Living Restoratively

It is one thing to embrace the idea of restorative justice and another to live it. The following articles explore this problem and suggest ways to do both.

FaithCARE: Creating restorative congregations

from the article by Joshua Wachtel on the IIRP website: ....FaithCARE—Faith Communities Affirming Restorative Experiences — grew from a two-day retreat in 2007 that explored the possibilities for employing restorative practices in a faith-community context. Following the retreat, the group, including restorative justice pioneers Mark Yantzi and the late Rev. Stu Schroeder, as well as others still involved in the project, formed a steering committee to develop operational concepts for resolving conflict in churches and find ways to use restorative processes for decision making and relationship building in faith communities.

Should DUI mug shots be on Facebook?

from Johnathan Kana's entry on ThinkChristian.net: Shame has its proper place, of course. Until we experience shame, deep remorse for our deeds is impossible and enduring reform is unlikely. But shame as a noun is quite a different thing from shame as a verb. The former is not induced by the latter. Good shame is advanced through acts of love, not acts of retribution. I am therefore highly skeptical of whether publicly shaming DUI offenders will actually save many lives. Even supposing such a measure might prove effective, though, I fear the collateral damage done to offenders’ friends and family may be too high a price to pay. And from the sounds of it, a “party city” like Huntington Beach would not be able to maintain a shame culture for very long. Within months there would be dozens or more photos posted, and it is difficult to publicly shame someone when his face becomes lost in an ever-widening crowd.

By No Means Easy: Responding to Conflict in Personal Life

“I’m glad we went through that process before he died,” I recently told my pastor. Jay had been speaking of the death of a long-time member who had participated in a number of church conflicts over the years. The process I referred to was a series of meetings with the individual to discuss the impact of letters he had sent during the past two years to the entire congregation on several contentious issues. These letters created various harms to individual church members as well as to the church family in general. In reflecting on the loss of Mr. M., I couldn’t help but feel that the meetings provided an avenue for church leadership to both express care for him and be open to listening to his positions and the concerns behind them.

Servant leadership, restorative justice and forgiveness

from Shere McClamb's blog The Webmaster's Corner: The terms of servant-leadership, restorative justice, and forgiveness depend on one another, they are all interdependent but not interchangeable. To be a Servant Leader one must believe that justice must be restorative, and must have the capacity to forgive those who trespass against others. Being a servant to those you serve is paramount to evolving into a servant leader. Restorative justice requires the capacity for forgiveness on levels only those who choose to serve their fellow man can embrace.

Ballot, Jordan J.. To reform or to abolish? Christian perspectives on punishment, prison, and restorative justice.

In this Essay, I will attempt to fill in a gap in preceding studies of restorative justice by paying special attention to the religious, most specifically to the Christian, perspectives on restorative justice. I will show that it is more accurate to speak of a plurality of restorative justice movements than of a unified and univocal restorative justice movement, particularly with respect to the variety of Christian approaches. (7) In delineating the various Christian perspectives on restorative justice, I will use as a primary litmus test the various figures' attitudes toward government coercion and punishment, most particularly with regard to incarceration, detention, and imprisonment. Attitudes toward prison provide an excellent way to map out the restorative justice landscape. Other types of punishment, such as the death penalty, are less helpful in getting at the crux of the disagreements and distinctive elements of each position, simply because there is so much agreement about the non-restorative nature of such sanctions. An expression representative of the general consensus is given by Howard Zehr: "'Restorative' has become such a popular term that many acts and efforts are being labeled 'restorative,' but in fact they are not. Some of these might be rescued. Others cannot. The death penalty, which causes additional and irreparable harm, is one of the latter." (8) Imprisonment can be seen both as the most serious regular form of non-capital punishment and as the factor that undergirds the efficacy of the entire criminal justice system, and therefore makes a most useful point of reference. (excerpt)

Stassen, Glen H.. Living the Sermon on the Mount: A Practical Hope for Grace and Deliverance.

