Silence in the Face of Injustice: A Vision of Mercy and Hope

By Gary W. Hardy

Sexual violence affects people of every age, gender, ethnicity, spiritual belief, and socio-economic class. Ninety percent of victims know their abuser. No one is immune from having a family member or friend fall prey to some form of sexual abuse. In some ways, these offenses are symptomatic of the ongoing fragmentation of families, the disinteg

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cadmus Publishing
• Release date: Mar 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9781637510674

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Silence

in the Face

of Injustice

A Vision of Mercy and Hope

Gary W. Hardy, PhD

Cadmus Publishing

www.cadmuspublishing.com

Silence in the Face of Injustice

Gary W. Hardy, PhD

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means–electronic, mechanical photocopy, recording or otherwise–without the express permission of the author, except as provided by United States copyright law.

Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New King James Version®, copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc., Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Francisco Moraga

Copyright © Gary W. Hardy PhD, 2021

All rights reserved

ISBN 978-1-63751-067-4

LCCN 2021921061

Foreword

I am a disciple, a follower, of the Lord Jesus Christ; rescued, protected, disciplined, and chastened. I have a tendency to run away from my Father’s house; I often fall down, but I get back up—usually with a lot of help from others. I walk, stumble, run and fall; yet each time, just when everything appears hopeless, His mercy appears. And He leads me on this amazing journey of grace.

I have failed and been cast aside, scorned, reviled, despised, and hated. I have been enslaved, trapped, bound, and often subjected to harsh and brutal control. Yet all of these things, these various trials and difficulties, began before I was arrested and imprisoned. Long before. I enjoyed many liberties before coming to prison, but I was already shackled and chained by sin. Paradoxically, while the prison took my liberty, I found a greater freedom. It is not the freedom of the world, however, but the freedom of the spirit. The freedom of being in Christ that, once obtained, can never be taken away.

In 1979, at twenty-two years of age, I prayed a prayer in the finest Baptist tradition to invite Jesus to come into my heart. I had no desire to follow Him, to deny myself or pick up a cross and follow Him; that wasn’t part of my plan. I became a good church member, attended more services than most people, taught Sunday School when asked, and even served as a deacon in a local church. I considered myself a born-again Christian; and to any outside or casual observer, I performed the part well. Yet I fooled my wife, family, friends, and even myself. In reality, I was nothing but a fraud. My faith—if it indeed could be called faith—was in the church rather than in the true gospel of Jesus Christ.

Yet all of that changed in 2005, when I finally came to Christ rather than inviting him to come into me. When I came to Him in the cold and loneliness of the jail’s suicide watch cell, the Holy Spirit came to me. Everything began changing. All things were becoming new. The things of the world began slowly fading or falling away, while other things were being painfully stripped away. I began hungering and thirsting for more of Christ, for His kingdom and His righteousness. My prison became His palace and the place of my preparation for service.

I believe it is presumptuous and probably blasphemous to believe that anyone may be saved merely by saying a prayer to invite Jesus to come into his or her heart. People who believe and teach such things base their teaching on a single verse, Revelation 3:20: Behold, I (Jesus) stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in to him and dine with him and he with me. This verse (as with many such verses taken out of context) is part of a longer passage of instructions to the church of the Laodiceans. The members of this church had already believed the gospel, they were already disciples; they were simply being challenged for walking in disobedience and being lukewarm in the faith (see Revelation 3:14-22). Unfortunately, such false and misleading teaching permeates modern evangelism and is sadly the primary conversion track for many jail and prison ministries. Consequently, many people—inside and outside of prison—believe they are converted or saved, yet while they may have a form of godliness, they are denied its power. (2 Timothy 3:5) Many good people in the church today believe they are of His flock, yet do not have a real relationship with their Shepherd. Such a false belief is epidemic.

Surveys show that many Americans who identify as Christians rarely experience genuine spiritual transformation. Their spiritual journey generally begins with an awareness of the concept and some concern about the implications of sin, but rarely with any desire to do anything about it. If they attend church, it is often only at Christmas and Easter. While nearly two thirds of Americans describe themselves as Christians, they have no particular spiritual or religious practice.

