PORT HADLOCK — Author Tanya Erzen will talk about Christian prison ministries being on the rise in a free presentation at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Her talk, “God Behind Bars,” which is part of the Inquiring Minds series, will be at the Jefferson County Library, 620 Cedar Ave., Port Hadlock.
Erzen’s latest book, “God in Captivity: The Rise of Faith-Based Ministries in an Age of Mass Incarceration,” is the result of her research of the U.S. prison system.
The ministry movement inside prisons has grown exponentially in recent decades. She examines the social implications and human stories behind this emerging trend.
Erzen also raises questions about separation of church and state, coercion, bias toward one faith, and what constitutes effective rehabilitation practices.
Erzen is an associate research professor in religion and gender queer studies at the University of Puget Sound, and the executive director of the Freedom Education Project of Puget Sound, an organization that brings college classes to women in Washington prisons.
Her work focuses on intersections between religion and faith in American politics, with a focus on religion and conservatism in U.S. correctional systems.
For information, call 360-385-6544 or go to www.jc library.info.
