Christianity and Capital Punishment

Ohio’s recent execution of Dennis McGuire has caused a firestorm from those who are opposed to the death penalty. McGuire wasn’t a “poster boy” case until the state used an untested mix of drugs and took over twenty minutes to accomplish death. The discussion of whether the procedure constituted cruel and unusual punishment has almost automatically morphed into a discussion about the morality of the death penalty in general. I would concede to the “cruelty” and ask the question; is there really any humane way to kill someone. It would seem that the only humane way to carry out a death sentence is to not tell them when it will happen. I can only imagine that the anticipation of the coming event would itself be excruciating. To sneak up on them at a time when they least expect it and kill them in the quickest imaginable way, is the kindest method. If this sounds insane then think about how insane it is to discuss a humane way to end another person’s life against their will. The death penalty is after all a punishment, and the ultimate one at that. Indeed the discussion does come down to whether we as a society have the right to impose capital punishment.

The debate on the morality of this issue does not fall on the lines drawn between Christian and non-Christian. Many God loving and well-meaning Christians disagree about capital punishment. Many Bible believing people refer to the King James rendering of the sixth commandment, “thou shalt not kill” (Ex. 20:13) as their rationale against the death penalty.  The New International Version translates it, “Thou shall not murder.” This is more accurate because the Hebrew word so translated does not refer to killing in general but to malicious and unlawful killing. Neither accidental killing (Numbers 35:22-25) nor justifiable homicide (Ex. 22:2) is a breaking of the sixth commandment. Neither killing in war nor capital punishment is necessarily forbidden in this commandment since God required both in certain cases (Ex.21:12). So the preferred translation is, “You shall not murder.” It is not enough to conclude that Scripture does not forbid this practice, therefore leaving it up to choice. The Bible does in fact insist that we exercise the death penalty. Long before the Ten Commandments, and the religious ceremonial Law of Moses, God had given commandment “civil law” to Noah when the human race was beginning anew. While the world as we know it was in its inception God said to Noah, “Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man.” (Genesis 9:6)

It may seem a contradiction of terms but if we as Christians are to uphold the sanctity of human life then we must also uphold capital punishment for those who would destroy life.  If we as Americans are to uphold the right to life, then there must be an accounting innocent blood. The Christian ethic is to protect life, from conception to natural death, as God chooses, and to punish those who would intervene otherwise without just cause.

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