The remaining one third, in some form or another, identify themselves as being born again, that is they acknowledge that they are sinners, have asked God for forgiveness, and embrace Jesus as their Savior. Many people in this group become immersed in religious activity with the hope of becoming a better person. Approximately 18 percent of all Americans fit this profile. Ten percent more reach the point of spiritual discontent—that is they believe there is something more to the Christian life. But half of these become so overwhelmed that they quit pursuing spiritual things and settle for the life they already have. Overall, this describes 94 percent of the American population. The remaining 6 percent live their lives very differently.

Those who choose to walk further on this spiritual journey—the 6 percent—experience complete brokenness over their own sin and desire to grow spiritually, to be like Christ. The focus and passion of their life is to love God and one another in accordance with Christ’s commandment, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35) Surprisingly, many of these disciples may or may not attend a local church; rather they are the church—the body of Christ. They are more spiritual than religious. They strive to live each day and each moment in accordance with what they say they believe. They are possessed by the Spirit of God, and His indwelling presence guides their thoughts and actions each day. They live a life characterized by fully loving God and each other. No one needs to ask them what they believe; it is evident in what they say and do in their public and private worlds.¹

I began this chapter by claiming to be a disciple—a follower—of the Lord Jesus Christ. I do not practice Christianity, at least not in the commonly understood sense. Rather, I strive to live each day and each moment as a follower of Christ, in fellowship and service with my brothers and sisters and, as one of my good friends describes, as a man whose story is one of the abundance of the mercy and grace of an extraordinary God, in the life of an ordinary man who got himself in an extraordinary amount of trouble.

This book is not written for unbelievers or for the casual Christian; however, if you identify as such, I pray you will continue on the journey that the apostle Paul describes as pressing on towards the goal. If you have not yet experienced brokenness over your own sin and do not have a burning desire to come after Christ, and a willingness to deny self, take up a cross, and follow Him, this book may not be written for you. Yet I invite you to read it anyway. On the other hand, if you are one of the few, the 6 percent, those who love God and are called according to His purpose, then I invite you to prayerfully read this work, chew on it, question it, challenge it, pray about it, and pray about how you may become involved in speaking out—not continuing to remain silent—in the face of injustice. This book is a work of His mercy and grace and a milestone on my journey of faith. May you and each reader be blessed by the contents of this book.

Prologue

Suicide was the only option, or so he thought. After the revelation that a duplicitous and dishonest lifestyle had brought dishonor to his family, divorce from his wife, and dismissal from his employer, and even disenfranchisement from the local church, suicide appeared to be the only reasonable choice and the only possible escape from the shame. He had not intended for things to get this far. Yet driven by his own delusional thoughts, such as No one will ever know, No one needs to know, and It’s no one else’s business, his dishonest and deviant acts had escalated beyond his ability or willingness to control them. He wasn’t just slightly off course; he was drifting, hopelessly lost, and without a functioning moral compass to help find his way back home. He saw no hope of redemption, nor did he imagine that any opportunity for reconciliation or restoration was possible. He saw only the endless pain and suffering, the retribution and revenge of the criminal justice system, and a near certainty of spending the rest of his miserable life in a cold and lonely prison cell. Suicide appeared to be the only reasonable choice.

Three days after a suicide attempt, and in a drug- and alcohol-induced stupor, he awoke in a hospital’s intensive care unit only to be arrested and taken to jail. After enduring the impersonal but invasive processing of the jail’s receiving protocol, he was transferred to the jail’s mental health ward. Stripped of his clothing and given only a small modesty towel, he entered a suicide watch cell. The steel on steel clanging of the closing cell door sent waves of terror and shame rippling through what little was left of his soul. Waves of fear and terror shredded his broken and desperate heart. The weight and hopelessness of the situation came crashing down. He knew the truth: more truth than anyone would ever know. Such knowledge had driven him to attempt suicide. He found himself plunging deeper and deeper into the endless abyss of darkness and despair. Everything was gone. Everything! He was certain that a dishonorable death would be far better than the ultimate reality of life and death in a lonely prison cell.

