WWJD?
Melissa Cedillo
has a word of advice for prison ministries: It’s time to get your hands out
of your pockets!
The graduate
student at Harvard Divinity admits, in a recent Sojourners Magazine article,
that at one time she considered becoming a prison chaplain. Then, she says, the
more she discovered how our prison system exploits incarcerated people, their
families, and their communities, she changed her mind.
Just going
into prisons and teaching Bible lessons doesn’t cut it, according to Melissa.
If prison ministries do this “without addressing root causes, (it) merely
allow the prison system to continue practices and policies that strip away the
dignity of those experiencing incarceration. This is not something I believe is
pleasing to Christ.”
Whoa!
Commenting
on the fact that black Americans, who only account for 13% of the total
population, make up 40% of our incarcerated population (it’s no different in
Michigan), she accuses the American prison system of having a white supremacist
goal---"to control and dehumanize people of color, the impoverished, the
marginalized.” Because of this, she goes on to say, “any form of prison or
mail ministry rooted in Christian values must also address the injustice of
mass incarceration.” This can be done, says the author, “by advocating
for early release, working to dismantle unjust systems of power, and pushing
for a rehabilitative, not punitive, justice system.”
Commenting
on the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic on prisoners and their loved
ones, Melissa says: “I believe Christ would be using this moment as a chance
to move the world from visitation to decarceration, a world in which prison
ministry centers around advocating for early release and an end to the use of
incarceration as a solution for societal ills such as poverty, addiction, and
lack of education.”
After
letting this article stew in my mind for a few days, I’m convinced that now is
the time for all prison ministries, from local to national, to
take a bold, new stand and dare to get involved. Prison ministries have clout. Prison
ministries can bring about change. I agree with Melissa: Just continuing what's been done in the past isn’t enough.
Concludes
the author:
As I continue my theological studies, I am always
asked to take more seriously what mercy looks like. I have been taught that
theology, when done right, must translate teachings into actions. It must ask
the faithful, what more can I do now?
Comments
A culture that can unravel chronic disease, repair broken bodies, educate and prepare its young, and create civility among disparate persons and groups surely can do a better job of dealing with lawbreakers.
Righteousness, mercy, and humility are the three things God requires. How is it that when it comes to prisons and jails this three-part mandate is so easily set aside and/or rationalized?
The fact that Jesus tells us to remember those in prisons and jails demonstrates His desire that His followers rigorously monitor all institutional settings toward maintaining fairness and assuring restorative correction.