Human rights today are generally understood to be rights for individuals. The United Nations defines human rights as “rights inherent to all human beings.” This includes, but is not limited to, “the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression [and] the right to work and education.” Plenty of young people, including myself, are passionate about the concept of human rights. However, many understand this concept as a vague ideal rather than a concrete philosophy. In fact, human rights rhetoric today is often used to shut down, rather than open up, a conversation.  When understood as solely […]

This article is part of Shared Justice’s Second Chance Month series running throughout April and May. This series will explore barriers that returning citizens face upon release from prison, highlight the ways in which government and civil society institutions can respond, and invite our readers to participate in efforts to ensure that returning citizens have the ability to flourish upon reentering society. The American criminal justice system has often failed to treat prisoners and returning citizens as men and women with inherent human dignity. As a Christian who wishes to see all human beings treated as God’s image-bearers, I believe there […]

This article is part of Shared Justice’s Second Chance Month series running throughout April and May. This series will explore barriers that returning citizens face upon release from prison, highlight the ways in which government and civil society institutions can respond, and invite our readers to participate in efforts to ensure that returning citizens have the ability to flourish upon reentering society. April is Second Chance Month, which presents an opportunity for Christians to enter into a season of prayerful reflection and embodied citizenship on the complex subject of criminal justice reform. It is important to consider the right roles and […]

Fairness for All: A Better Way than the Equality Act PJR Vol. 9, Issue 3, 2019, Fairness for All: Does Supporting Religious Freedom Require Opposition to LGBT Civil Rights? Stanley Carlson-Thies is the founder and senior director of the Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance (IRFA), a division of the Center for Public Justice. Editor’s Note: The following piece was first published in the e – News of the Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance, and is being republished as a companion piece to the 2019 Kuyper Lecture given by Shapri LoMaglio on April 25, 2019, Dr. Stanley Carlson – Thies discusses The Equality Act which was […]

In April of 2017, Prison Fellowship launched Second Chance Month—a nationwide campaign to highlight and address the obstacles that formerly incarcerated individuals face over the course of their lives after being released from prison. Since then, several states and over 200 organizations and businesses have made public statements affirming their support of April as Second Chance Month. In the last two years, the Trump administration has also declared April as Second Chance month. “1 in 3 individuals have a criminal record In the United States, more than 70 million people—roughly one in three individuals—have a criminal record, which often creates barriers […]