Drugs, Mercy, and the Gospel: Rev. Alexander Sharp

Rev. Alexander Sharp is the founder and Executive Director of Clergy for a New Drug Policy. The organization is committed to mobilizing ministers and congregations to change the way we think about, and legislate, the prosecution of drug crimes in America. 

In this hour long interview, we talk about his vision to change America's approach to drug prosecution, and why he thinks it is an issue of justice and mercy in which the churches need to be involved.

"By any Christian understanding, " Reverend Sharp explains, "The War on Drugs is not a Just War.  Nor can the values of the Christian tradition be used to justify it."

Sharp founded Clergy for a New Drug Policy after leading Chicago-based organizations Protestants for the Common Good and Community Renewal Society. 

We have a frank conversation about the pros and cons of current drug enforcement policies, and speak candidly about his vision for a time when drug abuse is treated as a health care crisis instead of a crime. We also discuss the criticisms of this approach, and why he believes that the Gospel and the tenets of Christian faith demand a new approach to drug policies.

Rev. Sharp is a graduate of Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs. He was ordained by the United Church of Christ in 2007 after having received his MDiv from the Divinity School of the University of Chicago in 1996.