A couple of weeks ago, the ethics of capital punishment was pushed into the national spotlight by a botched execution here in Oklahoma. In the aftermath, here's something I noticed: When the horrific nature of the convict's death was mentioned, people were quick to point out the even more horrific nature of the crime.
Behind that move lies the retributive idea that it's intrinsically good to inflict suffering on wrongdoers, suffering that's proportionate to their offense.
But this is one idea that Jesus consistently challenged. As Christians--followers of Jesus--think about the death penalty, they would do well to ask, "Who would Jesus execute?" And although Jesus was Himself put to death by the state, He was never in a position to order an execution. So evidence of what Jesus would have done has to be more indirect.
Here, then, are some things for Christians to think about as they wrestle with the ethics of the death penalty:
Showing posts with label Oklahoma's botched execution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Oklahoma's botched execution. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
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