Death Penalty issues
Monday, July 11, 2011
In the past I have claimed to hold what I call a "pro-vita" ethical position on the issues of abortion and capital punishment. I understand it as a Christian moral position, and by it I mean that I believe God's desire for all those created in his image is for life and redemption.
The conventional positions that what I'm calling pro-vita would align with would be the pro-life position on abortion and the anti-death penalty position on capital punishment. Conventional liberals and conservatives often differ on these two, obviously. By trying to articulate a pro-vita reasoning, I want to get both liberal and conservative Christians to consider how they think about these two moral issues with regards to their discipleship to Jesus Christ.
I'm bringing this up in a blog post today because I read a column I think it is worth checking out.
Professor David R. Dow of the University of Houston has written a recent op-ed article in the New York Times that comments on some of the problems with the death penalty. As he points out, it is hard to take a serious look at the way capital punishment is enforced by the states and conclude that it is anything other than racist and arbitrary.
Of course, there is a bit of an issue with hanging one's opposition to the death penalty on the manner of its enforcement. And it is this: presumably racism and arbitrariness could be removed by certain reforms within the justice system. If your only issue with capital punishment is its unfairness, then such reforms might well satisfy you. But if you oppose capital punishment per se, then you need some other basis of reasoning than the mechanics of its application.
I do oppose capital punishment per se, and I do so for theological reasons. My reasoning begins with what it means for Christians to live as a people who understand Jesus Christ's command to love one's neighbor as oneself as the second greatest commandment of all. From that basis I know there's a need to do further work on who our neighbor is and what it means to love. But I think this is absolutely the place to start.
The conventional positions that what I'm calling pro-vita would align with would be the pro-life position on abortion and the anti-death penalty position on capital punishment. Conventional liberals and conservatives often differ on these two, obviously. By trying to articulate a pro-vita reasoning, I want to get both liberal and conservative Christians to consider how they think about these two moral issues with regards to their discipleship to Jesus Christ.
I'm bringing this up in a blog post today because I read a column I think it is worth checking out.
Professor David R. Dow of the University of Houston has written a recent op-ed article in the New York Times that comments on some of the problems with the death penalty. As he points out, it is hard to take a serious look at the way capital punishment is enforced by the states and conclude that it is anything other than racist and arbitrary.
Of course, there is a bit of an issue with hanging one's opposition to the death penalty on the manner of its enforcement. And it is this: presumably racism and arbitrariness could be removed by certain reforms within the justice system. If your only issue with capital punishment is its unfairness, then such reforms might well satisfy you. But if you oppose capital punishment per se, then you need some other basis of reasoning than the mechanics of its application.
I do oppose capital punishment per se, and I do so for theological reasons. My reasoning begins with what it means for Christians to live as a people who understand Jesus Christ's command to love one's neighbor as oneself as the second greatest commandment of all. From that basis I know there's a need to do further work on who our neighbor is and what it means to love. But I think this is absolutely the place to start.
Labels: Death Penalty, Pro-Vita
posted by Andrew C. Thompson at 7:08 AM
2 Comments:
I am 100% with you, Andrew. Your articulation of "pro-vita" is a great way to express how in God's eyes all life is sacred. At one time, I was "pro-life" (anti-abortion) but still clung to the idea that "some people need killing." However, over time, I came to understand what you said, "that life does not begin at conception and end at birth" was an incomplete understanding. Thanks for raising your voice!
Russ, thanks for that comment. It has taken me quite some time to come to the position I call "pro-vita" as well. But it is the one view that seems, to me, to be consistent with the love God bears us in Christ and the life he desires for us.
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