Clarion: Journal of Spirituality and Justice

Thinking Outside the Box about Retribution -- Henk Smidstra

We are probably all familiar with the phrase, “thinking outside the box.” As the phrase suggests, to solve a problem we must get outside the box, our frame of thought, and its inherent assumptions and rules in order to analyse and solve problems within the box. It’s not as easy as it sounds, since what is reality for us is that which is within the box. Thinking outside of what is considered normal and acceptable is often considered fantasy or unrealistic. Dr. Elizabeth M. (Liz) Elliot (2011) has noted that in our searching for an alternative paradigm regarding justice, we must get out of the box of retributive thinking. She writes, “Because we are inclined to consider punishment within a paradigm that is punishment based, reconsidering the notion of punishment itself seems ludicrous. Abandoning punishment in this context amounts to doing nothing in response to wrongdoing” (p. 27). This implicit deeply rooted logic in the mind of individuals and society is at the heart of the persistence of retributive justice practices. A paradigm shift is necessary; only by getting outside the box of mythical habitual, logic, will we be able to see that not punishing is not equal to doing nothing (Elliot 2011, p.27). She notes further that adherence to the belief that punishment is necessary for justice to be done is the biggest challenge in making a change in thinking from retributive justice to restorative justice (p.297).

To read the rest of this article: Download the PDF HERE 

Hindsight as Foresight - by Henry Smidstra

Last Summer Grace and I took a leisurely road trip through the western United States heading up through the New England coast to the Maritimes, returning through Quebec and Ontario. We enjoyed wonderful weather for sightseeing, taking as many secondary roads as possible soaking up the scenery and local sights. Both of us being interested in history, stopped at many historical markers along the way and were conscious of the fact that beneath the modern road surfaces lay the trails and road beds on which many had traveled before, journeys representing hopes, dreams, and fantasies, as well as trails of heartbreak, tears, and the trauma of death or conquest in war.  We followed in the footsteps of prospectors in quest of gold; in the tracks of settlers in search of land. We crossed the trail of the Nez Pierce men women and children, being chased through Yellowstone Park by “machine” gun wielding US army soldiers. We stopped at the hill where Custer made his last stand, and at Wounded Knee where hundreds of mostly defeated and defenceless aboriginal families were massacred by US army guns in the freezing cold on December 31st 1890. Even at the venerated rock at Plymouth Massachusetts there were historical markers, reminders of broken promises and of King Phillip’s war. Here too exploitation and injustice by settlers from England had occurred; wrongs done to the original inhabitants of the land.

Justice in Care - by Henry Smidstra

Justice in Care.                                                                                            Henk Smidstra, Dec. 2012

The Incarnation, for me, is the pivotal event in redemption history for peace on earth, no less than for eternal peace.  In God becoming fleshing and dwelling among us full of truth and grace, the “social distance” between heaven and earth is breached and reconciled, making universal social peace possible, as well as demonstrating the way of shalom in the embrace of justice and love. The birth of Christ is a cosmic and yet intensely intimate and relational event sharing in our humanity and social personhood.  The divine-human intercourse of life and relationship is done with intention and passion; this was not a mere abstract contractual or legal transaction, but God in Christ put His very life into it and got personally and intimately involved and attached to the human race, connecting to the historical events  in this world, social and material. Taking the form of a servant as saviour and Lord, in life and on the cross Christ rendered pretentious the audacious ways and claims of the devil, made a public spectacle of his defeat, and definitively broke down the [social] dividing walls of hostility, implicating any prejudice or bias that pretends to parade as the truth about human nature and its relationships.  Shalom rules in heaven, metaphysical peace has been achieved; now it is up to us, Christ’s Spirit helping us, to continue to guard and nurture the model for human relations that has been achieved and demonstrated for us, and in us, in Christ. The incarnation means that the eternal Logos humbly assumed our humanity, all humanity irrespective of status, and Christ’s spirit of truth and grace empowers us as followers daily in every circumstance of personal life as well as in political and social affairs, to live out of an ethic of care, to follow in his footsteps in the way of servant hood, humility, love and justice.  In faith hope and love, in the reality of the Incarnation, as hopeful stewards of the message of peace and good will we address the realities of our 21^st century society even amidst such tragic events as have occurred this past month in Connecticut, in Syria, and elsewhere, amidst celebrations of Christmas. There is also a real tragedy playing out on Canadian soil. It too calls for the good message of eirene (shalom) to all be applied to it lest it gets lost amidst the cares and business of the 2012 Christmas season.  

