I needed a theological education that could save my life. For years, I struggled to survive under the weight of what I was taught at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. I just couldn’t believe that God hated so many people.
Killer Christians in Texas: The Next Victim Is Scott Panetti
Has your church ever executed someone? Don’t be appalled by such a question. Think deeper. Perhaps you never hung someone on the cross at the front of your sanctuary, but have you considered the consequences of your inaction? Think about…
Al Mohler, Jesus and the death penalty debate
Would Jesus support the death penalty? Mother Theresa posed the question to the Governor of California in 1990. She was pretty sure he knew the answer. According to a recent Barna poll: Only 5 percent of Americans believe that Jesus…
Rethinking the death penalty
The death penalty is at the forefront of our news cycles once again. First the Tennessee legislature, due to a shortage of the standard execution drug, approved the return of the electric chair. Then, while experimenting with a new drug combination,…
Violence and the cross
Challenging the notion that some violent responses to violence are justified often seems to cause people to respond with greater vehemence than if their most deeply-cherished convictions about the nature of God had been questioned. I suspect there are two…
Should we abolish the death penalty?
On July 3 the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, called on all member states to abolish the death penalty. The worldwide trend is away from the death penalty. In 2000, 31 countries carried out an execution. In 2011,…