In 2015, Pope Francis gave a challenge to all Christians to agree to put an end to the death penalty. Non-Catholic Christians need to join with their Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ in putting to death the death penalty. Even if a Christian thinks in theory that the Bible permits the death penalty in certain situations, the way the death penalty functions in America is both broken and unjust in how it is administered.
Do we understand that its probably better to be guilty and rich rather than poor and innocent in how money influences our current criminal system? Do we know that there is a bias in our criminal justice system against the poor and people of color? Do we understand that we execute people who are mentally challenged and in some states, even when a jury trial calls for a life sentence, that it can be overturned by a judge giving the death penalty? Do we understand that one out of eight people executed today is innocent through DNA testing and its probably higher than that when it comes to the actual numbers of innocent people being executed to death.
If Christians believe in a culture of life and not death, grace and redemption then how can we execute grace and close the door on people who the State wants to kill? Our own Bible is written by murderers like Moses, David and Paul. Jesus encounter with the woman caught in the act of adultery (who was certainly guilty) where the law says kill her, Jesus showed grace. Are we not to do the same? The crazy irony is for Christians who support the death penalty while at the same time believing that in the future, the nation-state will persecute and execute Christians, we end up supporting the very system that will supposedly kill Christians in the end. Something to think about!
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