蜜芽传媒

What does a young footballer, convicted of rape, have to do to be accepted back into the community? And can he or should he ever play football again?

The former Sheffield United player Chad Evans was given a five year prison sentence in 2012 though he has always maintained his innocence. He was released from prison on licence yesterday. A fierce debate has been raging, particularly on social media networks, about what should happen next.

Everyone in the debate agrees that rape is a heinous crime. Its effects on victims have been highlighted again and again all week.

The view of the professional footballers association has been that Evans has served his time and should be allowed to continue his career now that he has been released.

Others, however, such as former Sports Minister Richard Caborn have urged Evans to show remorse and say sorry before he can be considered for a return to playing professional football.

Others believe he should not play football again. They point out the strong influence that footballers have, particularly on the younger generation who often regard them as icons, role models to look up to.

So the way forward for Evans and his club is far from clear. It is vexed with contradictions and strong feelings on every side.

In the Christian tradition there are three steps to redemption. The first is confession (or acknowledgment) followed then by absolution and the result is forgiveness.

Redemption is invariably described in New Testament theology as turning a life around, coming to terms with whatever is wrong, before then experiencing forgiveness which can be a profound spiritual experience.

The danger with the Chad Evans case is that we arrive at a point where the three steps to redemption are blocked.

Whilst not condoning in anyway the crime of which he was convicted, as a society, don't we have to seriously consider how people who have served their sentences can find their way back once again into the community?

I've done a some work in prisons during the course of my ministry and have seen the powerful effects that giving inmates the opportunity of working out a real way forward, including increasingly these days meeting with their victims, can have on their lives.

Justice, forgiveness and redemption might sometimes be contradictory but they are the cornerstones of any civilisation and the way we measure our society.

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