Kitty Abenojar April 14, 2019

130024 TH 151 – KK

In Forgiveness and Healing in Prison, Rowan (2018) looks into the role of Christian ministry in
the rehabilitation of inmates who are placed in an environment that often results in the opposite
of rehabilitation for those incarcerated—violence and the eventual return to criminal action once
they are released from prison. Rowan has been part of the Kairos Prison Ministry as a volunteer
for about 20 years already, and this organization’s mission is “to share the transforming love and
forgiveness of Jesus Christ to impact the hearts and lives of incarcerated men, women and youth,
as well as their families, to become loving and productive citizens of their communities” (Kairos
Prison Ministry International, 2019).

Rowan argues that religious conversion allows for self-reflection, forgiveness of the self and
others, gives purpose to their lives, and can help them create a new identity. In prison ministry,
the focus is on forgiveness as a process of healing for the inmate himself, and for his community.
Forgiveness is often unexpected for inmates who have experienced unforgiveness for the longest
time and know only retaliation as a response. They often don’t expect that they will be forgiven,
and are not inclined to forgive.

The Kairos Prison Ministry begins with However, during the “Weekend” which includes talks,
small group conversation, music, and worship, and continues as volunteers have monthly
reunions and weekly gatherings, with the aim of building a community inside the prison to
continue the positive changes that had begun. During the Weekend, the focus is not for inmates
to go and ask for forgiveness from those that they hurt. The focus is first for the inmate to forgive
others who have hurt them, since many come from backgrounds of abuse themselves, and to
forgive themselves as well. They learn that God loves them as they are, despite what they had
done, and from this experience of unexpected forgiveness from God, they can begin to forgive
themselves and they can develop a solid idea of self-worth. This is not only for the individual,
because it is repentance that allows the inmate to realize the connection between themselves and
those they have wronged or have wronged them, while continuing to blame oneself can cut off
connections between themselves and their friends and prevent them from realizing positive
changes. This is because blame or self-hatred can paralyze inmates, because although they see
the harm they have done and some may “hate what they have become”, they can’t see any other
alternative for themselves. The prison ministry provides them the opportunity to see that other
alternative, of having a different life than the one they ended up in, because of the news of God’s
forgiveness. Their “sins can be washed away”, and when they learn that God is not condemning
them for their sins anymore, they are able to stop condemning themselves as well and accept
forgiveness. When they can stop blaming themselves and start self-forgiveness, they can start
anew and turn their life around.

Rowan compares this with conventional self-help approaches, where forgiveness sometimes
becomes mostly about the individual and improving their own health, but these do also create
transformation and should be acknowledged. This kind of therapy, however, does not go as deep
as the transformation and spiritual growth that comes from religious faith, which is introduced
through prison ministry. An important part as well is the formation of a new identity that is
different from the identity developed by exclusion. Many inmates are minorities and have
experienced oppression, being victims before they became perpetrators. Many inmates have
become part of groups that develop their identity by opposing those who are not part of their
group. Religious faith not only brings healing to individuals and communities through
forgiveness and repentance, but also through the formation of new social identities for those who
experience conversion. They regain new meaning to their lives as “agents of God”.

Although the first Weekend is an important step, the forgiveness is just a first part to their
healing. It takes time to have transformational change and have behavioral change. This requires
that inmates remember the wrong they have done, but not to “dwell on the old self”. Their new
identity allows them to continue moving forward, and an important way to do this is when they
listen to each other and share their stories, because it allows for the reinterpretation of memories
which is important in using the remembrance of wrong to begin doing the right.

Rowan concludes his essay by once more comparing religion and psychology: he acknowledges
that both encourage inmates’ self-reflection, and thus, transformation, which is the goal of
ministry workers and psychologists for inmates. However, psychological approaches, he
reiterates, are insufficient, because beyond self-forgiveness which is where psychology ends,
prison ministry can bring them to accept God’s forgiveness and love which is unmatched by
therapy and psychology.

I agree with Rowan, that prison ministry is key to the rehabilitation of inmates and brings to the
table something that conventional therapy cannot provide. Religious faith can bring greater
meaning to inmates’ lives, and the forgiveness that they experience from God can create deeper
transformation than regular therapy and self-reflection could bring. It is also important that a new
identity be formed, and it can be done in a much stronger through prison ministry which also
develops the community and provides that new identity for inmates to turn to instead of their
exclusion based identities. It is also significant to note that the healing which comes from
forgiveness that the inmates experience, where God does not see sin as something to condemn in
them but as a wound to heal (Rowan, 2018), is similar to the stories told about Jesus’ life in the
gospels. His miraculous healings were a result of the release of people from psychosomatic
conditions, caused by their social exclusion, self-loathing or blame, experience of being unable
to escape from their situation or imagine an alternative. This release is a result of his forgiveness
of their sins, which is something inconceivable to the people in Jesus’ ministry. Their experience
of God’s forgiveness resulted in their emotional and physical healing, and in the healing of their
communities who see the work of God in their lives first hand. This is comparable to what
happens in prison ministry, which truly is an extension of what Jesus’ work on earth was. In
prison ministry, the opportunity to learn about and receive God’s grace is transformational and
brings hope and healing to people who need it the most. Despite the harsh environment of prison,
religious faith can provide the option for a new life, a new community, a better environment for
the inmates to thrive and grow as people, just as Jesus would have wanted. This reflects the
preferential option for the poor that God has a desires all of his people to have, as Christians who
follow in Jesus’ steps, walking the way that he would walk. This is not only for the ministers, but
also the inmates themselves whose lives are transformed and who turn to following Jesus,
through prison ministry.
References:

"Kairos Prison Ministry." Kairos Prison Ministry. N.p., 2019. Web. 14 Apr. 2019.

Rowan, F. (2018). Forgiveness and Healing in Prison. Interpretation, 72(3), 293

303. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020964318766298