Restorative Justice Courses

Therapon University's Restorative Justice courses are a Biblical response to wrongdoing that emphasize healing the wounds of victims, offenders, families and communities caused or revealed by criminal behavior. This degree program focuses on training counselors who minister to convicts, ex-convicts, youth offenders, victims and their families.

All courses within the Biblical Counseling Curriculum may also be applied to this major.

 

CHANGING LENSES

CHOOSING TO FORGIVE

The CRIMINAL'S BELIEF SYSTEM

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

EFFECTIVE PRISON MINISTRY

GOD'S TOP TEN

I WAS IN PRISON

LIFETIME GUARANTEE

PHILEMON - A MESSAGE OF RECONCILIATION

PRISONER OF THE LORD

RESTORATIVE PRACTICES

SHATTERING THE SHACKLES OF SHAME

STRATEGIC SPIRITUAL WARFARE

WALK WORTHY

WHEN GOD INTERRUPTS

YOU CAME UNTO ME


  CHANGING LENSESRJ-611
A New Focus For Cirme and Justice
Text: Changing Lenses: A New Focus for Crime and Justice (Christian Peace Shelf) by Howard Zehr / Workbook by Linda Ratcliff, Th.D.
Course Description: Howard Zehr proposes a restorative model which is more consistent with experience, with the past, and with the Biblical tradition. Based on the needs of victims and offenders, he takes into account recent studies and Biblical principles.
Credits: 3 credit hours
Availability: Purchase text from amazon.com. Submit answers online.
 
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  CHOOSING TO FORGIVERJ-612
Text: The Choosing to Forgive Workbook by Frank Minirth and Les Carter | Workbook by Daniel G. Hiers, Ph.D., Th.D.
Course Description: This course will teach you how to increase your ability to forgive by learning to establish appropriate boundaries, achieving a balance between forgiveness and healthy anger, correctly managing and communicating your anger, and forgiving for the right reasons.
Credits: 3 credit hours
Availability: Purchase text from amazon.com. Submit answers online.
 
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  The CRIMINAL'S BELIEF SYSTEMRJ-619
Text: The Criminal's Belief System: Why Criminals Do the Things They Do / Text and Workbook by Linda A. Ratcliff, Th.D., Ed.D.
Course Description: Sometimes when we hear about another crime, we wonder, "What on earth were they thinking?" The fact is, many criminals have hardened their hearts, their thoughts have developed into a different belief system resulting in different thinking patterns, and these thoughts impacted the choices and actions that led to their incarceration. In this course, we will be studying some of the common beliefs and thoughts of criminals that have come out of a hardened heart, and match them up, one by one, with truths from God’s Word.
Credits: 3 credit hours
Availability: Online Only, nothing to purchase
 
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  CRIMINAL JUSTICERJ-609
Using the Restorative Justice Paradigm
Text: Criminal Justice: Using the Restorative Justice Paradigm / Text and Workbook by Daniel G. Hiers, Ph.D., Th.D.
Course Description: An in-depth study of the prison system, and how the Restorative Justice paradigm can be implemented.
Credits: 3 credit hours
Availability: Online Only, nothing to purchase
 
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  EFFECTIVE PRISON MINISTRYRJ-607
Text: Effective Prison Ministry / Text and Workbook by Daniel G. Hiers, Ph.D., Th.D.
Course Description: A study explaining the Restorative Justice paradigm, the prison system and the offender, and teaching the steps to provide an effective prison ministry.
Credits: 3 credit hours
Availability: Online Only, nothing to purchase
 
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  GOD'S TOP TENRJ-623
Text: God's Top Ten / Videos and Notes by Robert Morris, Pastor Gateway Church; Workbook by Linda A. Ratcliff, Th.D., Ed.D.
Course Description: When we think of the Ten Commandments, many of us think of a list of rules telling us what not to do. But the truth is God designed the Ten Commandments as a way for us to have a relationship with Him. In this course, Pastor Robert Morris explains how each commandment is actually a principle that draws us into a deeper relationship with Him.
Credits: 3 credit hours
Availability: Online Only, nothing to purchase
 
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  I WAS IN PRISONRJ-604
Text: I Was in Prison: Personal Witnessing in Jails and Prisons by Allen D. Hanson, Ph.D ./ Workbook by Daniel Hiers, Ph.D., Th.D.
Course Description: This course is a guide to personal witnessing in jails and prisons, written for the lay counselor who wishes to become involved in jail ministry in their community, or be better prepared to minister in the larger state and federal prisons.
Credits: 3 credit hours
Availability: Online Only, nothing to purchase
 
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  LIFETIME GUARANTEE RJ-617
Text: Lifetime Guarantee by Bill Gillham, Workbook by Daniel G. Hiers, Ph.D., Th.D.
Course Description: As a professor, counselor, and radio host, Bill Gillham heard countless stories of people who tried to live the Christian life but repeatedly failed. Then he realized that only one person can live like Christ—Jesus Himself—and that He wants to live His life through each and every believer.

