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Beyond Retribution: A New Testament Vision for Justice, Crime and Punishment (Studies in Peace and Scripture) Paperback – June 8, 2001

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
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Recently a growing number of Christians have actively promoted the concept of "restorative justice" and attempted to develop programs for dealing with crime based on restorative principles. But is this approach truly consistent with the teaching of Scripture? To date, very little has been done to test this claim. Beyond Retribution fills a gap by plumbing the New Testament on the topics of crime, justice, and punishment. Christopher Marshall first explores the problems involved in applying ethical teachings from the New Testament to mainstream society. He then surveys the extent to which the New Testament addresses criminal justice issues, looking in particular at the concept of the justice of God in the teachings of Paul and Jesus. He also examines the topic of punishment, reviewing the debate in social thinking over the ethics and purpose of punishment--including capital punishment--and he advocates a new concept of "restorative punishment." The result of this engaging work is a biblically based challenge to imitate the way of Christ in dealing with both victims and offenders.
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  1. Print length
    362 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Wm. B. Eerdmans-Lightning Source
  4. Publication date
    June 8, 2001
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.91 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9780802847973
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0802847973
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0802847978
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wm. B. Eerdmans-Lightning Source (June 8, 2001)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 362 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780802847973
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0802847973
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.91 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

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Christopher D. Marshall

Christopher D. Marshall

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
20 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Patricia R. Highsmith
5.0 out of 5 stars eyes open
Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2013
Verified Purchase
I was admitted to law practice in 2006. Am retired now. This is a great book, a wonderful
point of view I could only wish our justice system could find the heart to embrace.This day
we have a higher percentage of our population in prison than any nation on the planet,
and they are never forgiven...the conviction follows them to the grave, even a pardon
fails to fully restore them. This text and its foundations call us to another view,
a better view.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
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James Fletcher
5.0 out of 5 stars I think every Christian should read this one whether you ...
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2016
Verified Purchase
I think every Christian should read this one whether you are working with prisoners and ex-cons or not. It is insightful how God's justice should work in our society.
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lizzieII
5.0 out of 5 stars Hope for the future - moving on from retribution
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2011
Verified Purchase
An informative and inspiring book that presents and explores the New Testament vision of restoration and redemption, an approach that is much needed in our currently retributive justice system if we are to be truly a 'just' society. Highly recommended.
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Bill T
4.0 out of 5 stars Complex.
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2010
Verified Purchase
A very thorough and well thought out study on crime and punishment. Bible and logic based information and analysis.
Difficult theological terminology, but worth the read. (In fact, I need to re-read it.)
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
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Fast Eddie
5.0 out of 5 stars Good News that God is the Perfect Judge
Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2011
Many people view God as an immovable Judge administering inflexible justice. Worse still, the form of justice that most people talk about is a specific form of justice: Retributive Justice. Marshall has done us a huge favour by pointing out to us that biblical justice is far "beyond retribution".

For those who subscribe to the concept of God administering inflexible *retributive* justice, it is bad news that God is the perfect Judge. Indeed, who can stand before a perfectly retributive Judge who is bent on punishing every sinner with eternal damnation, separate from the presence of God?

Marshall, through his comprehensive and biblical study of the subject of justice, shows us what the Bible teaches about justice. Although the book is subtitled "A New Testament Vision for Justice ...", I think the subtitle is too limiting. In this study of biblical justice, Marshall refers frequently to the Old Testament as well.

The book is very practical, because it deals with how biblical justice should be applied in the real world. However, in my opinion, the heart of the book is in Chapter Two, "The Justice of God in Paul and Jesus." I find this chapter insightful and enlightening. Marshall, through his scholarly and biblical approach, opens my mind to understand, for the first time, how Paul and Jesus, being Jews, would view justice in the Hebrew and Old Testament tradition. He notes that biblical justice is "shalom-justice" (p. 45) and not the narrowly interpreted retributive justice of the western world which, in turn, is based heavily on Greco-Roman, not biblical, traditions.

This is a critical differentiation: justice for restoration of shalom (peace), or justice for retribution. Marshall builds a strong case that the biblical justice as Paul and Jesus teach is more for the restoration of peaceful relationships among humans, and between humankind and God, than for retribution.

"Beyond Retribution" is a definitive work on biblical justice. Although many of us are not personally involved in administering justice in our society, this is a must-read for all pastors, Bible teachers, and theologians. This book is a "game changer". It points us to reconsider our narrow conceptions about God as a retributive Judge, and open our eyes to God as a restorative Judge. For far too long and too much have Christians taught a fire and brimstone God who finds it necessary to punish all sinners with eternal damnation as an immovable Judge administering inflexible (retributive) justice. It is refreshing to rediscover God as a predominantly restorative God instead.

I came across this book in 2005, recommended by my seminary dean, and I still refer to it often. It has been a landmark book for me to understand God better as Parent more so than Judge. When we understand that God, the perfect Judge, administers perfect justice to restore shalom among humans and between humankind and God, and shows us from the Bible how to do it ourselves, it is Good News indeed.

This change in understanding actually opens up a new can of worms. It requires the Christian to rethink the reason for the passion of Christ. If the purpose of the crucifixion of Christ is not to pay for God-imposed retributions for sinners, then what is it? Marshall does address this briefly (p.44), but that is not an area that Marshall intends to cover, and a much bigger topic than this review can handle.