The mental health ward of the county jail houses prisoners who are (or have been) suicidal and/or are suffering from serious mental illnesses. Inarguably, anyone who considers suicide qualifies as seriously mentally ill. In his heart, it wasn’t so much that he was seriously mentally ill as much as it pained him to admit that he was seriously spiritually ill. Sitting in the suicide watch cell, desperate and alone, he cried out to God, but initially heard nothing in return but silent judgment. The silence was all too frequently shattered by the desperate and painful cries echoing endlessly down the hall from the dozens of other broken and hurting men housed in the jail’s mental health ward.

The years of attending Sunday school, morning and evening church services, and the church’s annual Vacation Bible School, served him well during his time of isolation. Some of the Bible passages he had embedded in his memory now began filling his mind. Might it be that his crying out to God for help was at last being answered? From among these distant memories, he recalled the Shepherd’s Psalm—a Psalm of David when he too was in torment:

The L

ord

is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the L

ord

forever. (Psalms 23:1-6)

Meditating and reflecting on these sacred words while rolling them over and over in his mind brought a peaceful and spiritual rest at last. Fear and dread began melting away. He remembered and recognized that the Lord is, was, and always would be his own personal shepherd. The Shepherd who cares for and protects His sheep. The Shepherd will not allow anything harmful to happen to those whom He loves. They are always under his care. And even when they run away, he relentlessly pursues them, rescuing them, bringing them back into the fold and under the protection of the flock. Slowly a light began shining, even in the deepening despair of his suicide watch cell. His tormented soul began crying out in prayer for the first time in many years. A glimmer of hope appeared. Glimpsing such hope began softening his heart. This softness and openness would eventually bring him to repentance and help change what he thought and how he made decisions.

He did not receive the life sentence he’d expected. Nevertheless, there were severe consequences for his crimes. He received a twenty-year prison sentence to be followed by lifetime probation and was ordered to register as a sex offender. While serving his time and because of the amazing grace of God, he began experiencing hope, and began considering prison as more of an opportunity rather than only a punishment. By God’s grace and favor, he was soon given the opportunity to begin tutoring other prisoners in the prison’s literacy and GED programs. In addition, providential circumstances opened other doors, allowing him to renew his own academic pursuits and to begin earnestly studying the Scriptures.

This book and ministry is the fruit of that grace. I am the man who thought suicide was the only option. I am the one who gave up on life, only to have God "…[deliver] me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a broad place (prison); He delivered me because he delighted in me." (Psalms 18:17-19)

This book is all about grace—the grace God gives to His children, empowering us to be who He calls us to be, and to do what He calls us to do, according to His purpose and for His glory. These things are only a portion of the blessings an extraordinary God continues to pour into my life through His continual presence and the abundance of His mercy and grace. All the glory and praise goes to God. I am but an ordinary man who got himself in an extraordinary amount of trouble, and I am being delivered by extraordinary grace. This journey of grace and mercy continues. I invite you into this adventure.

Introduction

Sexual violence affects people from every walk of life. Victims of sexual violence include people of every age, gender, ethnicity, spiritual belief, and socioeconomic class. Moreover, since over 90 percent of victims know their attacker (abuser), no one is immune from being victimized or from having a close family member or friend fall prey to some form of sexual abuse. Sexual violence wounds people, families, neighborhoods, and communities. But in some ways, such offenses are also symptomatic of the ongoing fragmentation of families, the disintegration of communities, the decline in social morals and values, and the increasing brokenness in this world.

The endless onslaught of breaking news reports a young child being molested by a family member or neighbor, a teenage runaway being kidnapped and sold into prostitution, a student being sexually assaulted on a college campus, a jogger being brutally raped in a neighborhood park, and a teenage girl committing suicide when the sexually explicit selfies she sent to her boyfriend began circulating among her classmates at school. In addition, there are reports of high school athletes being sexually assaulted by other players as part of a team initiation, and of a teenage girl being sexually abused by a local youth pastor. Incidents like these happen all too frequently in many American cities. In addition, around the world—as well as in many American neighborhoods—millions of innocent children, teenagers, and young adults are kidnapped and taken as victims of human trafficking, prostitution, and sexual abuse.

