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I really enjoyed this series. :)

rlp,
I agree. I belonged to a sect of Christianity that was pro-death penalty and so much of their "service" was based on fear and anger rather than the "Spirit of Christ" that you talk about.

Great article.
Jeremy

Wow ... very courageous. Your point of view is one that I have always held. Good to have some affirmation. I suspect you will be subject to quite a lot of criticism though. Many in "the church" simply react out of their own fear to support the death penalty instead of considering what Jesus said about loving our neighbor. It is easy to love those around us. Is not the serial killer still our neighbor? Yes, the serial killer must be imprisoned for society's protection. But does isolating and putting him/her to death demonstrate the love that Jesus demands we give to all? ... and don't get me started about how many truly innocent "murderers" society has erroneously put to death over the decades/centuries ...

David Spitko

You wrote:
David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam killer, became a Christian in prison.

I'm curious (and surprised, actually) that you wrote this. Do you base this on what he said, or on what's in his heart? Do you think becoming a Christian requires a change of heart, or is it just the ability to talk using certain phrases? And if becoming a Christian requires a change of heart, how can we know what's in the heart of another?

BuddhaBoy

I've never understood exactly what societies are trying to achieve with prisons. As far as I can tell, the main object is "out of sight, out of mind," but once that is accomplished, we're still left with the question of what kind of experience the prisoners should have. It seems some people want them to be punished, while others want them to be rehabilitated--and popular opinion swings between these two preferences from generation to generation.

I won't go so far as to believe anybody who tells me the state of their soul (I don't even believe people who tell me what their personalities are), but killing them when we don't really understand them does seem... well, something to err on the side of compassion about.

The only argument for the death penalty that I thought made any sense was: It's punishment. So punish.

The author of the article makes the mistake of confusing:

• politically conservative Christians i.e., those defending the status quo of society and opposing social change, with
• those who have the deepest respect for the literal and unchanging truth of scripture, denominational confessions, and church tradition.

In his perpetuation of the myth of literalist conservatives he does a great disservice.

Hi Gordon...

I was directly involved with the Rader case, handling all of the local and national media relations for the court. The most impressive and deepest memory I have of the experience is a man by the name of Michael Clark. He is Dennis Rader's pastor.

Rev. Clark was present, and ministered to Dennis Rader. He was nursing a wounded congregation, thrust into the limelight by a situtation totally beyond their control. It would have been easy for him to focus on that piece of his calling.

But he was there for that twisted, horrific, broken soul.

That was quite amazing to witness.

We are not qualified, nor are we called to judge a heart. God can and does redeem. Thank you for this essay.

kdl from Kansas

Hi Gordon,
I was going to bring up Rev Clark as well but kdl beat me to it. I thought what you wrote was daring and powerful. I recently read a book by a life prisoner named Jens Soering (jenssoering.com) called THe Convict Christ, which was a powerful indictment of how we deal with prisoners in our country in particular. He took a similar stance to you with regard to the death penalty. It is a stance I also share and always have, even when I wasn't a Christian, even though it makes more sense now that I am...somehow.
I lead a spiritual direction group for ex-cons and do Sunday worship once a month in a maximum security prison and the power of the Gospel in some of their lives is a wonder to behold. The fact that they can maintain some semblance of faith in the mess of prison life is a profound witness. Their knowledge of the bible puts us preacher types to shame. But more than anything, I am keenly aware of how much they welcome visitors from the outside who are concerned about their welfare and spiritual well-being. Our lack of compassion for those who are in prison or who are just out of prison harms them deeply and convicts us in an even higher court.
Peace to you and your ministry!
SD Jones

I think the two thieves who were crucified at the same time as Jesus demonstrate the model. One was saved, one was not. Both (all three) died.

Jesus granted one (Dismas?) salvation, but not his life.

There are crimes (murders) that do not warrant the death penalty, as crimes of passion, and I can understand that. Most murders are between knowing people, not strangers.

But the ultimate goal of Christ is to win souls and create disciples. Not to punish criminals and to advocate that diminishes the Gospel message.

There are other non-murder crimes that warrant the death penalty - such as multiple molesting, and others. Few molestees become Christians. And communities with molesting priests and ministers have far fewer souls won.

Putting these perpetrators in prison is isolation, which is good, but hardly punsihment - most jails are safer than the neighborhoods these perpetrators come from.

Prisoners are a savvy lot. They will say anything to get some benefit, including claiming to be Christians. I would take these jailhouse conversions with a grain, or block of salt.

In general, crimes of greed - like ZZZZBest - can produce sincere Christians. But these warped torture killers, molesters, etc., rarely become repentant.

For the benefit of society, and the kingdom, careful, accurate execution works.

I am unsure of how this three part essay turned into a debate about conservative Christians and the death penalty. You've never made your feelings toward the conservative camps of the Christian faith a secret but this was a slam from right field. There may be actual data that proves your point but I must wonder if all conservatives believe in the death penalty and all liberals stand against it? Whether intended or not, there is a high and mighty tone to this post. Liberals Christians have it right and conservatives have it all wrong.

I admit that I do not know what to think about this kind of punishment. It is certainly nothing new as is evident by the way Christ Himself died. At times I certainly see why we should not have such a harsh and final punishment but fully admit that I would call for someone's head if they harmed my children in such ways. I suppose that makes me a hypocrite but it’s my honest reaction to the issue.

I suppose I personalize your every post as though you speak directly to me. Maybe that is where I fail. Maybe that is how you so easily push my buttons and invoke response whether friendly or adversarial. So even carefully crafted sentences that leave room for the exceptions end up escaping my notice because there only exists you, the author and me, your only reader. Messed up, I know but that is how I participate here. And as much error that this causes for me, I really don't want to change strategies. So I take credit for screwing up the intended message. It is not your responsibility to hold my hand and explain your every word. My problem not yours.

What remains true about my initial shock is the direction that the series took. The Elusive Nature of Evil parts one and two would have never had me guessing that a conservative/death penalty issue was looming around the corner. But like you say...your blog, not mine.

An author is never truly expected to take us through their process and enlighten us on the journey. But I am glad I asked and glad you answered. You have some very compelling points and as a conservative evangelical myself, I admit to not having considered a firm stance one way or the other on capital punishment.