The modern restorative justice movement, perhaps one of the most important social movements of our time, was born in a Christian home to Christian parents, specifically to Christian peace workers striving to put their faith into action in the public arena. The first major book on the subject was written primarily for a church audience and drew deeply on biblical themes and values. But as restorative justice has moved into the mainstream of criminological thought and policy, the significance of its originating spiritual impulse has been minimized or denied, and subsequent theological scholarship has done little to probe the relevance of restorative perspectives for doctrine and discipleship.
In this collection of essays, Christopher D. Marshall, a biblical scholar and restorative practitioner who has devoted his career to exploring the relationship between the two fields, considers how peacemaking Christians can honor the witness and authority of Scripture, including its apparently violence-endorsing strands, as they strive to join in God’s great work in Christ of “reconciling to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross” (Col 1:20).
Professor Chris Marshall is currently holder of the Diana Unwin Chair in Restorative Justice in the School of Government, at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Prior to taking up this post in 2014, he was the St John's Professor of Christian Theology and Head of the School of Art History, Classics and Religious Studies at Victoria University. Before that he taught New Testament for 19 years at Laidlaw College in Auckland, during which time he wrote Kingdom Come for use by his students.
In addition to Kingdom Come (1990), Marshall is author of Faith As A Theme In Mark's Gospel (Cambridge University Press, 1989), Beyond Retribution: A New Testament Vision For Justice, Crime, and Punishment (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2001), Crowned With Glory And Honor: Human Rights In The Biblical Tradition (Pandora Press, 2001), Little Book Of Biblical Justice (Good Books, 2005) and Compassionate Justice: An Interdisciplinary Dialogue with Two Gospel Parables on Law, Crime, and Restorative Justice (Cascade: Wipf & Stock, 2012).
Willard Swartley is dean and professor of New Testament at the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Indiana. He has been a Bible teacher in congregational settings and church-wide conferences, in both North America and overseas. His special interests are in the Gospels, the peace teaching of the Bible, and biblical interpretation. He is a graduate of Eastern Mennonite College (BA), Goshen Biblical Seminary (BD), and Princeton Theological Seminary (1973 PhD).
Swartley is the New Testament editor for the Believers Church Bible Commentery Series and New Testament editor for a book series on Studies in Peace and Scripture. Swartley earlier taught at Eastern Mennonite University and served as interim dean there also. He directed the AMBS Institute of Mennonite Studies from 1979-88. He also taught at Goshen College, Eastern Mennonite College and Seminary, and at Conrad Grebel College.
Among Swartley's publications are
Mark: The Way for All Nations (Herald Press, 1979, rev. 1981);
Slavery, Sabbath, War and Women: Case Issues in Biblical Interpretation (Herald Press, 1983); editor of
Essays on Biblical Interpretation: Anabaptist Mennonite Perspectives (IMS, 1984);
Israel's Scripture Traditions and the Synoptic Gospels: Story Shaping Story (Hendrickson, 1994); and co-editor, with Donald Kraybill, of
Building Communities of Compassion (Herald Press, 1988).