I highly recommend "Beyond Retribution".
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Brent P
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful, detailed, fantastic
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2015
Quite how to reconcile the seemingly vindictive and violent texts of the Old Testament with the more restorative and loving texts of the New Testaments is a worrying problem to many Christians.

In this book, Prof. Marshall not only sets out to establish the uniformity of the restorative message across the entire biblical texts but also highlight how the traditional sense of justice and punishment as functioning in a purely retributive sense is problematice not just for Biblical interpretations, but also in the practical application of law and justice.

The book has a lot of ground to cover and as such relies heavily on the research and work of others in the fields of justice and biblical interpretation, this allows Marshall to quickly provide a synopsis of scholarly opinion without having to get bogged down in technicalities and explanation. This allows the book to retain a swift pace. Dense, yes, but never difficult to understand. Marshall also doesn't shy away from highlighting where there is disagreement and happily presents the various sides of the argument, further reading and detailed examination is left up to the reader and there's plenty of it, some 30 pages are devoted at the end of the book to listing out the entire bibliography.

What Marshall presents then is an in-depth look at the various motivations and approaches of justice and punishment for both the pragmatic machinery of the state as well as the theological and escatalogical implications for those positions. Ultimately, Marshall argues for a restorative approach to justice that is in harmony with Christian teachings while at the same time understanding the various tensions with the reality of justice this brings. Even if you don't agree with Marshall's conclusions, the book has immense value for the detailed examination of the biblical approach to justice and how the old testament law sits with regard other Near Eastern justice systems of the period.

Without doubt one of the most compelling, intricate and intelligent treatise on biblical justice it has ever been my pleasure to read.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
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Sylvia Moseley
5.0 out of 5 stars Understanding God's Justice
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2006
Many Christians have been raised on a simplistic"an eye for an eye" theology. This book challenges one's thinking and theology about God's perspective of justice and mercy. God is still an advocate for the voiceless and powerless in our society. This book is a must read for any Christian that has a prison or jail ministry, a must read for any Pastor that ministers to the marginalized, and a must read for any Christian that believes in the God's Kingdom Coming on Earth as it is in Heaven.
9 people found this helpful
Helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Fast Eddie
5.0 out of 5 stars Good News that God is the Perfect Judge
Reviewed in Canada on June 4, 2011
Verified Purchase
Many people view God as an immovable Judge administering inflexible justice. Worse still, the form of justice that most people talk about is a specific form of justice: Retributive Justice. Marshall has done us a huge favour by pointing out to us that biblical justice is far "beyond retribution".

For those who subscribe to the concept of God administering inflexible *retributive* justice, it is bad news that God is the perfect Judge. Indeed, who can stand before a perfectly retributive Judge who is bent on punishing every sinner with eternal damnation, separate from the presence of God?

Marshall, through his comprehensive and biblical study of the subject of justice, shows us what the Bible teaches about justice. Although the book is subtitled "A New Testament Vision for Justice ...", I think the subtitle is too limiting. In this study of biblical justice, Marshall refers frequently to the Old Testament as well.

The book is very practical, because it deals with how biblical justice should be applied in the real world. However, in my opinion, the heart of the book is in Chapter Two, "The Justice of God in Paul and Jesus." I find this chapter insightful and enlightening. Marshall, through his scholarly and biblical approach, opens my mind to understand, for the first time, how Paul and Jesus, being Jews, would view justice in the Hebrew and Old Testament tradition. He notes that biblical justice is "shalom-justice" (p. 45) and not the narrowly interpreted retributive justice of the western world which, in turn, is based heavily on Greco-Roman, not biblical, traditions.

This is a critical differentiation: justice for restoration of shalom (peace), or justice for retribution. Marshall builds a strong case that the biblical justice as Paul and Jesus teach is more for the restoration of peaceful relationships among humans, and between humankind and God, than for retribution.

"Beyond Retribution" is a definitive work on biblical justice. Although many of us are not personally involved in administering justice in our society, this is a must-read for all pastors, Bible teachers, and theologians. This book is a "game changer". It points us to reconsider our narrow conceptions about God as a retributive Judge, and open our eyes to God as a restorative Judge. For far too long and too much have Christians taught a fire and brimstone God who finds it necessary to punish all sinners with eternal damnation as an immovable Judge administering inflexible (retributive) justice. It is refreshing to rediscover God as a predominantly restorative God instead.

I came across this book in 2005, recommended by my seminary dean, and I still refer to it often. It has been a landmark book for me to understand God better as Parent more so than Judge. When we understand that God, the perfect Judge, administers perfect justice to restore shalom among humans and between humankind and God, and shows us from the Bible how to do it ourselves, it is Good News indeed.

This change in understanding actually opens up a new can of worms. It requires the Christian to rethink the reason for the passion of Christ. If the purpose of the crucifixion of Christ is not to pay for God-imposed retributions for sinners, then what is it? Marshall does address this briefly (p.44), but that is not an area that Marshall intends to cover, and a much bigger topic than this review can handle.

I highly recommend "Beyond Retribution".
Report
Benjamin
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on March 9, 2016
Verified Purchase
fair deal
Report