In Living the Sermon on the Mount, theologian and award-winning author Glen H. Stassen helps us to see that the revolutionary ideas in the sermon on the Mount about loving and caring for each other, living in peace, and acting justly are not unattainable ideals but a recipe for wholeness and healing in our human relationships and deliverance from the vicious cycles that we get stuck in. (publisher's description)

Leverton, Reed. “Today you will be with me in paradise.”1 – The Case for Consideration of Restorative Justice as a Component of Christian Doctrine.

The scope of this essay is limited to a discussion of Restorative Justice as a different way of looking at the traditional view of criminal justice, as well as how and why its fundamental goals of encounter, amends, reintegration and inclusion combine to make it far more compatible with Christian doctrine than our present approach to crime and its consequences. The paper is conceptual in nature, and due to space limitations does not address specific procedures or modalities, nor does it provide a detailed comparison of the prevalent theories as to how criminal behavior should be addressed. Finally, the fact that it is written from a Christian viewpoint is in no way intended to be exclusionary; i.e., Restorative Justice has application beyond Judeo-Christian tradition;3 this paper just happens to be written from that perspective. (excerpt)

. How to forgive...when you don't feel like it.

When someone hurts us, our natural response is to strike back. Rather than forgive, we want to return the pain and suffering. Rather than let go, we cling to our rocks of resentment, our bitterness. The result? We struggle under the weight of our grievances -- all because we find it too hard to forgive. (publisher's description)

Marsh, Charles and Perkins, John. Welcoming justice: God's movement toward beloved community.

Historian and theologian Charles Marsh partners with veteran activist John Perkins to chronicle God's vision for a more equitable and just world. Perkins reflects on his long ministry and identifies key themes and lessons he has learned, and Marsh highlights the legacy of Perkin's work in American society. Together they show how abandoned places are being restored, how divisions are being reconciled, and what individuals and communities are now doing to welcome peace and justice. (Publisher's description)

Johnson, Kenneth D. Enemies, Foes, and Retributive and Restorative Justice in the Domestic and International Context

In this paper, Kenneth Johnson responds to James Johnson’s paper, “Can force be used justly? Questions of retributive and restorative justice.â€? Both papers were contributions to the 2001 Kuyper Lecture at Gordon College, Wenham, Massachusetts. K. Johnson states he is largely in agreement with J. Johnson’s criticism of an uncritical Christian pacifism. Thus, K. Johnson believes that the Bible morally permits, and even commands, the use of force under certain conditions, though he readily admits the moral ambiguities of force may make matters worse despite good intentions and extensive planning. In this framework K. Johnson examines the moral aspects of the use of force in relation to the administration of justice, domestically and internationally, with particular attention to retributive and restorative justice.

Heise, Evan. The Roots of Restorative Justice in the Christian Faith Tradition

Evan Heise states that restorative justice practice in Canada and the United States is firmly rooted in the Christian faith tradition. This tradition arise from the Law and the Prophets of the Old Testament, the teachings of Jesus, and the understanding and practice of the early church. On this basis, Heise presents and examines several roots of restorative justice in that tradition: covenant law; true worship; the wrath of God, suffering, and forgiveness; God’s community; and community justice and biblical justice.

Heise, Evan. Spiritual roots of restorative justice- A Christian perspective

In this essay, Evan Heise states that restorative justice practice in Canada and the United States is rooted in the Christian tradition. This tradition is rooted in the Law and Prophets of the Old Testament, the teachings of Jesus, and the understanding and practice of the early Church. To explicate the sources of restorative justice in this tradition, Heise examines the covenant law of the Old testament and the teachings of Jesus; God’s wrath, punishment, and retribution in relation to the gospel of grace; and secular and Biblical conceptions of community, with emphasis on community in relation to restorative justice and the Kingdom of God.

Van Ness, Daniel W. The Role of the Church in Criminal Justice Reform

Addressing a forum on restorative justice with participants from diverse perspectives, Daniel Van Ness focuses on the role of the Christian Church in criminal justice reform, particularly reform oriented around restorative justice. Asserting that any successful reform movement in a democracy must be presented in terms that will include people from a wide variety of belief systems, he poses two questions. Why should the Church play a role in the restorative justice movement? If the Church should play a role, what role can it play? To answer these questions, Van Ness explores the past record of the Church with respect to criminal justice and criminal justice reform, reasons why many Christians oppose criminal justice reform, reasons why Christians should support criminal justice reform, and ways in which the Church can play a vital role in reform.

