Our Mission
“We proclaim the restorative justice of God and the healing atonement of Jesus.”
Our Publications
Books
Mako A. Nagasawa, Lent with Irenaeus: Journeying with Jesus Towards Becoming Truly Human
Beverly, MA: Trinity Press, 2025. A book of thirteen short devotional readings for Lent, from Ash Wednesday to Resurrection Sunday, drawn from the writings of the second century Christian leader, Irenaeus of Lyons. Mako wrote a short Guide for Reflection and Discussion, too. For more on Irenaeus, see this page.
Beverly, MA: Trinity Press, 2023. A book of ten short devotional readings for Advent and Christmas, drawn from the writings of the second century Christian leader, Irenaeus of Lyons. For more on Irenaeus, see this page
Mako A. Nagasawa, Abortion Policy and Christian Social Ethics in the United States
Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2021. Check out the reviews at Amazon, too. See our Study and Action Guide to Abortion Policy, based on materials from a three session class, including pre-readings, Zoom video recordings from the class, and even. more material; the page also links to Mako’s podcast discussions about the book. See also Mako’s Facebook author page.
Book Contributions
Religion and Racial Capitalism
New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2025. Mako A. Nagasawa, Chapter: “John Locke’s Theology of Private Property”
Reparations and the Theological Disciplines. Prophetic Voices for Remembrance, Reckoning, and Repair
Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2023. Mako A. Nagasawa, Chapter: “Don’t Make Me Feel Guilty: How Penal Substitution Interferes With Reparations and Reconciliation”.
Honor, Shame, and the Gospel: Reframing Our Message and Ministry
Littleton, CO: William Carey Publishing, 2020. Mako A. Nagasawa, Chapter “How to Empower Personal Healing and Social Justice, with Medical Substitutionary Atonement”.
Articles
Mako A. Nagasawa, “Finding a Home in God’s Bigger Story”
Intersection Journal, The Telos Collective, April 15, 2021. “Many Christian conservatives decry the decline of “culture”—while seeking “dominion” over media, government, etc.—without doing much to help local communities… More liberal-minded Christians often celebrate a little “diversity training” at work, while practicing NIMBY-ism (“not in my backyard”) in zoning, protecting their kids at all costs, and neglecting low wages and the high cost of living. Are we only interested in a middle- and upper-class diversity, in our unsustainable suburban lifestyles? God cares about our sense of home, place, and community.”
Mako A. Nagasawa, “Restorative vs. Retributive Justice and the Implications for Public Life”
Journal of Urban Ministry, June 2020. “My daughter – then a 3rd grader – came out of school crying. Her teacher explained to me that she had confessed to writing graffiti on the stalls of the girls’ bathroom… “Restorative justice” is often contrasted with “retributive justice” in formal criminal justice. In a technical sense, “restorative justice” means that the offender must help undo the harm s/he did, especially if the victim is able to name what would be helpful to move forward. That compares with “retributive justice,” which means that the offender must suffer in some proportional way to what s/he did. The former paradigm is victim-centered. The latter is offender-centered.”
Mako A. Nagasawa, “Relational Economic Justice”
The Christian Century, April 2016. “Maybe it’s because I’m Japanese-American that I feel skeptical reading Western political philosophy. When were we ever born as free individuals into a state of nature, as Locke and Rousseau asserted? I’ve always believed that we’re born into families, with binding ties, benefits, and obligations. The Bible affirms that relationships are not merely social constructs for us to make and break as we choose.”