Jesus Frees Violent Men - by Bob Ekblad

Last month I spoke at a conference called Unlocking the Future: From Mass Incarceration to Restorative Justice at Texas Lutheran University. I also preached about the Gerasene demoniac, inviting students to cross over to the other side with Jesus into the world of violent offenders (see: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjlmWSa9UOg)

That evening Michelle Alexander gave an unsettling talk on her book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in an age of color blindness.  Like an Old Testament prophet she exposed the injustice of society’s increasing use of imprisonment as the only solution, and decried the courts’ classifying disproportionate numbers of people of color as felons, damning them into a new caste system where they are stripped of basic rights (see: www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8jGm1E7w1c&feature=related)

At Tierra Nueva we have been immersed in these realities for 18 years as we’ve ministered to inmates and ex-offenders.  Leading weekly Bible studies in Skagit County Jail again after a year in France reawakens me to the needs right here in our backyard & re-ignites my calling.  Both the brokenness and spiritual openness I see among inmates right here in Mount Vernon, Washington rivals what I’ve encountered in Asian slums, impoverished Mozambican or Honduran villages and prisons around the world.

The Abolishment of Retribution in the Church Fathers by Derek Flood

I have argued elsewhere that the Church Fathers’ understanding of the atonement was rooted in a model of restorative justice, rather than retributive justice.1 Recently, Garry Williams has written a rebuttal of my article, entitled ‘Penal Substitution and the Church Fathers’ that argues the opposite point.2 While both of our respective articles are focused on the patristic views of the atonement, there is a larger issue at stake which touches on the very core of our faith:

At stake here is not simply what the early church believed, but how we are to understand God’s justice, what the cross means, and how we are to be ambassadors of the crucified one. Is God’s justice ultimately retributive or restorative? Does the cross model God’s demand for retribution and violence, or does it model God’s act of nonviolent restorative justice? Our answers to these questions—whether we see divine justice as retributive or restorative—will naturally have profound ethical consequences, because the model of justice that we see in God will necessarily shape how we apply ‘justice’ in our world as well. Will we advocate for punitive violence in the name God? Or will we see the way of Christ calling us to towards a restorative model of justice? 

Click here to read the rest of this article

Razor Wire and Piggy Back Rides: A Story out of Solitary with Holly Braun

Friends,

Neaners finally got to hold his daughters at his first visit out of solitary confinement last month. Here is the story, as written up by Tierra Nueva staff member Holly Braun, who drove his daughters across Washington State to see him in prison.

C

Razor Wire and Piggy Back Rides

by Holly Braun 

I met Neaners just over a year ago. The tattooed homie who first ordained Chris Hoke as “Pastor of Homies” wrote a letter from prison asking me if I would teach him how to farm. By mail. He has a vision for ministry to other kids caught in gangs when he gets out, a vision that includes a small farm.

Dateline Bethlehem: Christ at the Checkpoint -- by Brad Jersak

Brad Jersak has just returned from "Christ at the Checkpoint" —a conference sponsored by Bethlehem Bible College. On assignment for PTM, Brad here files his reactions just as he prepares to leave this volatile region.

This Christ at the Checkpoint report comes as my rich and intense week in Bethlehem winds down. I'm writing while the bombardment of charged experiences, emotional interviews, and eyewitness stimuli churns raw and semi-processed in my heart. Greetings in Jesus' name less than one mile from where our Saviour was born in this not-so-quiet, yet precious town.

The Lord's simple instruction for me was just these words: "surrendered lenses." We all see the world through our own cultural and religious lenses. These often blur our vision of reality, so I pray for Spirit-washed lenses to sharpen my focus and cleanse pre-conceived assumptions about the situation here. I have tried to listen attentively and non-judgmentally to the people's hearts and to find Jesus amidst a cacophony of conflicting narratives. 

For the remainder of this report, click here.