Oxford Youth Works. Restoring justice

In discussing restorative justice, this article begins with the claim that for Christians their relationship with God -characterized by repentance and forgiveness- should be the model for their relationships with others. Yet this is often not the case, especially in relation to people who commit crimes. With this in view, and to develop an argument for restoring justice, the writer of the article looks at crime and punishment, Biblical justice and a Biblical model for a justice system, and the practical work of Oxford Youth Works, a Christian youth work organization in England.

McElrea, F W M. A Christian approach to conflict resolution.

In this address, Judge F. W. M. McElrea looks specifically at mediation and at restorative justice as a New Testament or Christian approach to conflict resolution. He provides several reasons for this characterization of restorative justice: (1) its rejection of legalism and formalism is akin to the thought and spirit of the New Testament; (2) it allows a place for grace; (3) it expresses other Christian values or makes possible their expression; (4) it reflects a partnership model rather than a dominator model; and (5) Christians are called to avoid revenge, thus leaving judgment to God.

Church Council on Justice and Corrections. Is crime a faith issue?

Some people may consider crime to be essentially a socio-political issue, with faith having little role to play in understanding it or devising a response to it. In this short piece, the Church Council on Justice and Corrections states fundamental reasons why crime is truly a faith issue. Those reasons primarily have to do with the harm caused by crime to people, relationships, and communities, with the subsequent need for people and communities to experience healing and restoration, spiritually and materially

Mackey, V. Doing justice

To assist churches and church people to respond faithfully to those hurt by crime and those who perpetrate crime, Mackey explores the Jewish and Christian faith traditions. In particular she reflects on Scriptural perspectives of justice in terms of certain visual images – scales, rods, compassionate intervention, and prevention of violence. She continues by discussing Scriptural perspectives on justice and restorative values. This leads to comments on restorative justice and the roles of people of faith, with specific attention to basic criminal justice issues such as the death penalty, victims’ issues, expansion of prison, and sentencing issues.

. Social justice handbook: Small steps for a better world.

Mae Elise Cannon provides a comprehensive resource for Christians committed to social justice. She presents biblical rationale for justice and explains a variety of Christian approaches to doing justice. Tracing the history of Christians in social engagement, she lifts out role models and examples from the Great Awakeings to the civil rights movement. A wide-ranging catalog of topics gives background information about justice issues at home and abroad. (publisher's description)

Northey, Wayne. Transformative Justice Vision and Spirituality.

The defining religious ethos of Western spirituality historically has been Christianity. Christianity has also being the reigning ideology in the West until into the nineteenth century. While it is salutary to discuss other world spiritualities with reference to Western penal law, no other religion or spirituality has remotely impacted the formation of the Western Legal tradition like Christianity. Harold's Berman's magisterial Law and Revolution (1983/1997) describes this interaction of law and Christianity as centrally formative to the Western Legal system. The Spiritual Roots of Restorative Justice (Hadley, 2001) points towards a vision of penal abolition and transformative justice. It presents a religious pluralistic vision and is highly recommended. But given the unmatched dominance of Christianity in influencing the development of the Western penal law tradition. I shall concentrate my attention on Christian spirituality and penal abolition. Not to mention that this is a church Sunday School class. While one cannot wish away past, can it be too much to hope that the twenty-first century for Christian spirituality world-wide will be marked but a profound renewed impulse towards peacemaking? Such a world-transforming spirituality has never been more needed. It is the contention of this paper that the Christian story offers a dramatically alternative narrative to that of resort to violence, seen unfortunately so predominantly in Christianity's long history. The story the Christian faith tells is eternal wellspring for the spirituality of nonviolence and penal abolition, however massively unfaithful Christian adherents have been to the plot-line down through the ages.

Church Council on Justice and Corrections. Justice for the Soul.

For people of faith, the subject of crime brings up other related, and quite profund , matters. Crime, and our responses to crime , can get us thinking about suffering, sin, evil, punishement, healing, forgiveness, and so on. Our ideas and experiences of God and church will probably greatly influence our views on criminal justice. (excerpt)