PRISON FELLOWSHIP BLOG: Inside Journal

When I was growing up my father had a favorite saying. “There are two types of people in the world,” he would say, “those who need to share the Gospel, and those who need to hear it. So if you’re not sharing it …”

The words he left unsaid did most of the talking, and I always knew he meant it sincerely.

A version of the following story will be featured in an upcoming Inside Journal, Prison Fellowship’s quarterly newspaper for prisoners. If you would like to view past issues of Inside Journal, or would like to contribute to providing this resource for men and women behind bars, click here.

Answers aren’t always easy to find in prison.

Behind bars, where people search for something to give them purpose and a sense of belonging, many religions and sects peddle their beliefs. In some units, where prisoners have no access to chapel services or other special events, the Truth can be even harder to spot.

We all have a deep need to understand the Gospel in terms that are meaningful to us – that resonate in the deepest part of who we are.

A significant minority of men and women incarcerated in the United States speak Spanish as their primary language.

Prison can be a dark place, full of dangerous personalities and corrosive influences. Inmates who want to follow Christ must fight against a tide that threatens to push them back into old behaviors and thought patterns. Other inmates might be curious about Jesus, but, cynical about the value of “religion,” they balk at the idea of attending a chapel service.

In her mug shot, 24-year-old Karen* looks like a frail child, but she has five young children of her own.