pickOutstanding. Gilliard builds a solid case for Christians to support people who are incarcerated-advocate, work, visit them, not spiritualize them or Jesus‘ references to prisoners. He also points out how US Christians have failed incarcerated people through narrow-minded theology and an unwillingness to show love, not to mention denying God‘s love and grace for all people. Highly recommended.
“The church must divorce itself from partisan politics, reclaim its prophetic zeal, and renew its commitment to subverting the power of empire.” 🔥🔥🔥
“God is actively restoring all things, including fallible people like you and me, as well as those we sometimes mistakenly believe are beyond the point of redemption.”
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
“Largely because of this penalty-centered view of justice, Western Christianity‘s understanding of justice has become intrinsically intertwined with state law. Due to the complex and historic relationship between church and state in our nation, there is little distinction between committing a sin against God and committing a crime against the state.” Woah. The connection that Gilliard is making in chapter 9 is blowing my mind.
Rethinking Incarceration: Advocating for Justice That Restores | 
