Restorative Justice

John Lamsma has spent over 25 years in prison…ministry. He shares how pastoral care can ease the pain of incarceration, the origins of restorative justice as a focus in the CRCNA and the importance of affirming the image of God in every person, always.

While I was waiting in line for dinner at Inspire 2022, I struck up a conversation with someone about the workshop I was co-facilitating (with Liz Tolkamp) on restorative practices. The person’s eyes lit-up with some kind of familiarity (which sparked my curiosity!). That night, I heard yet another unique description of restorative practices, similar to what I have been hearing over the last several years.

A driver was going 5 mph over the limit due to not seeing a damaged speed limit sign. After a police officer issued the driver a traffic infraction the driver immediately scheduled a time to argue it. However, even before the driver could talk, the judge simply threw out the infraction. Even though the driver didn’t have to pay the fine, they left feeling dissatisfied because they did not have the opportunity to speak.

In this episode, Chris asks Dennae how she’s seen the multi-ethnic churches she’s involved with respond in a season of spotlighted violence. They also reflect on a collection of prayers Dennae wrote in response, Healing Prayers and Meditations to Resist a Violent World, and how to keep moving intentionally toward God’s kingdom when it’s long and hard work.

Have you ever witnessed the loud street preacher or self-proclaimed prophet, standing atop a soap box on a busy street corner? Their message could span a wide range, from the spiritual warnings of the future, to past misdeeds of people, to current displeasures with systems or governments. A group of friends and I have recently walked by one such gentleman and his particular message was promoting angry retribution for people who have committed particular crimes.

In 2018, Lauren Daigle, the sensational contemporary Christian singer, captured the hearts of many with the release of her second album, Look Up Child. There is one song in Lauren’s album, which not only brought me life, but consequently, gifted me with a renewed sense of perspective in terms of how Christians ought to respond when it comes to the issue of the death penalty, and that is the opening song of the album – “Still Rolling Stones.” 

When someone is arrested, convicted of a crime and given a sentence of greater than two years, they are given a Federal Prison System Number (FPS #). In some ways they are given a new name, but in other ways their name is taken from them. True of other institutions in our world, people can lose their given identity and become just another number. 

In our society of increasingly complex webs of relationships, systems of governments and institutions -- shalom, or the way things are supposed to be -- seems increasingly more challenging to envision. There has never been as much history as there is in the present.

The last few weeks have been both difficult and inspiring, challenging and moving.  An apocryphal saying attributed to African theologian and bishop Augustine of Hippo says that ‘hope has two beautiful daughters.

Let’s think about Saul.  He was on his way to Damascus, acting as a leader in the movement for his people. For his God.