Bear Witness: The Pursuit of Justice in a Violent Land

Honduras’ entrenched corruption, pervasive violence, narcotics flows, and weakened democracy continue to drive migration north and have consequences far beyond its borders. Amid these pressures, brave Christian civic leaders are stepping forward to uphold justice in a climate of impunity and inspiring others around the world to seek justice in their own contexts.

Drawing on Halperin’s reporting and Ver Beek’s decades of work in Honduras, our discussion examined events chronicled in Ross’ book, Bear Witness, and how faithful Christian leadership can make accountability, rule of law, and democracy possible.

Dr. Kurt Ver Beek co-founded ASJ with his wife Jo Ann and four  Honduran friends with the dream of transforming Honduran systems to serve the poor and vulnerable. He currently serves as the President of  ASJ-Honduras and collaborates with experts in Honduras to develop innovative solutions to strengthen public systems. Despite the challenges that Honduras has faced, Kurt believes that justice is possible for Honduras. Kurt taught as a professor of Sociology for Calvin University, where he directed the Honduras Justice Studies semester with his wife Jo Ann for 20 years. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Calvin, a  Master’s in Human Resource Development from Azusa Pacific University, and a Doctorate in Development Sociology from Cornell University.  

He is the author of Call for Justice, co-written with  Christian philosopher Nicholas Wolterstorff about  the theory and practice of justice. Kurt and his family have lived in Honduras for over 30 years. 

Ross Halperin attended Harvard University, worked on Wall Street, led a campaign to reconstruct the library in his hometown, and worked under Mark A.R. Kleiman, one of the world’s leading criminal-justice scholars. He started reporting Bear Witness in 2018 and has since spent much of his time in Honduras.

Greg Newburn (moderator) is director of criminal justice at the Niskanen Center.