The death penalty - maybe more than any other question of crime and punishment - poses a conundrum for America as a majority Christian nation.

Since colonial times, Christian ministers and believers have been among the strongest supporters of capital punishment for murder. Today, American Christianity is more divided. And the Bible offers seemingly contradictory guidance. From the Old Testament’s call to justice and retribution to the New Testament’s emphasis on grace and forgiveness, Christians wrestle with what kind of justice system reflects the will of God.

In this episode of Top of Mind, host Julie Rose seeks for clarity on the matter as a Christian herself. She speaks with a Baptist pastor who ministers to death row inmates and opposes capital punishment, a Presbyterian pastor who considers the Bible clear in its support of the death penalty as God’s law, and a Southern Baptist seminary graduate and trial lawyer who questions America’s ability to implement capital punishment as God intended.

GUESTS

Pastor Kevin Riggs, senior pastor of Franklin Community Church. Co-author of “Today! The Best Day of My Life” with Pastor Kevin Burns, who is on death row in Tennessee. https://www.amazon.com/Today-Best-Day-My-Life/dp/B0DBJNP92T

Reverend Rom Prashkapalan, pastor at Zion Presbyterian Church in Fredericksburg, Virginia https://www.zion-presbyterian.com/

Matthew T. Martens, Southern Baptist seminary graduate, trial lawyer and author of Reforming Criminal Justice: A Christian Proposal https://matthew-martens.com/

CHAPTERS

(0:00) Introduction

(1:38) History and Modern Divide

(4:43) Case for Abolition

(9:02) Restorative Justice and Victims

(18:32) Pro Death Penalty Theology

(27:34) Why God Punishes

(28:55) Life in Prison vs Execution

(30:38) Repentance and Exceptions

(34:27) Wrongful Convictions Debate

(44:13) Reforming Justice with Love