Resource Guide on Mass Incarceration

Session #6Creation Grace and Restorative Justice

Creation Grace

Our previous unit noted that much of American Protestant Christianity believes in the idea of hopeless human corruption and depravity—with God’s grace limited to “saved” individuals.

In this unit, we look at other Christian traditions—among them Eastern Orthodox faith, Roman Catholic teaching, & certain Black Church & “liberationist” approaches—that offer a different view.

Creation Grace

These other traditions place the outbreak or incoming of God’s Reign not at the end of time, but rather in every concrete situation where kindness and mercy are able to overcome hatred and revenge.

Creation Grace

These faith traditions suggest that God walks with us, and works through us, when we love justice and do mercy in the here and now.

Creation Grace

They invite us to consider that the line between good and evil is drawn through every human heart, rather than in between the good/ saved people and the evil/damned people, i.e. “those people.”

Creation Grace

Here are some of the biblical scriptures they use to note Jesus’ repeated warnings against indulging our impulse to judge, condemn, and punish others.

Creation Grace

You have been told that murderers will be liable to judgment. I am telling you that if you so much as display your anger toward others or insult them, you may be risking hell fire. (Mt. 5:21-22, Sermon on the Mount)

Creation Grace

Before you even go into a courtroom, you should try to reconcile with your brother or sister, or else they might turn around and hand you to the judge and put you into prison. (Mt. 5:25-26)

Creation Grace

You have been told to love your friends and hate your enemies, but I am telling you love your enemies and pray for your persecutors.(Mt. 5:43-48)

Creation Grace

Ask God to forgive you as you yourself show forgiveness (Mt. 6:12)… for if you forgive others their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you… (Mt. 6:14-15)

Creation Grace

These other Christian traditions also point to biblical passages that indicate God’s concern with social or collective behavior, rather than merely individual sins. (Examples: Ephesians 4, Hebrews 11, Matthew 25.)

Creation Grace

These traditions do not deny the reality of, or human capacity for, individual sin—but they do deny that humanity & the created world were emptied of divine grace after Adam & Eve ate the forbidden fruit.

Creation Grace

They do not believe that the Bible supports such thinking. They note that in the wake of Noah’s flood, God vowed never again to treat all of humanity as totally degraded or deserving of destruction.

Creation Grace

In the story of Noah and the flood, God placed the rainbow sign in heaven to mark that reconciliation and restraint would thereafter be the markers of God’s will on earth. (Genesis 9:13)

Creation Grace

Creation GraceDoes anything surprise you in this discussion of creation grace and the different Christian traditions that support creation grace? Share your feelings and thoughts on this.

Break for Discussion and Q & A

Restorative Justice

The values that flow from a different Christian framing are ones that point us to the possibility of what is called “restorative justice.”

Restorative justice calls for…•Humility & forbearance on the part of all persons who are injured by others.•Repentance and a request for forgiveness from those who have done harm to those who were harmed.

Restorative Justice

Restorative justice also calls for…•Restitution to those who were harmed or injured by wrongdoing by those who have done harm to them.•Common effort to heal the underlying sources of violence & stop its cycle.

Restorative Justice

For Christians, key biblical examples of restorative justice include:•Jesus’ intervention to spare the woman “taken in adultery” (John 8:1-11).•The parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).

Restorative Justice

In the case of the woman, Jesus stares down her accusers by inviting any of them who has never sinned to be the first to start stoning her to death. The accusers slink away.

Restorative Justice

And then Jesus tells the woman that he will not accuse her, either, but that she must correct her behavior in future. She is not isolated for punishment by death; she is restored back into community.

Restorative Justice

In the case of the Prodigal Son, Jesus makes it clear that even the most alienated people can, and should, be welcomed back and restored to life in community, once they recognize their wrongful ways.

Restorative Justice

This parable is especially interesting because the Prodigal’s older brother wants none of this. His idea of justice is that he should enjoy all of the father’s favor for having never deviated from a righteous path.

Restorative Justice

But the older brother misunderstands the nature of God’s justice, which is always tempered with mercy.

Restorative Justice

The Prodigal’s older brother is also like those who uphold social propriety and are disgusted and horrified each time Jesus hangs out with “tax collectors and sinners”—the “unworthy” of society.

Restorative Justice

Jesus even urges his followers to “go and do likewise,” that is, to go against social convention and violate the usual order of things by being generous and kind toward outcasts.

Restorative Justice

Restoration & reconciliation among humans mirror God’s grace in the grand sweep of history. They reflect God’s willingness to create a covenant with us that makes room for return and restoration.

Restorative Justice

Christians of all traditions affirm that, in Jesus Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. (2 Cor. 5:19)

Restorative Justice

Here are some current examples of restorative justice being used in communities around the United States.

Restorative Justice

In many school systems, instead of simply isolating and punishing “bad actors” with detention, suspension, or worse, schools rely on a group process that involves truth-telling, apology, forgiveness, & restoration.

Restorative Justice

This conflict resolution model goes by different names in different places. But its underlying concept is that the student who misbehaves remains the “peer” of the student(s) who has/have been wronged.

Restorative Justice

Good behavior or school discipline is maintained by the peer group itself. And the shame of losing the esteem of one’s peers is often a sufficient punishment to deter future misdeeds.

Restorative Justice

Similarly, the fear of losing face among peers often convinces other students to avoid misconduct in the first place.

Restorative Justice

Some prosecutors and judges in the U.S. are beginning to apply the same restorative justice principles within the criminal justice system.

Restorative Justice

They seek punishment that puts wrongdoers face to face with those who have been wronged, in a way that allows the wrongdoers to express remorse and make amends —without necessarily “doing time.”

Restorative Justice

To mend something simply means to fix or repair what is broken. When part of the social fabric has been torn or broken, seeking to make amends has the same aim: to fix or repair a tear in the social fabric.

Restorative Justice

Simply sending someone away for institutional punishment is what often prevents the torn fabric of families and society from being repaired. Victims of crime almost never find “closure” this way.

Restorative Justice

The hunger for retribution and vengeance feeds on itself and is never really satisfied. For many, the only thing that really provides relief is the opportunity to offer forgiveness to a repentant offender.

Restorative Justice

Paradoxical as it may seem, direct nonviolent engagement by a survivor of crime with its perpetrator, and even with the perpetrator’s family members, usually represents a primary pathway toward healing.

Restorative Justice

When dealing with drug use, some Christians may be drawn to what is called the harm reduction model. Here, people are encouraged to minimize harm and maximize health from within their own context.

Restorative Justice

Their own context may mean their continued drug use. In this context, harm-reduction models include actions like:•Providing methadone and clean needles for heroin users.

Restorative Justice

More harm-reduction actions are:•Accurately testing the dosage of the drugs that people bring to raves and music festivals.•Refusing to punish drug users who report potential drug overdose problems that may happen to others.

Restorative Justice

Our society is likely to see more such activities practiced as public opinion and laws change. People are coming to realize that our society needs more effective ways to heal from harm and restore relationships.

Restorative Justice

Restorative JusticeMost people say that practicing restorative justice is 'harder' than sticking with retributive justice. Is it simply less familiar, or is it really harder? And if it's harder, why is it harder?

Break for Discussion and Q & A

Session #6Creation Grace and Restorative Justice

Resource Guide on Mass Incarceration

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