 

 

Praying For Justice In A Contemplative Conundrum by Jeff Imbach

Some Reflections Of Praying For Justice In A Contemplative Conundrum

How do I pray contemplatively the enormous structural implications of our current economic and political realities?  I want to be hopeful and resist cynicism.  I want to be trusting and not be filled with fear about the economically driven political policies and decisions that are becoming almost hard-wired into the system.  I want to walk with you, my Love.

How do I pray contemplatively from my heart and with my actions as I watch the present unfolding of our world?

Psalm 62:8, “O my people, trust in God at all times.  Pour out your heart to the Lord, for God is our refuge.”

OK then Loving One, let me pour out my heart to you. 

Praying For Justice In A Contemplative Conundrum by Jeff Imbach

Some Reflections Of Praying For Justice In A Contemplative Conundrum

How do I pray contemplatively the enormous structural implications of our current economic and political realities?  I want to be hopeful and resist cynicism.  I want to be trusting and not be filled with fear about the economically driven political policies and decisions that are becoming almost hard-wired into the system.  I want to walk with you, my Love.

How do I pray contemplatively from my heart and with my actions as I watch the present unfolding of our world?

Psalm 62:8, “O my people, trust in God at all times.  Pour out your heart to the Lord, for God is our refuge.”

OK then Loving One, let me pour out my heart to you. 

From the Lowest Pit: A Psalm from Solitary - by Neaners, with Chris Hoke

I confess I've always had trouble appreciating the Psalms. Though there's some lines that I cherish, I can get distracted by how the psalm can quickly turn into a rant--against all the enemies and evildoers, cursing them with violence sometimes, touting the singer's own innocence and righteousness. 

My mentor Bob would laugh and give me a hard time about this: "Chris, you're a songwriter and a worship leader--how can you not like the Psalms? They're songs, man, prayers. They're written by sinful people like us crying out, uncensored. It's cool that the Bible welcomes human prayers like ours. Just think of the guys in jail we love so much, how they could relate to the psalmists' raw cries." Bob knew how to bring me back to a text.

So below is a glimpse of one man in the pit Nini--when he was still in solitary confinement--relating to the Bibles' poetry of lament. Then, a sample of his own rap/psalm he sent me last week.

Displaced Childhoods by Partners Relief & Development

Dear Clarion readers,

Partners Relief & Development Canada and Cielo Pictures are proud to present the television debut of Displaced Childhoods airing on CTV Calgary on December 25th at 6-7pm and again on January 2nd at 5-6pm.

 

Displaced Childhoods takes a look at life for families who live in the world's longest currently running civil war. Interviews from men, women and children who have had to flee fighting and systemic human rights abuses in three of Burma's ethnic states share their stories with us and we learn how a small agency, Partners Relief & Development is helping them. 

I hope you will join us for this great and for those outside of Southern Alberta check to see if your cable/satellite package carries CTV Calgary and join us for this amazing story.

*Remember to set your PVR to record this amazing documentary, especially if you are unable to view it at those times over the holidays.

I want to thank you for all your support of our work as we show God's love to the people of Burma and I hope that your holidays are full of family, fun and rest.

Merry Christmas,

Greg Toews

National Director

 

Experiencing (or not) divine encounters in Paris' streets and prisons - Bob Ekblad

It’s been nearly three months now since I’ve been in direct contact with people incarcerated in a jail or prison-- the longest period in over 17 years.  While life and ministry here in Paris is rich, I miss my routine of Thursday and Sunday Bible studies in Skagit County Jail and occasional forays into foreign prisons.  I especially miss the many jailed men I’ve come to know and love, the times of discovery of very Good News of Jesus’ love for them and me, their love and friendship, and times of prayer where the Spirit seems to always move to comfort, heal, awaken hope. 

So one of the first appointments I made here in Paris was with the national director of jail/prison chaplaincy for France of the Service justice et aumônerie des prisons, Aumônier national.”  He warmly welcomed me into his office and suggested that I accompany each of the chaplains of jails and prisons around Paris as they lead Bible studies and visit.  I loved this idea, and immediately sent him a copy of my passport.  I’ve since been waiting for the call, feeling the distance grow and missing connecting with inmates.  In the meantime I’ve found myself greatly challenged by another reality that is much more complicated and too easy to ignore.

