Christians should never rejoice when the death penalty is employed, but at the same time, christians should not fight against the governments right to execute the perpetrators of the most evil of crimes. Whether the death penalty is right or wrong has been hotly debated for many decades and will probably continue to be debated for many more. In his new book, executing grace, evangelical christian speaker, activist, and author shane claiborne weaves together personal narratives. All christians should oppose the death penalty relevant. It considers the current efforts to restrict the death penalty within the united nations, the council of europe, the african commission, and the commonwealth caribbean.
List of books and articles about capital punishment online. Atdp is written to convince people to oppose the death penalty and to give a list of arguments as to why you should agree with the author. The arguments for and against have not changed much over the years. For example, individuals guilty of manslaughter or accidentally causing anothers death were exempted from the death penalty. A biblical perspective on the death penalty prison fellowship. Christians argue both for and against the death penalty using secular arguments see ethics. According to the kitabiaqdas, the central book of the bahai faith, certain offenses such as murder and arson are punishable by the death penalty. Once again, the question of whether the death penalty is in some sense just is wholly irrelevant in the context of christian belief. The application of the death penalty in america is unjustly used and applied. The book is relatively short, so all the arguments are basically introductory. There are a variety of reasons why the death penalty in america is unjustly applied, and chief among them is race.
A book definitely of value to give to friends willing to explore the rational arguments against the death. Many of the major world religions such as christianity, judaism, islam, and hinduism, have. Drawing on old and new testament resources as well as secular arguments, hanks shows that the death penalty harms rather than helps any quest for a just, humane society. Argument 2 perhaps the most compelling arguments against capital punishment are the examples of capital criminals who were. Christian reformed church in north america, the church speak on. How the death penalty killed jesus and its killing us, claiborne argues that all christians should oppose the death penalty in the united states. Christian and secular arguments against capital punishment 9780836190755.
A story of justice and redemption by bryan stevenson, the innocent man. If the death penalty seems a just and proportionate response to. It was not meant to take sides on the death penalty, but rather explore some of the important issues raised by the various sides. International initiatives and implications, features leading scholars on the death penalty and their analysis of both the promotion and demise of the punishment around the world. What has not received much discussion, however, is the matter of how the death penalty should be applied. For him, to be prolife means to be antideath in any form.
The death penalty information center is a nonprofit organization serving the media and the public with analysis and information about capital punishment. A christian view of the death penalty word document. In particular for me, as an agnostic with experience opposing the death penalty, i benefited most from gards careful and from the heart presentation of the deeper meanings behind why a christian must find the death penalty so abhorrent. Discover librarianselected research resources on capital punishment from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals. Christians need to think through this lifeanddeath issue. Consider that jesus supports the death penalty in matthew and mark, and so does john in revelation, and paul in acts and romans, as does the book of hebrews. What does the bible say about the death penalty capital. The biblical truth about americas death penalty recinella, dale s. This does not mean that they believed christians are permitted to impose such a penalty. Written primarily for christians, so they can support the death penalty and do so coherently from moral, historical and biblical perspectives, this book offers a thorough defense of the death penalty and a defense against the arguments, both secular and christian, so often lodged against it. Does scripture mandate, prohibit, or permit capital punishment. As far as the fathers were concerned, all of us merit death.
Jesus supports capital punishment jesus affirmed the mosaic law even to the keeping of the least of these commandments mat. Shane claiborne, an activist and author who runs the simple way community in philadelphia, published a book earlier this year about the death penalty. Several years ago dan van ness, then president of justice fellowship wrote a call to dialogue on capital punishment. Christian and secular arguments against capital punishment.
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