Justice and Human Flourishing
Shalom Behind Bars
Inside the Joseph Harp Correctional Center, I sat in the chapel alongside the residents who were dressed in bright orange prison clothes. Many of these men were serving life sentences. No matter – we were all busy singing hymns about the hope and forgiveness of Jesus. It was an unmistakable holy moment. The room was electric; I couldn’t help but feel that I was standing on sacred soil. Although these men were physically confined to the compound, some had found a freedom far greater than the world could ever give. They were not only healed from the brokenness at the root of their crime, but they had been transformed into entirely new creations with lives built on repentance, work, and faith. All of this was enveloped by a wholeness, harmony, and relationship with God, which is the peace of shalom.
For this essay, selecting the topic of justice was an easy choice. However, delving into the scaffolding of shalom proved to be a bit more thought-provoking, as it allowed me to explore elements ranging from prison to human flourishing.
What exactly is shalom? Aside from being a commonly used greeting, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as a Jewish term meaning “peace.”[1] Theologian Nicholas Wolterstorff goes deeper into the meaning, calling it “the flourishing of human beings, of all nature, as they enjoy right relationships with God, with each other, and with nature.”[2] In other words, everything in balance, as it was at the time of God’s creation. This relational rightness forms the conceptual framework of flourishing, which is both communal and systemic in nature. It is also one of the societal intersections where justice, truth, and compassion rise as social priorities. I love how the prophet Isaiah described it when he said, “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; its effect will be quietness and confidence forever”[3].
In everyday life, it is easy to recognize shalom when cultural norms, institutions, and laws align with matters that are good, equitable, and accurate. Conversely, the absence of shalom is evident when systems tilt in favor of injustice, benefiting the few at the expense of many, which results in the breakdown of trust and integrity.
Educator and entrepreneur Jeff Myers shares his interpretation in Understanding the Culture: A Survey of Social Engagement that moral foundations are the underpinning of a healthy society. He goes on to define justice as “The proper ordering of relationships so that people receive what they are due as image-bearers of God.”² Justice, therefore, in his view, is a divine design, and without it, cultures sink into the faultlines of competition and coercion, confusing the difference between prosperity and flourishing. Myes issues a stark warning when he says that “A culture fixated on autonomy without moral grounding produces inequality and alienation, the very opposite of shalom.”[4]
The Science of Human Flourishing
Over the past year, I have enjoyed studying the science of hope through the research of Dr. Chan Hellmen, which has yielded many interesting ideas through the University of Oklahoma’s Hope Research Center. In the coming year, I will have an opportunity to dig deeper into the study of human flourishing. My employer plans to collaborate with Harvard University’s Human Flourishing Program, led by Tyler VanderWeele, to measure what it means to flourish and what that actually looks like when the domains are applied in communities with concentrated poverty, or as I prefer to say, communities with concentrated potential.
In partnership with a team of researchers, VanderWeele collectively defined the primary domains of flourishing as happiness and life satisfaction, physical and mental health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, and close relationships, which are closely aligned with the biblical concept of shalom.[5]
It is not surprising that due to the nature of sin and reliance on the human constructs of social, economic, relational, and moral structures, the domains of flourishing are not equally distributed, resulting in a lack of divine balance, or shalom, which can feel oppressive. In the context of justice, it can look like unsafe neighborhoods, limited opportunities for personal growth, or, for people re-entering society after incarceration, there are employment barriers. The systems meant to create harmony between people and morality, right and wrong, have a negative impact rather than biblical justice, which is accountability in conjunction with restoration.
In early December, I will have the pleasure of meeting with sociologist Byron Johnson from Baylor University, who leads the Institute for the Study of Religion. In my prison ministry work, Johnson’s insights on the impact of faith-based prison programs are highly respected. He has been able to use the domains of human flourishing to test and demonstrate spiritual transformation, which, when combined with just systems, such as fair re-entry approaches, education, and family restoration, can significantly reduce recidivism. This measure alone enhances the flourishing of the individual after they return to society.[6] However, human flourishing cannot be sustained in a society that perpetually excludes people. This should serve as a call to all Christ followers to move beyond systems that promote retribution and instead encourage restoration.
Justice as Restoration: From Prison to Community
Burl Cain, a professional colleague and former warden of Angola Prison, led much of the work in creating a redemptive model of incarceration that sought to return shalom to a place known mainly for despair. Through moral rehabilitation, education, and faith-based relationships, Angola transformed from one of the bloodiest prisons in America into a place of relative peace and productivity.[7] Cain demonstrated that even in the harshest environments, justice can be reimagined as restoration, thereby cultivating human flourishing.
