Should Christians Support Livestreaming an Execution?

Should Christians support livestreaming an execution? James Spencer and Ashish Varma weigh capital punishment, the Bible, and spectacle.

James Spencer and Ashish Varma respond to the proposal to livestream the execution of a man who committed a mass murder, a plan later called off. They ask what the Bible says about capital punishment, from Genesis 9:6 and the image of God to why Israel's law prescribed death for crimes like kidnapping and cursing one's parents. They also test the claim that a public execution would deter crime.

Robert Jeffress, pastor of a large Baptist church in Texas, said there was no moral or biblical reason to oppose livestreaming the execution. James argues that there are such reasons, including what watching does to the audience and the dignity owed even to those who deserve punishment. James and Ashish then give their own, differing answers on whether a modern government should practice capital punishment at all.

Part 2 releases Friday.

In this episode:

• Is there a biblical or moral reason not to livestream an execution? A response to Robert Jeffress
• Genesis 9:6, the image of God, and what capital punishment signified in ancient Israel
• Does a public execution deter crime? Severity versus the certainty of being caught
• Spectacle and voyeurism, from Making a Murderer and the gladiatorial arena to the livestream
• Should governments practice capital punishment today? Two different answers, with the book of Hosea

Go deeper: Christians and Politics

Thinking Christian is hosted by Dr. James Spencer, president of the D. L. Moody Center and author of Digital Discernment (InterVarsity Press). Each conversation reads the Bible as the final authority for life and faith, questioning the assumptions of our culture, even our Christian culture, so that we don't settle for a narrower vision than God's word offers.

Unsettling convention. Cultivating conviction. Episodes, articles, and questions: thinkingchristian.org About James Spencer: thinkingchristian.org/james The Thinking Christian Framework: thinkingchristian.org/framework Order Digital Discernment: amazon.com

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