Theology on Tap: I Was In Prison and You Visited Me – Dr. Richard Ray

Thursday, May 15 at 7:00 PM in the former Hennessy’s Pub.

Among all of the ways to forge a relationship with the Risen Lord, perhaps none seems as daunting or anxiety-inducing as the call to visit the prisoner. There are many reasons for this, and most of them have more to say about who we are as opposed to who the prisoner is. In this talk, we’ll examine ideas of justice, mercy, and how loving your neighbor as yourself – even when your neighbor has committed a crime – is not only impossible, but life-giving. Although not required, this article serves as helpful preparatory reading for the evening.

Richard Ray is a parishioner at St. Francis de Sales in Holland. He served as a professor and administrator at Hope College before his retirement in July. He founded the Hope-Western Prison Education Program, a partnership between Hope College and Western Theological Seminary that offers a Hope College Bachelor’s degree to men incarcerated at Muskegon Correctional Facility. He currently serves as the Chair of the Michigan Consortium for Higher Education in Prison. He has authored two volumes of pilgrimage memoir, The Shape of My Heart, and Walking Gratefully. He and his wife, Carol, are the parents of three grown children and five grandchildren.