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tians, can do to relieve the suffering that is caused by and causes crime. I hope the church will again see the conception of justice in the twofold reign of God (sometimes called the two kingdoms doctrine) as the great treasure that it is.
David Ellis, St. Luke Lutheran Church, Beckley,
W.Va.: I’m a clinical psychologist. All around our church, there are these pockets of people doing amazing work. But they’re doing it in isolation, often without the support they need. My hope is that our criminal justice work becomes more unified. … It has the potential to spur so much positive activity.
Linda Manson, St. Michael Lutheran Church, Germantown, Pa.: I serve as admissions adminis- trator for the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, and I work with former offenders going through re-entry. Will this statement help us be more active in visiting people who are incarcerated and in welcoming to our congregations those who are leaving correctional institutions? I hope so. What better way to bring God’s love into the world than to live into Matthew 25. … Our broken criminal justice system is huge and it won’t change overnight, but that should in no way dampen our efforts.
H. Julian Gordy, bishop, South- eastern Synod: I’ve visited people in jail and I’ve been the victim of a crime. Jesus calls us to minister to those who are in prison. I hope this will be a way for our church to speak clearly to the wider culture about a criminal justice system that is well-intentioned and well- founded, but that contains signifi- cant inequities.
Dawn Jeglum Bartusch, Christ Lutheran Church, Valparaiso, Ind.: I’m associate professor of sociology and criminology at Val- paraiso University.
More than anything, I hope the statement inspires people to advo- cate on behalf of victims, offenders and others harmed by crime, and work to impact the decisions of pub- lic officials and legislators who have the power to change areas of broken- ness within the criminal justice sys- tem (e.g., sentencing reform).
Hillary Freeman, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Grand Marais, Minn.: I’m a retired ELCA pastor and the former director of a com- munity justice project with the Min- neapolis Police Department. I hope people will read this draft document and take action, as individuals and congregations. We can’t miss the action part, and that includes rural congregations, not just urban ones.
Cynthia Osborne, Christ Lutheran Church, Baltimore: I serve as chair of the task force. I’m a psychiatric expert, consulting with state departments of correc- tions about effectively responding to inmates with serious psycho- sexual disorders. I hope the statement ... helps people in our congregations to
understand the need for change, not just in the abstract, but that they will be compelled to actively participate by developing new ministries, in creating and guarding a system that is just, balanced and effective in responding to those who do harm and to those harmed.
Steve Rice, pastor of First Lutheran Church, Miles City, Mont.: I serve as religious services coordinator for Pine Hills Youth Correctional Facility. I’m a former police officer and lay judge in Mon- tana. We’ve spent a lot of time iden- tifying the symptoms, but the illness is sin. As the church, we need to provide the theological foundation upon which our members who are involved in the criminal justice sys- tem—from police officers to judges to attorneys to victims to inmates— can build solutions.
Other task force members include Robert Tuttle, a member of Christ Lutheran Church, Washington, D.C., and a law professor at George Washington University; Oliver Brown, an ELCA prison chaplain and member of Zion Lutheran Church, Minersville, Pa.; and David Frederickson, a member of Mount Olive Lutheran Church, Min- neapolis, and a professor at Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minn.
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