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Faith Behind Bars
By John W. Kennedy | April 24, 2008
I like going to prison whenever I have the opportunity to visit Christian inmates, as I did recently in Malvern, Ark. (see this coming Sunday’s issue of TPE). The time inside the walls never fails to lift my spirits.
I come away heartened by the faith of men who are living disciplined spiritual lives. They spend great amounts of time reading the Word of God, praying and memorizing Scripture, often at the risk of being harassed by fellow inmates.
The genuine fellowship that I sense when part of their meetings, whether worship services or Bible studies, shows that it’s possible to have freedom in Christ even behind bars.
Yet I also leave these gatherings saddened. Because I know that most Christians on the outside don’t live like this. Our church services often lack the worship with abandon visible in the penitentiary. Our Bible studies or small groups frequently fail to achieve the level of transparency evident in prison.
Of course men in these congregations live in each other’s company around the clock. It’s easier to be accountable to someone if you see them more than an hour on Sunday morning. Most of us on the outside are diverted in our Christian walk by daily distractions: entertainment choices, the presidential race, our favorite sports team, the desire to get ahead economically.
I’ve interviewed murderers on death row in Missouri, Nebraska and Louisiana—men who have committed their lives to Jesus—and their close walk with the Lord has put me to shame. On the recent Arkansas trip I interviewed a rapist who had the joy of the Lord and assurance that his sin had been forgiven. God impressed upon me that He loved that man just as He loved me. Likewise, my sins, while not felonies, are no less vile than his were if unconfessed.
Christian literature is in scarce supply in many prisons. If you would like to help buy copies of TPE for inmates, hit this link:
Topics: prison |