Prison and the people incarcerated there elicit a feeling of shame and being an outcast. Prisoners are also considered as condemned persons for being imprisoned. In fact, many people wish they could be tagged or marked on the forehead to prevent them from mingling with normal human beings. This mentality holds until you read through the chapters of Naked as a Jailbird. It gives you a view of prison and life behind bars that you never thought existed.
The author is Richard Shaw, a chaplain who has a responsibility to minister in prisons. However, for him it is more than a ministry. It is a calling that makes him different from all other chaplains who might be given the responsibility. Every minute spent with these incarcerated human beings points at a different experience about salvation, God and humanity.
It is not lost to Richard Shaw that the society labels these prisoners as criminals, outcasts and person who deliberately got themselves in the mess. It is only when you spend time with them that you realize that there is more to their lives than being criminals. Many people will not believe that some are innocent. Others think that this claim is made to justify incarceration. Richard Shaw has a different story to tell.
Prison life has been portrayed in movies and books as harsh as well as unbearable. It is a situation where peace is not existent. This is the environment that religious leaders are expected to spread the God News. It leaves you wondering what the definition of hope is in an environment where you await death. A minister has problems talking about repentance and forgiveness.
Is prison ministry for everyone and can one approach the ministry like you would ministry to ordinary citizens? This is a tough question to answer. The people who are imprisoned are different from those who are roaming freely around. It takes special grace to deal with some of the stories you will encounter in these prison facilities. According to Shaw, you need special grace to minister in this environment.
The author questions the role played by prisons in the society and world today. They are supposed to be agents of change, yet this is not demonstrated in what one finds with imprisoned people. In fact, the writer points out that people change as soon as the reality strikes that they are imprisoned. However, they are never accorded the benefit of living the change outside. This makes prison a gate to eternal condemnation, an aspect that is not part of their foundation principle.
The author chose the name Naked for a reason. It shows that prisoners are stripped to the last cloth, an exercise that takes place at the gate. One wonders what else is taken away from them. According to the author, the person who goes inside prison will never come out. A different one walks out of those gates, Naked.
The book is a quick read that will transform your idea of prison life. It will surprise you that prison warders and other staff could be in greater prisons than the actual prisoners. What about ministering in prison? The answer lies deep in the paragraphs.
The author is Richard Shaw, a chaplain who has a responsibility to minister in prisons. However, for him it is more than a ministry. It is a calling that makes him different from all other chaplains who might be given the responsibility. Every minute spent with these incarcerated human beings points at a different experience about salvation, God and humanity.
It is not lost to Richard Shaw that the society labels these prisoners as criminals, outcasts and person who deliberately got themselves in the mess. It is only when you spend time with them that you realize that there is more to their lives than being criminals. Many people will not believe that some are innocent. Others think that this claim is made to justify incarceration. Richard Shaw has a different story to tell.
Prison life has been portrayed in movies and books as harsh as well as unbearable. It is a situation where peace is not existent. This is the environment that religious leaders are expected to spread the God News. It leaves you wondering what the definition of hope is in an environment where you await death. A minister has problems talking about repentance and forgiveness.
Is prison ministry for everyone and can one approach the ministry like you would ministry to ordinary citizens? This is a tough question to answer. The people who are imprisoned are different from those who are roaming freely around. It takes special grace to deal with some of the stories you will encounter in these prison facilities. According to Shaw, you need special grace to minister in this environment.
The author questions the role played by prisons in the society and world today. They are supposed to be agents of change, yet this is not demonstrated in what one finds with imprisoned people. In fact, the writer points out that people change as soon as the reality strikes that they are imprisoned. However, they are never accorded the benefit of living the change outside. This makes prison a gate to eternal condemnation, an aspect that is not part of their foundation principle.
The author chose the name Naked for a reason. It shows that prisoners are stripped to the last cloth, an exercise that takes place at the gate. One wonders what else is taken away from them. According to the author, the person who goes inside prison will never come out. A different one walks out of those gates, Naked.
The book is a quick read that will transform your idea of prison life. It will surprise you that prison warders and other staff could be in greater prisons than the actual prisoners. What about ministering in prison? The answer lies deep in the paragraphs.
About the Author:
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