We are working with about 8 professional photographers and photojournalists, some pretty high-profile (Nat’l geo, Newsweek, best-selling authors, etc). In the visual peacemakers community will be hundreds, maybe thousands more who share the convictions of our ethical code and who aspire to make a living as photogs.

Our idea came from these ideas about the “othering” that creates distance and the current slew of media slander and lack of accountability in images. We’re passionate about a term we use often, “common humanity.” It seems Dr. Zehr would also value that term in visual communication.

Our vision is:

“We are visual communicators devoted to peacemaking and breaking down stereotypes by displaying the beauty and dignity of various cultures around the world.”

Our staff is Americans, most of which are now living in Turkey, getting our own experience of closing the social distance between people like us from the West and this unique Turkish Muslim culture. Once the site is live and our business is officially off the ground, we are planning to form relationships with Turks so that we might partner with them in this restorative process.

I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Visit the site. Email me: mario.mattei@visualpeacemakers.org

I recently discovered and read your Blog on God’s Justice – Punishment or Restoration? posted March 30, 2009. Your conclusion interested me:

“Biblical justice is shaped by God’s intention for humanity: that we might live in what the Biblical writers call shalom – in right relationship with one another, the creation, the Creator. What matters about wrongdoing is that it harms these right relationships. What justice requires is that conditions for shalom be created or restored.”

“God is a God of love, a God who never gives up on us. That’s the essence of the biblical story.”

I say, “Amen!” to that. I would only add that included in that love and patience is God’s forgiveness. In fact, his justice IS his unconditional love and forgiveness. And I think that saying so can empower the restoration we look and hope for!

I found your post while checking the web for anything on my current interest: God’s Humanitarian Justice. I like your term, “restorative.” My concentration is on God’s unconditional love and forgiveness with no strings attached, no “if you do…then I will…” and certainly no payback at all. It is that pure clarion call that I think has the power to restore relationships. I think we need to forget about a relationship with a sky-god above and beyond our relationship with each other. I think God can be found in a loving horizontal human relationship. I think that once this scandalous (by our “payback” standards) humanitarian justice of God is clearly proclaimed, and finally heard and realized, (DUH! What a Jerk I have been to you when I …!), not only is a behavioral turn-around (repentance) inevitable, but the “wrong-doing” is no longer an issue. (Forgiveness offered – forgiveness received – shalom – welcome home to the party!) To be sure, it may take “seventy times seven” or even more of these pure declarations to finally see and experience the “shalom” or restoration. I do not think there is room in this process for finding fault, blaming, shaming, social distancing, othering, punishing, etc. I think a clear example of “shalom” behavior, unconditional love and forgiveness, in the face of wrong-doing, is the real teacher. Any further comparison of right and wrong behavior is really counter-productive toward changing the issue at hand. Such comparisons can be made as preventive maintenance measures during times totally unrelated to a specific wrong-doing by the “student.”

You have encouraged me to think more about the wrongdoing of those who seem to despise this call, those who will not turn around and come home to shalom, those who would not think twice about beating, robbing, and even killing us. Right now, all I can say is that the government’s justice is certainly not kind and merciful whether used a deterrent or as punishment. And who will go to declare the scandalous gracious news of God to those being punished in prison?

I am very thankful for finding your Blog, Dr. Zehr, and the thoughtful comments of your readers are helpful to me as well. Unlike you, I still have not learned the skill of presenting where I am in my journey without sounding judgmental at times. Never-the-less, I risk releasing my Blog to you and your readers for your consideration and comment. I promise to listen and learn if you are willing to teach.

My Blog:

Henry Hasse

Within the setting of restorative justice work, there may be another important area where othering can happen beyond working with clients, and how clients view each other. I have experienced the potential for RJ workers (including myself over the years) to ‘other’ various referral agencies. We want to have them give cases ‘to’ us, because we will do things differently, do things better. The so-called system is other than us.

But the longer I am in this field, the more I want to do cases ‘with’ the folks in those referring agencies. Real partnership is more than a hand-off, just as real humanitarian partnership is more than a hand-out. It involves ongoing relationship, working with folks to the point where there is a two-way street of giving and taking. This is similar to the reciprocal empathy that can happen between victims and offenders when they truly connect. It’s a two-way connection.

So as I continue to work with professionals in schools, police departments, corrections, etc., my guiding question is how can I best work with them on a given case. How can they be engaged, take part in aspects of a resolution process, and learn about outcomes? Could an officer serve as a community member in a conference? This all leads to their empowerment, just as we want to empower victims and offenders to be fully engaged.

And what if we face someone within a traditional agency that is resistant to our work, perhaps an obstacle to our work? The temptation to ‘other’ them can certainly rise up. But if we understand what Thomas Merton meant (within his writings about activist work for peace and justice), we live with the fact that within us, too, are “seeds of destruction.” In our humanity, we share common ground with our enemy, and this honesty allows us to offer bridgework toward them in spite of the walls presented against us. One could start getting theological at this point.

Thanks, Howard, for your words.

Ted Lewis
Executive Director for Barron County Restorative Justice Programs