Can a Christian Support Capital Punishment?



When I was a campus pastor I was sitting with a group of other campus pastors and one of them very passionately raised this question: “How can you oppose abortion but still support the death penalty?” The other campus ministers nodded in agreement accusing us pro-lifers of a glaring moral inconsistency. So I responded, “How about this for a defense: I believe in punishing the guilty and sparing the innocent. It’s not a complicated moral position.”

Those campus ministers had come down on one side of a controversial moral issue: capital punishment. More precisely, can a Christian favor the death penalty? 

Before we go any further we have to ask what is the current status of the death penalty in America? We basically don’t have one. Last year there were 24,000 murders in America and 24 executions. So about 1 execution for every thousand murders. If you murder someone the odds are 1,000 to 1 against you having to pay for that murder with your life.

Americans are still in favor of the death penalty but its support has weakened over the years. It is opposed by a small band of zealots who are politically powerful. One thing I have noticed is that people opposed to capital punishment tend not personally affected by their views. They tend to be wealthier, better educated, and rarely the victims of a capital crime. The victims tend to be drawn overwhelmingly from our lower classes. 

What are the arguments against capital punishment?

First, you might execute an innocent person. I think this is by far the best argument for the opponents of capital punishment. We read often of people who have been exonerated after many years in prison. This, of course, is an argument against all punishment of crime. But at least if a person is not executed the wrong can in theory be rectified at some point. With modern forensics the chance of executing an innocent person is small but possible nonetheless.

The famous author, evangelical Christian, and attorney, John Grisham, strongly opposes the death penalty and he often places arguments against it in his novels: Grisham’s argument is not the guilt or innocence of the perpetrator. He argues against giving the state, with its flaws, prejudices, and ability to screw things up, the right to kill.

Some Christians have argued that the Bible says “Thou shalt not kill,” and Jesus says turn the other cheek.

What are the arguments in favor of capital punishment?

In spite of the above arguments the majority of Christians still favor capital punishment. There are several points we can raise here.

How many criminals commit murders at least in part because they know they will not be executed? There is no way to know the answer to this with certainty but I suspect the number is high.

Then, of course, how many men have committed murders, avoided execution, then escaped, and murdered again? The most famous of these is serial killer Ted Bundy, but there have been others.

But there are deeper, theological and philosophical reasons. Allie Beth Stuckey in World Magazine was reporting on the killer in the Parkland school shootings in Florida, and how he avoided the death penalty and received life imprisonment. Her argument was, “Those angered by the verdict are justified in their indignation. A life sentence in this case is not just. It devalues human life and potentially incentivizes similar murders in the future. The death penalty is the only righteous punishment for proven premeditated murder and protecting killers from such a fate favors criminals at the expense of victims.”

So she argues that it’s a simple matter of justice. It’s not fair for murderers to get off without paying for their crimes.

But I think the best argument is that God is in favor of capital punishment. Genesis 9 reads: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” The Bible offers a pro-life argument for capital punishment. Man was created in God’s image and if you take his life then you must forfeit yours. But what about the sixth commandment, thou shalt not kill? Bible students have nearly unanimously argued that this verse means, Thou shalt not commit murder. There are numerous occasions when the Bible justifies the taking of human life. For example, in war. What about Jesus’ command to turn the other cheek when you experience evil? This is clearly council for individual Christians, not a maxim for state policy.

I think Romans 13 should be considered here. In verse 4 Paul says of the policeman/soldier, “He does not bear the sword in vain.” In other words, God allows him to invoke violence in combatting evil. I think this passage is a good argument for capital punishment.

I realize this is a controversial issue and I would never break fellowship with a brother over it. We need to leave room for disagreement. But I hope this short discussion has been helpful.

May the Lord bless you mightily today.

More: A conservative Catholic view:

https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/the-wrath-of-god-and-the-death-penalty-on-blessings-and-prudence?utm_source=Crisis+Magazine&utm_campaign=3f4097a6ac-Crisis_DAILYRSS_EMAIL&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a5a13625fd-3f4097a6ac-28475396&mc_cid=3f4097a6ac&mc_eid=a40cb5b88c

From World Magazine, an endorsement of capital punishment:

https://wng.org/opinions/the-justice-of-the-death-penalty-1666093460?mkt_tok=NzEwLVFSUi0yMDkAAAGQ4BDWAnWBCdpl4qHf40M7YDaFPS6GdKR5w7ThCX0c4vtCRxaA7gU_yf3-RhmaxzZca9YL2oBgbuHpRVGZY2v61Q-tnoZXqlvxW-HXalR9-7lB

How your religious affiliation affects your view:

https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/p/does-religion-impact-support-for