A mere 15 years ago, prisoners were barely a blip on the church’s radar. Sure, there were always a handful of saints on the perimeter with a heart for the incarcerated; but prison ministry, as such, wasn’t cool.
Then It got cool.
As budget deficits skyrocketed, political attention turned towards the burgeoning Prison Industrial Complex, and the church also awakened from its snooze to the plight of people in prison.
Today, I’m pleased to report, thousands of churches and non-profits are ministering to prisoners. In addition to in-prison Bible studies and worship services have also sprouted countless Bible correspondence programs. Even a handful of colleges and seminaries are hopping on the band wagon to offer some courses in a near-by facility.
What they need, right?
Many Christians believe that the greatest need of prisoners is salvation and, even better, to morph the criminal into a mini-theologian. The more Bible knowledge we can pour into them, the better. And what better way for convicted criminals to “do time?”
The prison ministry strategy, then, is to get their hearts right with God so they can escape that revolving door, once and for all, right?
While opinions differ as to whether a correlation between Bible study and lower recidivism connects, few would argue against its value, and I do believe in the efficacy of the Word. That being said, it does beg the question as to whether Bible study is enough.
So here’s the rub.
Doesn’t the general public, including much of the church, assume that an incarcerated person, well, deserves to be there? So prison ministry is performed on the basis that inmates are bad dudes who have done terrible things. Otherwise they wouldn’t be incarcerated. So, inmates are poor, parched souls, i.e. spiritually poor.
My own experience in overseeing the discipleship of a half-million of these “poor” souls, indicates that most inmates grew up in Christian homes and have committed their hearts to Christ at least once. But many prisoners certainly do appear to need a spiritual transformation in Jesus.
Still, would it ever occur to us that prisoners are indeed poor, but perhaps not in a way we might think?
Justice for all? Harsh reality is that the materially poor and people of color expect to get the shaft in their America. And they do. Permit me just one example.
If you are charged with a crime but can afford your own lawyer, hats off to you. You likely won’t serve time. But the poor lack such luxury and so, must settle for less than a fair shake due in ghastly measure to overworked, und
erpaid or uniformed public defenders.
Despite the fact that advocacy is guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment, my state is among the worst offenders when it comes to ineffective representation for the underprivileged. What about yours? For us Michiganders that means $30,000 a year of our taxes spent to incarcerate an indigent person who may well be innocent or, at least, over-sentenced due in large measure by inadequate counsel. At least 95% of those incarcerated never had their case heard before a jury of their peers.
As an aside—such systems would have annoyed the prophet Amos to no end. He condemns as “shocking transgression” whenever the poor are denied access to the courts (Amos 5:12). Laudably, Michigan is now working furiously to repair its damaged pubic defense system.
The point is that “due process” is integral to our biblically-informed constitutional principles.
And don’t think for a second that the locomotive for legal corrections stops at the crying need for improving public defense. Legal experts know this is only the tip of an iceberg of judicial miscarriages in our country’s criminal justice system—a nation “under God,” which pledges “justice for all.”
Who needs bible study?
So, O.K., back to prison ministry. Truth be told, the longer I work with prisoners, the more zeal I gain for social justice. So I’ve had to ask myself, isn’t it the church that needs to study Scripture just as much, if not more, than inmates?
What? The church needs the Bible? Believe it. We’re missing the mark, and Amos ain’t smiling.
WE must confess our sins. WE need experience the transforming power of the Good News, in order to escape the revolving door of injustice that destroys liberty for all.
Of course, keep shipping those Bibles to facilities. But ponder two thoughts as you bring them in:
1) Don’t assume your salvation targets in orange are guilty of a crime or heading for hell.
2) If you are zealous for changing sinful hearts, get indignant as a prophet for fixing broken systems constructed by sinful hearts.
After all, as people of faith we must not only have Bibles for the poor who end up behind bars, we must also have their backs. The call is urgent because, pretty soon, prison ministry won’t be ‘cool’ as the church drifts on to the next popular fad.
H. David Schuringa
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