Johnson’s study of similar programs confirms that spiritual transformation and social reintegration are closely connected. When incarcerated people are treated as the Imago Dei who are capable of restoration, they begin to flourish; however, when they are mistreated and their dignity is reduced to being seen as nothing more than the acts that happened on their worst day, they wither. In this sense, I return to shalom, which represents justice rightly ordered.
Can Prosperity Occur Without Justice?
Flourishing that is detached from justice is like a house built on sand. It is fragile and deceptive. Today, many people confuse flourishing with comfort or success. Yet, in looking at Harvard’s well-being data, it becomes clear that wealth without equity does not translate to flourishing. In Born Again, Chuck Colson discussed having a life that fully met the societal definition of success. He had earned material wealth, had a loving family, and a safe home, as well as a stable career that included an office in the White House and considerable influence and power; yet he felt empty inside.[8] Flourishing and comfort can and do coexist, but they often lead to depression and loneliness. Likewise, in The Conservative Heart, Arthur Brooks warns against “the idolatry of success,” arguing that happiness built on comparison or privilege corrodes meaning.[9]
I believe that flourishing without justice is a false or hollow concept of shalom. It is a peace that hides the brokenness. The prophet Jeremiah lamented leaders who “dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.”[10] I read his words as a warning that can apply to contemporary systems that promote growth and evolution while tolerating those that enable structural injustice.
Reimagining Systems to Perpetuate Flourishing and Shalom
If justice is the social architecture of flourishing, then communities, business leaders, and ministries are essentially the architects. While shalom is a divine concept, humans have the ability to create the conditions for flourishing. As Jeff Myers describes, we are called to design systems that intentionally reflect God’s truth and goodness. Justice is not an abstract concept; it is a discipline that involves building equitable schools, implementing restorative justice programs, dignifying work, and maintaining transparency within institutions.
Human flourishing cannot exist separated from justice, and justice without restoration is incomplete. The scaffolding of shalom is built with morality, love, equity, truth, and mercy. The Bible has always proclaimed that righteousness and justice are the very foundation of God’s throne.[11] To pursue justice is to join God’s redemptive work in repairing what sin and systems have broken so that shalom may once again flow among us, not for the privileged few, but for the promise made by Christ to all.
[1] “Definition of SHALOM.” Merriam-Webster. Last modified November 7, 2025. Accessed November 7, 2025. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shalom.
[2] Wolterstorff, Nicholas. Justice: Rights and Wrongs. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008. p. 15
[3] “Bible Gateway Passage: Isaiah 32:17 – New International Version.” Bible Gateway. Accessed November 7, 2025. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2032%3A17&version=NIV.
[4] Myers, Jeff. Understanding the Culture: A Survey of Social Engagement. Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2017. P.78.
[5] VanderWeele, Tyler J. “On the Promotion of Human Flourishing.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 114, no. 31 (August 1, 2017): 8148–8156.
[6] Johnson, Byron R. More God, Less Crime: Why Faith Matters and How It Could Matter More. West Conshohocken, Pa: Templeton Press, 2011.
[7] Shere, Dennis. Cain’s Redemption: A Story of Hope and Transformation in America’s Bloodiest Prison. Chicago, 2005.
[8] Colson, Charles W. Born Again. Grand Rapids, MI: Chosen Books, 2008.
[9] Brooks, Arthur C. The Conservative Heart: How to Build a Fairer, Happier, and More Prosperous America. First edition. New York, NY: Broadside Books, 2015.
[10] “Bible Gateway Passage: Jeremiah 6:14 – New International Version.” Bible Gateway. Accessed November 7, 2025. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%206%3A14&version=NIV.
[11] “Bible Gateway Passage: Psalm 89:14 – New International Version.” Bible Gateway. Accessed November 7, 2025. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2089%3A14&version=NIV.
About the Author
Jennifer Eckert
Operations and fundraising director, people connector, believer in second chances, fights poverty, supports justice reform, lives a life integrated with Matthew 25.3 responses to “Justice and Human Flourishing”
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Jennifer,
I am reminded of how much work our prison system needs and also how much work the hearts of our leaders need as we continue to build an increasingly amount of detention centers. Tying shalom and the process of justice together is a great idea. I have recommended it already to Debbie, but I would pass along to you as well a book written by some friends of mine… “Landscapes of the Soul” by the Holsclaws. They speak of different landscapes that I think gives insight into this idea of shalom in prison…
Jennifer, This is a beautiful blog and really touched my heart. My theme word for this year is “peace.” I loved how you tied ‘shalom’ and ‘justice’ together. I fight daily for justice, but often need the reminder of shalom. I am writing this down as I navigate what it looks like to have “shalom” in my life: “The scaffolding of shalom is built with morality, love, equity, truth, and mercy.”
Jennifer, this is rich. you weave theological and sociological claims throughout.
How do you see the biblical vision of flourishing differing from the post-modern or secular definitions?