Incarcerated Life Together
Like the Finkenwaldians, inmates find themselves simultaneously in community and isolation. Inmates are not only marginalized and removed from the daily life of the modern world but also labeled as enemies of society. At the same time, they are surrounded by potential enemies in the cells next to them. In a culture where an inmate's social status often rises with the number of people they harm and falls with the number of people they love and serve, prison might seem like the least ideal place for a follower of Christ to flourish. Yet inmates live, eat, and breathe community. As Bonhoeffer reminds us, they have much to teach us all.
Prison can place inmates in a potentially privileged position: living in daily community, which can foster a stronger sense of God’s presence. While air conditioning, garage door openers, and streaming services keep many of us on the outside isolated from one another, Christian inmates—if they choose—can experience a profound sense of community and, with it, a strong sense of identity.
Not every prison is the same. There are obvious differences in security levels. Maximum-security facilities, such as the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, where inmates are confined for 23 hours a day and death row is housed, differ greatly from places like Jim E. Hamilton Correctional Center in the scenic hills of southeastern Oklahoma, where there isn’t even a fence separating inmates from the outside world.
Some prisons have a Christian majority among the religious population, while others have a Muslim majority or no clear religious majority at all. In some facilities, open yards allow inmates to gather and fellowship freely without synchronized movements. Other facilities, regardless of security level, enforce strict regimens where religious activities are minimal and heavily controlled. Some inmates regularly have opportunities to develop strong community, while for others, the only human contact they might receive is from a prison guard—and even that is rare.
All this is to say that Bonhoeffer’s Life Together is not a one-size-fits-all blueprint for mastering Christian community behind bars. Bonhoeffer himself likely understood this reality when he was imprisoned, often in solitary confinement. Yet his guiding principles offer invaluable help to any Christian inmate seeking to do their time well, grow closer to Christ and others, and develop a stronger sense of identity.
Life Together is organized around five main themes: Community, The Day Together, The Day Alone, Service, and Confession and the Lord’s Supper.
