Isaac Villegas guest preaches in our ongoing sermon series “I’m not so sure about that” on the topic of pacifism. Isaac explores the concept of peace through the lens of prisons. Using the above passage in Jeremiah, Isaac compares the exile of jews in Babylon to the exile that takes place within modern prisons as well as the awkward position that pacifists are confronted with regarding the part of current society that we do not have the power to change: We depend on prisons to protect society from violence even as prisons themselves commit violence on their occupants and even preserves the institution of slavery. Isaac Villegas tells us stories of his and others’ experiences working in prisons to help us understand the intractable complexity of living out pacifism in such an environment, searching for the acceptance of things we cannot control while seeking out opportunities to change whatever we can to bring the kingdom of God here on earth.
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