KJM is in process of starting a college, inside the Kalamazoo County Jail. The target start point for that is 2025. It will exist as a subdivision of KJM, and will be called either Kalamazoo Bible College, or KJM Bible College. But let me give you a taste of what this college could involve, by telling you about one of the most intellectual wings of the jail…
There is a cell block in the jail, in the highest security classification wing, where on this cell-block, every inmate has been there for a longer amount of time, on jail standards, who is a believer, and who has become an intense academic since entering the jail–mainly in Bible and theology, but sometimes also in philosophy.
I was at this cell-block yesterday, and a new fellow had been moved to it. I walked up to one of the seasoned inmates on that block and said:
“Wow! This new inmate you just got will fit right-in here on this cell-block perfectly!“
This inmate is one that had been reading books on quantum physics, cosmology, systematic theology, and missionary studies, all provided by KJM. The inmate converted from Muslim Islam to Christianity a few weeks ago. I don’t remember the time when he converted, but it was the missionary books that KJM hands out that moved him from Islam to Christianity. (The jail ministry does not have anything against Islam, we do not think we are better than our Islamic friends, and we love our Islamic friends just as much as all of our Christian friends in the Jail. I’m only mentioning this conversion point to you as a matter-of-fact.)
Many of these men on this cell-block are studying ancient Bibles, such as the Wycliff and King James, and multiple of them have this have requested books on how to learn Latin so as to be able to read the Latin Vulgate Bible. These intellectual and spiritual men regularly talk and pray deep into the night, sometimes until 6 or 7 am–all intensely intellectual talk, asking huge questions, feeling the LORD”s presence together, finding the Light of Jesus (see John 1:5, and 1:9).
Two of the men on this block are writing books: one is writing a book on his life and his conversion, and the other a book on the who Jesus is to him and in the inmate’s life. This cellblock resembles a graduate school, or seminary study group–but sometimes I think maybe even a little bit more intense than that. I have two masters degrees, so I’m very familiar with graduate student level study and fellowship, and this cell block is definitely at the extreme end of depth and intensity of their hunger, curiosity, genuine questions, intellectual capacities, writing skills, and the ability to feel and discover True perspective (YHWH).
KJM, as some of you know, is starting a farmhouse, and one of the men says he wants to come to live at the farmhouse, and for as long as possible, to rehabilitate, but more so to keep the intensity of the prayer life, the life of intellectual investigation of theology, and generally living outside of the evil of culture in order to stay laser-focused on Jesus, and on serving others (sere Matt 20:28).
In seeking to start KJM Bible College inside the Jail next year–a plan, which is well underway–our goal is to turn the entire jail into an intellectual, monkish, hive of prayer and felt presence of GOD, with academic Bible study groups on every cell block. There have been times lately, where the jail in general resembles that. Praise God!
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