Ephesians 5:18, 'do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.'
I have a young man who is currently being held at the Baltimore City Correctional Center on a DUI Vehicular Manslaughter conviction. He had been sober for 7 years, active in AA, and attending church before he went off the rails and began drinking again. Two weeks later he was involved in a car accident, while he was drunk, that killed a young woman.
The consequences for the woman who was killed, her family, and the community are horrific. Also, for this young man, incarceration is the least of the consequences. The guilt and shame associated with his actions may never be shaken. I know that God forgives him, but can he forgive himself? At unCUFFED we grieve with the victims of crime, but we also focus on changing the hearts of the perpetrators. If a criminal cannot seek forgiveness from their victims, understand the pain caused for his own family, and go to God to receive and accept His forgiveness he will most likely reoffend causing even more societal damage.
This is why we serve. unCUFFED is not recommending the dissolution of prisons or the removal of the temporal consequences of sin but we know that any sinner can be restored and redeemed, having their eternity secured and becoming a contributing member of society while incarcerated and when released. In Maryland ‘Homicide by motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol’ does not lead to a life sentence so young men like my friend at Baltimore City Correctional Center are coming home. The question is will they be restored while incarcerated or made worse.
In all cases, we love the unlovable, knowing that they are created in God’s image and worthy of salvation. We never dismiss sin, we talk about accepting responsibility, seeking forgiveness, changed behavior and the effects their actions have had on society. We understand that sin and crime have consequences but still we love.
Ephesians 5:18, 'do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.'
I have a young man who is currently being held at the Baltimore City Correctional Center on a DUI Vehicular Manslaughter conviction. He had been sober for 7 years, active in AA, and attending church before he went off the rails and began drinking again. Two weeks later he was involved in a car accident, while he was drunk, that killed a young woman.
The consequences for the woman who was killed, her family, and the community are horrific. Also, for this young man, incarceration is the least of the consequences. The guilt and shame associated with his actions may never be shaken. I know that God forgives him, but can he forgive himself? At unCUFFED we grieve with the victims of crime, but we also focus on changing the hearts of the perpetrators. If a criminal cannot seek forgiveness from their victims, understand the pain caused for his own family, and go to God to receive and accept His forgiveness he will most likely reoffend causing even more societal damage.
This is why we serve. unCUFFED is not recommending the dissolution of prisons or the removal of the temporal consequences of sin but we know that any sinner can be restored and redeemed, having their eternity secured and becoming a contributing member of society while incarcerated and when released. In Maryland ‘Homicide by motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol’ does not lead to a life sentence so young men like my friend at Baltimore City Correctional Center are coming home. The question is will they be restored while incarcerated or made worse.
In all cases, we love the unlovable, knowing that they are created in God’s image and worthy of salvation. We never dismiss sin, we talk about accepting responsibility, seeking forgiveness, changed behavior and the effects their actions have had on society. We understand that sin and crime have consequences but still we love.
I have a young man who is currently being held at the Baltimore City Correctional Center on a DUI Vehicular Manslaughter conviction. He had been sober for 7 years, active in AA, and attending church before he went off the rails and began drinking again. Two weeks later he was involved in a car accident, while he was drunk, that killed a young woman.
The consequences for the woman who was killed, her family, and the community are horrific. Also, for this young man, incarceration is the least of the consequences. The guilt and shame associated with his actions may never be shaken. I know that God forgives him, but can he forgive himself? At unCUFFED we grieve with the victims of crime, but we also focus on changing the hearts of the perpetrators. If a criminal cannot seek forgiveness from their victims, understand the pain caused for his own family, and go to God to receive and accept His forgiveness he will most likely reoffend causing even more societal damage.
This is why we serve. unCUFFED is not recommending the dissolution of prisons or the removal of the temporal consequences of sin but we know that any sinner can be restored and redeemed, having their eternity secured and becoming a contributing member of society while incarcerated and when released. In Maryland ‘Homicide by motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol’ does not lead to a life sentence so young men like my friend at Baltimore City Correctional Center are coming home. The question is will they be restored while incarcerated or made worse.
In all cases, we love the unlovable, knowing that they are created in God’s image and worthy of salvation. We never dismiss sin, we talk about accepting responsibility, seeking forgiveness, changed behavior and the effects their actions have had on society. We understand that sin and crime have consequences but still we love.