What do prison writers have to teach us about the intimate love of God?
Maybe, everything. March’s issue on Prison Writers features theological musings on a few notable individuals whose experiences in prison have profoundly shaped their understanding of the Christian faith. In his opening meditation, Lutheran chaplain Donald Stoesz reflects on his work with inmates whose lives reveal a rich spirituality that manifests in the wake of radical suffering. Our second feature is by J. Ryan Smith, who writes of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s final days leading up to his execution. Immediately following Smith’s piece is a striking photograph by R. Susan Smandych, capturing the violent realities of those imprisoned in and around Jerusalem. Finally, in via media, Gord Zerbe writes about the resiliency and hope that stemmed from Paul’s experience imprisoned in Ephesus.