The Anxious Bench Podcast

When Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that the execution of Nidal Hasan would be via firing squad, it raised eyebrows. When he announced earlier this month that the execution would livestreamed, it ignited a nationwide debate, including in the American Christian public square. For now, that debate seems to be theoretical, since President Trump backed off the administration’s earlier remarks about livestreaming Hasan’s death.

But the question still remains: how ought Christians respond to the prospect of public executions? And for historians, how does Hegseth’s eager promotion of a spectacle execution recall some of our nation’s darkest moral instincts? To think through this, I wanted to talk to someone whose research speaks to the intersection of Christian ethics and historical memory. Malcolm Foley is a pastor, theologian, and historian who writes about Black Christian responses to lynching in the early 20th century. He is the author of The Anti-Greed Gospel: Why the Love of Money is the Root of Racism and How the Church Can Create a New Way Forward.

Buy The Anti-Greed Gospel.

“Four Wrongs of a Public Execution” by Timothy Snyder

“Why Nidal Hasan’s Execution Demands A Public Witness” by Andrew Walker

“Public Execution Proposal of Fort Hood Shooter Divides Christians” by Steve Mollman

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The mainline is having a moment. Democratic candidates like Adam Hamilton, James Talarico, and Sarah Trone Garriott, who are all ministers in different mainline traditions, have put their Christian faith at the front-and-center of their left-leaning political agendas. National coverage of these faith-based Democrats has aroused the political imaginations of some American Christians while raising doubts among others, especially conservative evangelical leaders.

I wanted to know what our current political moment might say about the state of American Christianity, its polarization, and the complicated notions of religious identity—notions that might tell us why mainline ministers are showing up as viable candidates in traditionally conservative states. My guest today is Isaac Sharp. Isaac researches at the intersection of American religious history and social ethics. He is the author of The Other Evangelicals as well as a forthcoming history of Southern Baptists and the Southern Baptist Convention.

Hosted by Jacob Randolph

Purchase The Other Evangelicals.

Follow Isaac on X and LinkedIn.

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