On death penalty, should Christians side with Jesus or Paul?
Jonathan Merritt | May 5, 2014 | 22 Comments 117 498 reddit 1 0 Show caption Jesus’ love-your-enemies ethic is often juxtaposed with Paul’s sword-bearing theology in Romans 13. Who should Christians side with? – Image of “Conversion of St. Paul” from St. John’s College, Oxford, courtesy of Lawrence OP (http://bit.ly/1ngmtnB) By Preston Sprinkle and Jonathan Merritt After a botched execution in Oklahoma left an inmate writhing for 43 minutes before dying of a heart attack last week, Christian leaders began making their cases both for and against the death penalty. As with any time Christians debate political issues, it felt a bit like Ping-Pong—except opponents in this game swing Bibles instead of paddles. Pro- death penalty believers grounded their position in the Old Testament’s call for capital punishment in the case of int...