Baptist News Global
Sections
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Storytelling
    • Faith & Justice >
      • Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield
      • Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell
      • Little Rock: Judge Wendell Griffen
      • North Carolina: Conetoe
    • Welcoming the Stranger >
      • Lost Boys of Sudan: St. John’s Baptist Charlotte
      • Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
      • Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center
    • Signature Ministries >
      • Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio
    • Singing Our Faith >
      • Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church
      • Norfolk Street Choir
    • Resilient Rural America >
      • Alabama: Perry County
      • Texas: Hidalgo County
      • Arkansas Delta
      • Southeast Kentucky
  • More
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donate
    • Planned Giving
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Advertising
    • Ministry Jobs and More
    • Transitions
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions and Permissions
Donate Subscribe
Search Search this site
Featured
Featured

Opponents see indicators that death penalty on its way out in U.S.

NewsJeff Brumley  |  March 11, 2016

Melissa Browning was drawn deep into the anti-death penalty movement when the state of Georgia was trying to kill Kelly Gissendaner last year.

There were plenty of ups, including multiple delays in her execution date.  And there were downs, too, as appeals were repeatedly denied before Gissendaner was finally executed last September.

And there have been more executions since, said Browning, visiting assistant professor of contextual ministry at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology.

Melissa Browning

Melissa Browning

“It’s a bloodbath in Georgia right now,” she said.

But what keeps Browning and others actively opposed to state-sponsored executions are several small signs, here and there, that capital punishment may be headed for its own execution date in the United States.

For Browning, one of those signs was a March 7 blog by George W. Truett Theological Seminary Professor Roger Olson.  In it, he said Christianity and the death penalty are incompatible.

Reading the blog on the high-profile Patheos site was a shot in the arm, Browining said, because it will help chip away at Christian support for executions.

And there was another reason it was a boost: “Roger was my professor at Truett,” she explained.

Olson’s blog, “Why Authentic Christians Must Oppose the Death Penalty,” dismisses the traditional “eye for an eye” argument for capital punishment. Instead, Christians must remember that all individuals may be someone chosen for salvation and God’s service, he wrote.

Browning said she witnessed many instances of Christians actively supporting Kelly Gissendaner’s scheduled death. That included the Georgia board who denied her appeals.

“They all identified as Christians and had no problem giving her the death penalty,” Browning said. “Some of them said, in effect, ‘if she [Kelly] is a Christian, then she doesn’t have anything to worry about, anyway.’”

In efforts to recruit churches to appeal for Gissendaner’s life and, later, protest her execution, Browning said it was common to hear ministers who were torn over the issue.

“A lot of pastors said they didn’t want to see Kelly killed, but they didn’t want to make a public stand because they were afraid of how their congregations would respond.”

But there were many who did change their minds, she continued. These included McAfee faculty and students and others in the community who took the time to discover who Gissendaner was as a person.

Previously, some had assumed capital punishment was reserved only for the worst members of society. But Gissendaner had earned theology certificates, was a teacher and mentor behind bars and was a mom.

“They heard Kelly’s story and it totally changed their view of the death penalty,” Browning said. “It gives me hope.”

Re-thinking state-sponsored killing

Wendell Griffen

Wendell Griffen

Even some prosecutors are coming to disdain the death penalty, said Wendell Griffen, a judge in Arkansas’ Sixth Judicial Circuit and pastor of a Cooperative Baptist church in Little Rock.

Prosecutors bringing first-degree homicide cases before him have steadily dropped efforts to seek the death penalty, according to Griffen.

“I suspect that is going to happen more often than not,” he said.

That’s because most people involved in capital murder cases, including family members, have come to see capital punishment as a vendetta instead of justice. And many in society are recognizing the logical disconnect of claiming that violent executions teach Americans to avoid violence.

Prosecutors, meanwhile, know that seeking death means years of expensive, mandatory appeals.

“More and more people are rethinking the whole business of state-sponsored killing,” Griffin said. “They are asking, is this not a throwback to a period of time we could describe as barbaric?”

Watching opinions change

Browning points to recent court rulings that challenge aspects of some states’ capital punishment processes. A county judge in Alabama recently ruled the state’s death penalty system unconstitutional.

At the same time, a proposed bill would impose a temporary moratorium on executions to determine if there are any innocent prisoners on Alabama’s death row.

In January, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled a sentencing portion of Florida’s death penalty to be unconstitutional.

Meanwhile, the number of executions is steadily declining, as is the number of states with capital punishment that are conducting executions, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

But it’s the attitudes Christians and other Americans have toward capital punishment that will be the big difference maker, Browning said.

And for this, she said she is optimistic.