Blood Relations -- posted by The Caffeinated Mystic (Deb)

 

Matthew 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Christ only says what He hears the Father saying. If the letters are in red- we’re hearing the words of the Father.

It appears the people interviewed are not Christians- and they are obeying scripture.

Some christian groups here in the West, say there will be no peace until Christ returns- and argue that to speak about peace is at best- naïve. Others go further and respond harshly to any talk of peace that includes showing compassion to Palestinians. As if to say- loving Palestinians is equal to hating Israel.

That’s ‘Bully’ talk.

There is a chorus being sung against peace that is out of harmony with the ‘song’ being sung by Father. His song expresses His desire for forgiveness and reconciliation between 'enemies'.

dis·so·nant   [dis-uh-nuhnt] adjective

1. disagreeing or harsh in sound; discordant.

2. out of harmony; incongruous; at variance.

3. Music . characterized by dissonance.

Politically- the situation in the ME may appear ‘complicated’, but a strong desire for peace and the willingness to build relationships is evident- if we are willing to see.

The people desire peace. What do we desire?

• Do we believe in reconciliation? If not, why not?
• Have we been 'Bullied'?
• Is our first response to 'peace talk'- repulsion? If so, why is that?
• Are we afraid of appearing to be on the 'wrong side'?
• Are we afraid of disappointing God, by loving those whom we've been told we 'should' hate?

We need a new song. Romans 12:21 "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good"

Open Letter to PM Harper - Omnibus Bill C-10 by Steve Bell

Dear Mr. Harper,

I am deeply concerned about Omnibus Bill C-10.  It is my  wife’s research (as a social-work student at Booth University College in Winnipeg) that has refocused  my attention to the bill. The more I followed her work, the more concerned I have become.

Firstly, I believe there  are some good things in the bill – let me be clear about that. But there are also some alarmingly retrogressive policies that will undoubtably be a black stain on your leadership for decades to come if passed as is. For the love of God and your fellow Canadians, please slow the process of this bill down. Break-up the omnibus to its components and consider each individually and carefully.

Honestly… in the last election I was prepared, for the first time in my life, to vote Conservative. I tend to be a bit left leaning myself, but thought that at this particular juncture perhaps a conservative economic approach trumped other concerns. Also, I live in Conservative MP  Joy Smith’s riding and have deeply appreciated her noble fight against human trafficking. But in the end I could not, by extension, sign my name to a  bill that blanketly criminalizes the ill and the desperate when other measures are proven to be cheaper, more effective and more humane.

Occupy Wall Street/Vancouver and Thomas More/Erasmus by Ron Dart

The Occupy Wall Street/Vancouver (and other cities) has garnered much media attention the last few weeks. The main concerns of the ‘Occupy’ movement have a great deal of legitimacy to them, and emerge from obvious injustices and imbalances of wealth and power. Are such issues new, though, and do they have a perennial ring about them? How have those in the past thought about such issues (that is those who saw them as issues rather than denying or justifying the problem)? Is in the street protest and advocacy politics the only and most responsible way to confront such inequities?

Thomas More was Lord Chancellor of England in the early 16^th century, and he was acutely aware of the disparities of wealth and power in his country. More had a tender and exacting conscience, and he did not flinch from asking and acting on the hard questions. More’s missive, Utopia (1516), pulls no punches nor does it flinch from probing to the core the larger justice and peace issues. More would, in many ways, have a great deal of affinity with the Occupy movement. Book I of Utopia is a must read--there is a poignant and not to be forgotten conversation between More and Raphael that is a keeper. The late 15^th and early 16^th centuries in Europe was a period of time in which many States in Europe were turning to the Americas to establish colonies. The empires were very much at work to extend their global reach.

Occupy Vancouver - by Rod Janz

A friend of mine, Jeff Imbach, was recently interviewed at the Occupy Vancouver protest. I have to admit, I am still trying to get my head around the purpose and desired outcome of this protest. Maybe I need to go down and check it out for myself like Jeff did. You will hear in the interview below that Jeff believes that part of the protest’s success has been to simply raise the general consciousness of society to the idea that corporate institutions supported by governments is an unjust situation.

