunteers.
PLEASE PRAY FOR US IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO THIS EVENT, THAT THE LIVES OF THOSE WHO ATTEND MIGHT BEAR FRUIT AND FOR HEALING FOR ALL THOSE ALONG THE LEGAL SYSTEM SPECTRUM.
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