“I have watched opinions change,” she said, adding that hers was one of them.

“I grew up in a congregation and a household that was very pro-death penalty.”

Tags:George W. Truett Theological SeminaryMcAfee school of TheologyBaylor UniversityRoger OlsonMercer UniversityDeath penaltyGeorgiaAlabamaFloridaCapital PunishmentWendell GriffenArkansasMelissa BrowningKelly GissendanerTruett Theological Seminary
More by
Jeff Brumley
Read Next:

Maybe seminaries should offer a class in mergers and acquisitions

AnalysisMark Wingfield

More Articles

  • All
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • The French Dreyfus Affair and Trump’s Big Lie

    OpinionDavid Gushee, Senior Columnist

  • Women of childbearing age are least likely to see strict abortion laws as best deterrent against abortion

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • Independence Day: Not to celebrate but to reflect

    OpinionKathy Manis Findley

  • U.S. State Department calls out Russia, China, Afghanistan, Myanmar for extreme religious freedom abuses

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • Two viruses threaten the life of the Southern Baptist Convention: Male hierarchy and dominion theology

    AnalysisEllis Orozco

  • Progress on sexual abuse in the SBC? Not so fast

    OpinionDavid Clohessy and Christa Brown

  • Pranoto, Shaw, Smith and Younger join BNG board of directors

    NewsBNG staff

  • Uyghur American elected chairman of U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • When a Mexican cartel kidnapped a Baptist pastor, they got more than they bargained for

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • The Black community needs allies who listen and act, scholar says

    NewsPat Cole

  • Maybe seminaries should offer a class in mergers and acquisitions

    AnalysisMark Wingfield

  • Reflections on my mother’s funeral: The heart has reasons

    OpinionDavid Ramsey

  • Georgia Baptists hit snag on sale of 16-year-old headquarters property in suburban Atlanta

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • When ‘orthodoxy’ won’t hold: The SBC and the rest of us

    OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

  • At Faith and Freedom conference, evangelical Christian voters once again abandon their concern for marital fidelity

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • Annual report on Baptist women in ministry finds some gains but serious losses due to COVID

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • Seven suggestions for preventing conflict before it happens

    OpinionBill Wilson

  • Church-state separationists join Justice Sotomayor in blasting the Supreme Court’s ruling in a Maine school voucher case

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • The gospel according to mammals

    OpinionTyler Tankersley

  • Conservative clergywoman claims United Methodist system unjust

    NewsCynthia Astle

  • How God used Jay Bakker to teach me about race and loving all people

    OpinionMaina Mwaura

  • In Africa, inflation and a food crisis threaten not just the economy but people’s lives

    NewsAnthony Akaeze

  • When a teenager gets kicked to the curb by Christian parents

    OpinionDan McGee and Linda Francis Cross

  • American support for abortion rights at highest level since 1995, Gallup says

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • Ministry jobs and more

    NewsBarbara Francis

  • Women of childbearing age are least likely to see strict abortion laws as best deterrent against abortion

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • U.S. State Department calls out Russia, China, Afghanistan, Myanmar for extreme religious freedom abuses

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • Pranoto, Shaw, Smith and Younger join BNG board of directors

    NewsBNG staff

  • Uyghur American elected chairman of U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • When a Mexican cartel kidnapped a Baptist pastor, they got more than they bargained for

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • The Black community needs allies who listen and act, scholar says

    NewsPat Cole

  • Georgia Baptists hit snag on sale of 16-year-old headquarters property in suburban Atlanta

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • At Faith and Freedom conference, evangelical Christian voters once again abandon their concern for marital fidelity

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • Annual report on Baptist women in ministry finds some gains but serious losses due to COVID

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • Church-state separationists join Justice Sotomayor in blasting the Supreme Court’s ruling in a Maine school voucher case

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • Conservative clergywoman claims United Methodist system unjust

    NewsCynthia Astle

  • In Africa, inflation and a food crisis threaten not just the economy but people’s lives

    NewsAnthony Akaeze

  • American support for abortion rights at highest level since 1995, Gallup says

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • Ministry jobs and more

    NewsBarbara Francis

  • New platform of Texas GOP is laced with Christian privilege

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • Author explores contradiction of evangelical support for prison ministry and tough-on-crime laws at same time

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • One year later, awareness of Juneteenth is growing

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • Churches in Russian-occupied sections of Ukraine face desperate conditions

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • Transitions for the week of 6-17-22

    NewsBarbara Francis

  • Many voices call for prosecution of mob who lynched and burned Christian student in Nigeria

    NewsAnthony Akaeze

  • Religious Liberty Council elects two BJC board members

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • Still no external review of North American Mission Board finances