According to The Huffington Post a group from Occupy Wall Street have come up with a list of demands called the 99PercentDeclaration, but even these are controversial at this point, and aren’t supported by all of the various Occupy protests happening around the world.

For the CBC Radio interview with Jeff and others, see “Occupy Vancouver“

 

M2/W2 and Enemy Love As Core Gospel by Wayne Northey

Our entire ministry in criminal justice is summed up in three words: Love your enemies.  Our website (www.m2w2.com) describes the one-to-one prison visitation (M2/W2), the work with high risk sex offenders (CoSA), and our Thrift Store (Hidden Treasures) as unique expressions of enemy love.  All is done under the rubric of Restorative Justice, on which page by that name you will find lots to think about.  It too turns on an ultimate vision of enemy love.

There are some things in life that one sees, and once seen, one may never look back legitimately, though wilfully one may always violate that seen...  In the 1960’s, I saw this image circulated at our church:

The story is that a picture was taken by a Chinese photographer who was considering Christianity, and who converted to it after having seen this photo developed from one he took of melting snow.  One moment, he saw dark blotches on a white page, the next moment he suddenly saw an image of Jesus jump out at him!  Can you see the face of Jesus?  Many take some time to see!  Many never do.  Once one sees however, no matter how one looks at the image, one never fails again to see Jesus.  Though one can always wilfully suppress or deny it.  One can always claim the true image of Christ is “dark blotches on white”.  Can you see Jesus?

"Lest we forget what?" - Not So Different - Brad Jersak and PartnersWorld.org

Not So Different from Partners Relief & Development on Vimeo.

"Lest we forget" - Brad Jersak

When I read war memorials or attend Remembrance Day services, I am often struck by the phrase, "Lest we forget." I wonder what I am to remember. I do remember my family members whose lives were sacrificed on the altar of freedom. But I also think we're meant to remember to resist evil (with good) before it comes to that. Unfortunately, while we're remembering the past, we can be prone to missing the connection between past injustices and what is happening now in nations where there is no monetary value in being involved. And we forget there are ways of helping other than through military intervention.

Steve Gumaer - Not So Different

Steve Gumaer and PartnersWorld.org help me remember, and they overcoming evil with good in their small way ... which is usually how it happens. We've posted the above video as an example of true remembering and one group's call to help.

You can read more about what Partners and the Free Burma Rangers are doing to help in many of the Partners publications or in Kissing the Leper, by Brad Jersak.

 

Charlie Chaplain and prophetic irony - Brad Jersak

The greatest speech ever made? Really? Some really inspiring rhetoric and near prophetic analysis by our dear comic. His diagnosis, poignant. His prescription? Uh ...

Also some serious delusion historically: the ultimate triumph of human progressivism? fighting for freedom that produces peace? salvation by science? triumph of the human will in the name of democracy?

Yes ... an amazing mixture of truth, but also the new mantras that continue to produce technological goose-steppers. Lampooning the mustache and uniform of Hitler was supposedly ironic, but the images are not. I don't know how much the creator of the video even realizes how much of it demonstrates how Chaplain's very advice has been central to creating the very monstrosities he sought to overcome. From supposedly disparate roots comes similar scenes of tyranny.

Why not feminism? by Helen Dunn

Why are Christians hesitant to call themselves feminists?

I would describe myself as an egalitarian, but more and more I'm wondering, why not a feminist? These are my top three insecurities with making the label change:

1) I don't want to become the stereotype: i.e. a single woman seeking ordination, writing a masters thesis on gender (har har, oh the irony!).

2) It's already hard enough being an egalitarian in the evangelical Christian world, how would being a feminist make it any easier?

3) If I label myself a feminist, what kind of baggage will I have to spend the next decade of my life sorting through to convince myself and my peers that feminism is indeed a Christian ideal?

Perhaps assuming a label of any kind---egalitarian, complementarian, feminist---is the problem to begin with. But in a world where categories seem to necessarily order our lives, I can't help but wonder why I feel uncomfortable with a label that encapsulates so much of what has been good and transformative in my Christian journey; here, two experiences in particular come to mind: