He has showed you, O people, what is good; and what does the LORD require
of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with
your God? (Micah 6:8)
When a harm has been committed, how do we respond as God’s
people?
Typically in our society, when someone has committed harm, we are accustomed
to determining blame, considering the “just deserts” for the
wrongdoer, and doling out the appropriate punishment. Beyond retribution
and punishment, this approach does not fully consider who has been hurt
in the incident, what the needs are to make things right, and what is
a meaningful way to prevent this from happening again. “Restorative
Justice” is a way of addressing harm that holds these considerations
as central. Based in biblical principles of “shalom” (harmony)
and peacemaking, restorative justice seeks to respond to harm in ways
that encourage meaningful accountability, healing, and reconciling relationships
where possible. The Mennonite community has been an active leader in
promoting Restorative justice across the world for the last 30 years.
Is “Restorative Justice” a new idea?
“Restorative Justice” is simply a new name being applied to
an age-old concept and tradition. In the last two decades, this manner
of addressing harm has gained exposure and popularity as people become
increasingly frustrated with the ineffectiveness of the retributive
and punishment-oriented approaches. Restorative justice has been practiced
for centuries across different cultures and faith communities, and may
carry different names such as “Healing Justice”, “Biblical
Justice”, “Transformative Justice”, and “Relational
Justice”. In many indigenous cultures, it is the natural way of
approaching justice issues and does not have any designated name.
How is this Biblically based? What about “an eye for an eye”?
The God of the Bible is a God of “shalom” (peace / right relationship).
He “is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding
in love, and He relents from sending calamity.” (Joel 2:13). Passages
in the Old Testament that suggest vengeance must be read in the greater
context of a merciful and loving God. "To me belong vengeance and
recompense" (Deut. 32:35) and "You shall not take vengeance...but
shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev. 19:18) are themes that
recur frequently in the Old Testament. In addition, the practical intent
and meaning of many Old Testament laws was on limiting retaliation.
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life"
was prescribed as a limitation on retribution and not a command to seek
vengeance.
Into the New Testament, the central message in Jesus Christ is one
of forgiveness and reconciliation: "All this is from God, who through
Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation."
(II Cor 5:18). The Christ who refused to endorse the stoning of the
woman taken in adultery would have us speak to the world of compassion,
not vengeance. Therefore, as people of faith, we can be confident that
the biblical call to justice is a restorative one—one that seeks
both accountability and healing.
How will people learn right from wrong if we don’t focus on punishment?
Don’t there have to be consequences for harmful actions?
Restorative justice is committed to direct accountability and healing
what has been broken, as much as that is possible. In many cases, punishment
is not what is needed to teach right from wrong, but rather helping
the wrongdoer gain greater understanding of the impact of his/her actions.
Certainly, obligations are created when someone has caused harmed, and
those obligations must be met. In doing so, however, the meeting of
obligations must not be imposed as meting out pain for the wrongdoer,
but rather encouraging that person to take responsibility in ways that
address the harm and help prevent further harmful behaviour.
How does RJ apply to church communities?
As God’s people, we are called to be salt and light to the world.
A sincere call from the church to a return to biblical principles of
justice must be made for the current justice system, international and
national conflicts, and at the local levels in our schools and other
community groups. Restorative justice can also be applied when conflict
arises within church congregations or between churches. If we are able
to demonstrate to the world our values of healing and relationship in
the way that we approach conflict, we will be much more effective in
encouraging others to seek meaningful justice that results in peaceful
outcomes.
