Wednesdays of Anguish?

So...what's with the title of my blog? At least, this is the question I am anticipating being asked. Well, to answer this question I imagine people will ask: I decided to start a blog reflecting on my experiences in a class at Columbia Theological Seminary, The Cross and the State. This class meets on Wednesdays from 1:30-4:30 and examines the dimensions of the U.S. carceral state and possible alternatives to the current carceral state while reflecting biblically and theologically on the ways Christians and the church might faithfully engage with prisoners, their families, and their communities. The reason I call it "Wednesdays of Anguish" is simply because the prison system in the U.S. causes me great anguish. I understand and agree that something needs to be done about law-breaking and violent crime, but the realities of long-term imprisonment and the death penalty break my heart, and I think they break God's, too.



Two things are on my mind today as I am reflecting upon where this class will lead me:

1. This story on CNN.com about a boy named Jordan
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/02/10/pennsylvania.young.murder.defendant/index.html

2. Luke 4: 16-20
"When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.' And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all the synagogue were fixed on him."

Also, my friend Will and others may be responding to my posts on this blog and we embark on a journey of theological dialogue about our experiences in the Cross and the State this semester.