Every one of these stories means one more person tragically suffers. A child’s innocence is stolen. A teenager’s virtue is corrupted. A rape victim’s security is shattered. Sex offenses are personal and intrusive violations of the victim’s body and soul. And while the physical wounds may eventually heal, the emotional, mental, and spiritual brokenness and pain lasts for a lifetime. Yet sexual offenses are more than just personal; they destroy intimate relationships, they shatter the lives of the victim’s family and friends; and they send shock waves of fear and terror rippling throughout the community. These crimes are an incursion of evil into what appears to be a just and civil society.

Child molestation, rape, and other violent offenses are horrific and heinous acts. Unfortunately, all too often the media’s sensationalization of these truly horrific crimes tends to produce false and misleading stereotypes by implying that every sex offender is a dangerous predator. Some offenders are—and remain—dangerous predators. Unfortunately, the inaccurate assumption that all offenders are dangerous or predatory produces an ever-increasing pandemic of fear and a shrill cry for justice. Indeed, not all offenders offend equally. The eighteen-year-old who got his fifteen-year-old girlfriend pregnant did not offend in the same way as a predator who made the headlines. Yet according to current laws, both must wear the label of sex offender.

One of the most common myths concerning sex offenders is that they cannot change. This is why some have erroneously presumed that the recidivism rates are frightening and high, (they’re not.) Some people believe that sex offenders can be managed, but few believe they can be cured. Theologian Henri Nouwen discusses the differences between cure and care: "What we see, and like to see, is cure and change. But what we do not see and do not want to see is care, the participation in the pain, the solidarity in suffering, the sharing in the experience of brokenness. And still, cure without care is as dehumanizing as a gift given with a cold heart. Care is the basis and precondition of all cures."² The state believes—and the media portrays—that sex offenders must be managed, that they cannot be cured. But the state does not care. Yet if professing Christians and church leaders do not believe sex offenders can be cured, is such a belief based on fear or because they do not care? Those who believe that sex offenders cannot change deny the power of the gospel, deny the power of grace, and thereby deny the power of Christ. If the leper was healed, the demoniac restored, and Lazarus raised from the dead, is there anything impossible with God?

The culture of fear, rather than a culture of truth, robs millions of U.S. citizens of their liberty, and many of their constitutionally-guaranteed rights and freedoms. This virulent fear gives us permission to abolish reasoning and abort justice, while substituting extreme injustice for justice. Fear does not suddenly overcome truth. Fear increases in vigor and strength by the persistent erosion and deliberate propagation of half-truths and alternative facts. The human atrocities involved in the medieval crusades, the Holocaust, and other such horrific abuses of human rights did not occur, nor achieve their full effect, overnight. These malevolent brutalities began with the deliberate propagation of fear and a corruption of the truth. These destructive campaigns were based on what is now recognized as the belief in absolute absurdities rather than verifiable truths and reason. Yet the absurdities deviously propagated by powerful and misanthropic demagogues employed fear as a weapon to justify the destruction of millions of innocent people. Those who believed the absurdities promoted by the powerful demagogues, willingly and ignorantly committed what are today recognized as great atrocities, even though their actions at the time appeared to be perfectly reasonable and acceptable.

This book examines whether the American justice system is based on reason and truth or on virulent fears. We will examine how the deliberate propagation of fear has led to the prosecution of the criminal wars and oppressions resulting in the mass imprisonment of millions of U.S. citizens while costing American taxpayers billions of dollars. Moreover, we will examine how the failed War on Drugs is being transformed into a war on sex offenders and how the mass imprisonment and unique restrictions imposed on those who have committed a sexual offense—especially the public registration of all sex offenders—creates a systemic injustice driven by a culture of fear rather than by the pursuit of justice and truth.

In examining the culture of fear, we will explore the forces propagating such fear and propose new strategies and possibilities for a more effective and restorative justice. We will consider important issues such as:

Whether the sweeping legislative reforms have increased or decreased public safety

Whether fear-based generalizations and the use of stereotypes promote justice or injustice

How the media’s sensationalism of horrific crimes affects the pursuit of justice

Whether justice for someone convicted of engaging in consensual sex with an underage