Students will appreciate Gillham’s gut-honest and encouraging tone as they discover the root of their problems—the techniques they have developed for satisfying their needs for love and self-esteem, the key to victory—their true identity in Christ, and God’s goal for their lives—conformity to Christ’s image as He lives through them

Credits: 3 credit hours
Availability: Purchase text from amazon.com. Submit answers online.
 
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  PHILEMON - A MESSAGE OF RECONCILIATIONRJ-613
Text: Philemon - A Message of Reconciliation by Ben Cunningham, D.Th. / Workbook by Linda A. Ratcliff, Th.D.
Course Description: The short epistle of Paul to Philemon is one of the shortest books in the Scriptures, but it is not brief in its message. It expresses a perfect portrait of Restorative Justice, in the way that Paul deals with the reconciliation of Philemon and his servant Onesimus.
Credits: 3 credits
Availability: Online Only, nothing to purchase
 
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  PRISONER OF THE LORD RJ-610
Text: Prisoner of the Lord by Patricia L. Hulsey | Workbook by Linda Ratcliff, Th.D., Ed.D.
Course Description: This course contains messages drawn from the Word of God that were shared during decades of prison ministry around the world. It was written for those doing time in jail or prison - whether short or lengthy sentences, life without parole, or on death row. It was also written for those who want to minister to offenders and ex-offenders. Its purpose is to give anyone who reads it a new beginning and a new spiritual destiny.
Credits: 3 credit hours
Availability: Online Only, nothing to purchase
 
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  NEW!RESTORATIVE PRACTICES RJ-625
Text: Restorative Practices, Practical Biblical Steps to Restore Relationships, Text and Workbook by Linda A. Ratcliff, Th.D., Ed.D.
Course Description: It is inevitable in this life that someone is going to offend you or "do you wrong." Is there a Biblical way to deal with the situation? What does the Bible say about confrontation? This course examines the right and wrong way to approach conflict resolution and restore relationships.
Credits: 3 credit hours
Availability: Online Only, nothing to purchase
  SHATTERING THE SHACKLES OF SHAME RJ-606
Text: Shattering the Shackles of Shame by Patricia Lee Hulsey
Course Description: Multitudes around the globe are carrying heavy burdens of shame.  Some are ashamed because of their own sinful conduct.  Some carry shame because it has been imposed upon them by others who have condemned them.  Still others have inherited a cycle of shameful behavior or feelings from their parents.

Shame is an emotion that will keep you forever shackled to the past.  It will prevent you from rising up to fulfill your God-given destiny. The purpose of this course is to shatter the shackles of shame that have bound you, your loved ones, or those to whom you minister. 

Credits: 3 credits
Availability: Online Only, nothing to purchase
 
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  STRATEGIC SPIRITUAL WARFARE RJ-615
Text: Strategic Spiritual Warfare, contributed by Harvestime International Network
Course Description: Jesus recognized the daily struggles we all face. He acknowledged a very real spiritual enemy, and He provided effective strategic spiritual guidelines for dealing with him. To be effective in spiritual warfare, we need to know these spiritual strategies and how to put them into action. In this course, you will actually begin to do warfare through a 15-step interactive program that will guide you in facing the battles of life.
Credits: 3 credits
Availability: Online Only, nothing to purchase
 
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  WALK WORTHY RJ-621
What That Looks Like in the Life of a Believer
Text: Walk Worthy, Text and Workbook by Linda A. Ratcliff, Th.D., Ed.D.
Course Description: To “walk”, in these lessons, refers to the way we live our lives. In other words, our lifestyle or way of life can be considered a “walk.” Our walk is important to the Lord; we know this because there are 229 instances in the Bible that refer to our walk. As we delve into each reference regarding our walk as a believer, I encourage you to begin adjusting the direction and stride of your walk so that it lines up more and more with the Word, day by day.
Credits: 3 credit hours
Availability: Online Only, nothing to purchase
 
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  YOU CAME UNTO MERJ-631
A Training Manual for Jail & Prison Ministry
  You Came Unto Me, contributed by Harvestime International Network
Course Description: This training manual provides instruction for every level of involvement in jail and prison ministry. Some of the topics include the minimal level of corresponding with an inmate, visiting one-on-one, ministering in group worship or special programs inside the prison, assisting inmates' families, and providing post-prison ministry upon an inmate's release.
Credits: 3 credits
Availability: Online Only, nothing to purchase
 
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  NEW!WHEN GOD INTERRUPTS RJ-635
Text: When God Interrupts, Text and Workbook by Linda A. Ratcliff, Th.D., Ed.D. & Irene Semu, B.Th.
Course Description: This course was inspired by the worldwide shutdown due to COVID-19. Besides the obvious health impacts of the pandemic, many people are still struggling with the immense emotional, economical, and societal changes it triggered. So I began to wonder, where was God's hand in all this? Were there examples in the Bible of saints whose lives had been interrupted so dramatically? To my surprise, my original outline had notes for over 50 interruptions in the Bible, and they almost always ended with result that the person whose life was interrupted had just received a new assignment from the Lord.
Credits: 3 credit hours
Availability: Online Only, nothing to purchase
   

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