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • Attempt to dismantle SBC Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission fails

    NewsMark Wingfield

  • Brian Foreman named CBF’s coordinator of congregational ministries

    NewsBNG staff

  • Most Americans hang out with people who are a lot like them

    NewsJeff Brumley

  • The French Dreyfus Affair and Trump’s Big Lie

    OpinionDavid Gushee, Senior Columnist

  • Independence Day: Not to celebrate but to reflect

    OpinionKathy Manis Findley

  • Progress on sexual abuse in the SBC? Not so fast

    OpinionDavid Clohessy and Christa Brown

  • Reflections on my mother’s funeral: The heart has reasons

    OpinionDavid Ramsey

  • When ‘orthodoxy’ won’t hold: The SBC and the rest of us

    OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

  • Seven suggestions for preventing conflict before it happens

    OpinionBill Wilson

  • The gospel according to mammals

    OpinionTyler Tankersley

  • How God used Jay Bakker to teach me about race and loving all people

    OpinionMaina Mwaura

  • When a teenager gets kicked to the curb by Christian parents

    OpinionDan McGee and Linda Francis Cross

  • Unzipped: How (not) to commute

    OpinionEric Minton

  • When it comes to leading corporate prayer, are we really all in this together?

    OpinionMark Wingfield

  • Is America racist at heart?

    OpinionEugene G. Akins III

  • Note to self: Get rid of resting jerkface

    OpinionErich Bridges

  • Don’t keep sweet: Why white Christians need to celebrate Juneteenth

    OpinionErica Whitaker

  • Letter to the Editor: The importance of establishing best practices for pastoral searches

    OpinionLetters to the Editor

  • Hymn Stories: ‘Will You Come and Follow Me’

    OpinionBeverly A. Howard

  • A Bubba-Doo’s regular loses a loved one

    OpinionCharles Qualls

  • The oxymoron of being both anti-abortion and pro-gun

    OpinionEarl Chappell

  • My trip to the seamy world of horseracing

    OpinionBrett Younger

  • In the news this weekend: This is what it means to take God’s name in vain

    OpinionErin Albin Hill

  • Sympathy does not defeat white supremacy

    OpinionWendell Griffen

  • What Kenobi has taught me about God

    OpinionRob Lee

  • Is ‘fascism’ the right name for the Trumpist hard right in America?

    OpinionDavid Gushee, Senior Columnist

  • God in three persons, blessed Trinity

    OpinionBarry Howard

  • Bill Self in 1984: ‘Babylonian Captivity of the Convention’

    OpinionBill Self

  • Pope orders online release of WWII-era Pius XII Jewish files

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Demolishing schools after a mass shooting reflects humans’ deep-rooted desire for purification rituals

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Has American conservatism abandoned the Christian right?

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • In Colorado, a GOP rarity: An abortion rights candidate

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • A church was ordered to rescind its gay deacon. Now it weighs its next step.

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Can the Church Still Enact Justice When a Pastor Sues His Accusers?

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Republican Lauren Boebert jokes about AR-15s and Jesus — and yes, she’s a ‘real’ Christian

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • This World Refugee Day, rising white nationalism meets the largest refugee population in history — which is no coincidence

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • How evangelical Christians are sizing up the 2024 GOP race for president

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Abortion bill, confederate holiday removal signed by Edwards

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Buddhist leader in Bhutan fully ordains 144 women, resuming ancient tradition

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Banning Nancy Pelosi from Communion May Have Backfired

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • How Franklin Graham pushed a domestic abuse victim to return to her husband

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Poor People’s Campaign holds major DC rally to combat poverty

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • An Elite Christian College Has Become The Latest Battleground In America’s Culture Wars

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Wiccan celebration of summer solstice is a reminder that change, as expressed in nature, is inevitable

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Camino pilgrims help rural Spain’s emptying villages survive

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • What Antisemitism Looks Like When It Is Carved into Church

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Humanist chaplains guide nonreligious students on quest for meaning

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • On Juneteenth, Jewish communities are reckoning with their own attitudes on race

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • UK sanctions Russian Orthodox head; decries forced adoption

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • California again seeks to pass human composting bill as Catholic bishops oppose it

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Boise police can’t charge pastor who said LGBTQ people are ‘worthy of death’

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Ukrainian archbishop pushes against papal statements, says causes of war ‘lie within Russia itself’

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

  • Bishop punishes school over Black Lives Matter, Pride flags

    Curated

    Exclude from home pageBNG staff

Conversations that Matter.

© 2022 Baptist News Global. All rights reserved.

Want to share a story? We hope you will! Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS