In 2012, Byron Johnson, co-executive director of Pepperdine University’s Center for Faith and the Common Good, investigated how the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary project positively impacted daily life at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, Louisiana. We have begun a three-year study to find out. of an inmate. The program, which began in 1995, eventually expanded to multiple facilities across the country, including the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, Mississippi, a maximum security prison notorious for its history of violence and poor living conditions. included. In 2023, Johnson and a team of filmmakers traveled to Parchman to document inmates’ experiences in the program, highlighting the transformative impact of spiritual practices in difficult environments. In a recently released documentary, A new morning at Parchman PrisonExplore how Christian practices such as prayer, Bible study, and group singing impact human flourishing.
“It’s always special to observe how worship and fellowship affect these people. Despite their circumstances and circumstances, their growing faith not only allows them to bounce back, but to , to not have other people’s ideas in mind when trying to serve others,” Johnson said. “Using qualitative and quantitative tools to capture the experience of identity transformation is essential to our continued research into what it means to truly thrive.”
The program is centered around prison seminaries that train pastors and lead inmate congregations and ministries. Participants will earn an associate’s degree and a bachelor’s degree in Christian ministry, which will enable them to serve in prison missions. People participating in this program live in the same zone and worship together on Sundays. Research shows that the program contributes to a reduction in negative prison culture, such as gang activity and violence.
Johnson said the study aimed to explore the impact seminaries have on transforming the lives of their male students, and to explore the unifying human experience in one of the darkest realities. It is to capture the “We want to understand the role that faith plays in helping prisoners experience human growth and identity transformation,” he says. “Additionally, we want to understand the role of individual transformation and thriving on the larger prisoner culture.”
Visit the Center for Faith and the Common Good website to listen A new morning at Parchman Prison.
