SAMURAI POLICE 1109: TWISTING THE SCRIPTURES? MY RESPONSE TO THE OKLAHOMA CONFERENCES OF CHURCHES

Saturday, April 13, 2013

TWISTING THE SCRIPTURES? MY RESPONSE TO THE OKLAHOMA CONFERENCES OF CHURCHES

As a Born Again Christian and a former opponent of the death penalty, I was horribly disturbed by the quotes by The Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (OK-CADP), in partnership with the Oklahoma Conference of Churches (OCC) recently co-hosted a forum themed “Religious Leader’s Dialogue on the Death Penalty.” It was held at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City. I will present their quotes from this link and rebut them with evidence from previous theologians and statistics.

INTERNET SOURCE: http://city-sentinel.com/2013/03/religious-leaders-host-forum-to-stir-death-penalty-dialogue/

The Oklahoma Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, in partnership with the Oklahoma Conference of Churches recently co-hosted a forum titled Religious Leader’s Dialogue on the Death Penalty.” Panelists included (L-R): Rev. Marlon J. Coleman, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church; The Rev. Adam Leathers, Director, Criminal Justice and Mercy Ministries; The Rev. Dr. William Tabbernee, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Conference of Churches; The Rev. Michael Girlinghouse, Bishop, AR-OK Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America; and moderator Lydia Polley, OK-CADP co-chair. Photo by Darla Shelden. (SOURCE:

http://city-sentinel.com/2013/03/religious-leaders-host-forum-to-stir-death-penalty-dialogue/)

Plenary speakers included: The Rev. Dr. William Tabbernee, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Conference of Churches; The Rev. Michael Girlinghouse, Bishop, AR-OK Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America; The Rev. Adam Leathers, Director, Criminal Justice and Mercy Ministries; and Rev. Marlon J. Coleman, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church.

Dr. Tabbernee said, “It is time for religious leaders in Oklahoma to have a serious discussion about capital punishment and to develop ways by which that discussion can continue in congregations and other local faith communities.”

A minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), in Australia and the US, Tabbernee has more than 20 years’ service as a member of the World Council of Churches’ Commission on Faith and Order.

“Although the topic remains controversial in Oklahoma, there is evidence which suggests that capital punishment is not really a deterrent to violent crimes such as murder,” Tabbernee added. “Moreover, it does little, if anything, to truly ease the pain of families of the victims.”

REBUTTAL: The reason why it is not really a deterrent is because it is hardly use and abolitionists kept fighting the death sentence and caused it to lose its deterrent effect. I and many Victims’ Families For the Death Penalty disagree that it does not truly ease the pain of the victims’ families. There are many victims’ families who had justice served and were able to move on with their lives.

Tabbernee reported that in 2012 the OCC produced a statement calling on the abolition of the death penalty in Oklahoma.

“The OCC Theological Statement on the Death Penalty, has been signed by every one of the bishops (or other Heads of Communion) of OCC member denominations,” said Tabbernee.

Rev. Girlinghouse said, “The main thrust of the Statement is going to be that the goal of the criminal justice system should not be punitive. It is not to exact vengeance, it is to restore a broken community.”

“Sometimes that’s going to mean putting people in prison to keep them from hurting themselves or others,” Girlinghouse added. “Other times it’s going to be about trying to help rehabilitate people so that they might re-enter society in healthy and whole ways.”

REBUTTAL: Please refer to John Murray’s quote (See link 5 below), he denounced the idea of abolishing the death penalty, as it does not respect the sanctity of life. The criminal justice system is right to be punitive, otherwise it will become a broken community. Just look at Illinois as their homicide rates doubled more than 60% after the death penalty abolished.

Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote in Summa Contra Gentiles, Book 3, Chapter 146: The fact that the evil, as long as they live, can be corrected from their errors does not prohibit the fact that they may be justly executed, for the danger which threatens from their way of life is greater and more certain than the good which may be expected from their improvement. They also have at that critical point of death the opportunity to be converted to God through repentance. And if they are so stubborn that even at the point of death their heart does not draw back from evil, it is possible to make a highly probable judgment that they would never come away from evil to the right use of their powers.

Prison killers and recidivist killers prove that many killers cannot be rehabilitated. Keep in mind, that there are many of these criminals who are like Judas Iscariot, they pretended to be devout Christians but killed again when they were released.

Participants discussed how to develop ways to use the OCC Theological Statement within local congregations or other faith communities.

Girlinghouse said, “In Matthew, Jesus tells us that we should ‘Love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you’ (5:44). Just a few verses before, Jesus sets aside the Old Testament principle of ‘an eye for an eye’ (5:38ff).”

“These texts could provide a basis for a sermon, which includes reflections on the death penalty,” Girlinghouse said. “The OCC Theological Statement provides other places in scripture to begin a sermon on this topic.”

REBUTTAL: The two verses mentioned above were used in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus used those verses to teach us how to live our daily lives but it is not for judicial authority to use those verses because it would bring nothing but chaos in society, as all criminals would be left unpunished. Jesus Christ did not destroy the old testament but fulfilled it. (Please see Pastor Bob Enyart’s article in Link 19 below).

Rev. Coleman said, “As Christians we have to temper justice against mercy. We need to challenge those who influence policies on the death penalty. Not only do we want them to talk about Christ, we want them to live like him. Romans 12:19 states ‘Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’

REBUTTAL: Born Again Christian, C.S Lewis once wrote:

"In England we have lately had a controversy about capital punishment...I urge a return to the traditional or Retributive theory [over the Humanitarian Theory]...The Humanitarian theory removes from Punishment the concept of Desert. But the concept of Desert is the only connecting link between punishment and justice. It is only as deserved or undeserved that a sentence can be just or unjust. I do not here contend that the question 'Is it deserved?' is the only one we can reasonably ask about a punishment. We may very properly ask whether it is likely to deter others and to reform the criminal. But neither of these two last questions is a question about justice. There is no sense in talking about a 'just deterrent' or a 'just cure.' We demand of a deterrent not whether it is just but whether it will deter. We demand of a cure not whether it is just but whether it succeeds. Thus when we cease to consider what the criminal deserves and consider only what will cure him or deter others, we have tacitly removed him from the sphere of justice altogether; instead of a person, a subject of rights, we now have a mere object, a patient, a 'case.'...the Humanitarian theory wants simply to abolish Justice and substitute Mercy for it. This means that you start being "kind" to people before you have considered their rights, and then force upon them supposed kindnesses which they in fact had a right to refuse, and finally kindnesses which no one but you will recognize as kindnesses and which the recipient will feel as abominable cruelties. You have overshot the mark. Mercy, detached from Justice, grows unmerciful."

Rev. Coleman forget to mention that after Romans 12 verse 19, Romans 13 verse 1 to 4 states that governments of the earth appointed by God has the authority to punish evildoers with deadly force. Please refer to John Calvin’s commentary (See Link 2 below).

“We are sowing seeds that say we kill people to show that killing is wrong. And that’s not logical,” Coleman said.

Tabbernee added, “We’re against the death penalty, even for those who are absolutely guilty. That’s not the point. It’s not up to us and it’s certainly not up to the state to execute people, because what we do is then get down to the lowest common denominator.”

Rev. Leathers said, “The fact is, as a state, we do not sexually assault rapists. We do not burn down the homes of arsonists. Why then would we kill killers?”

REBUTTAL: We teach that murder is wrong by executing not by murdering. It is as good as saying that if our soldiers kill foreign invaders, that they are no different from the enemy.

Rev. Leathers, execution is performed differently from murder. Murder is ten times more barbaric. Just because the action have a similar ending, does not means that they are both wrong.

Rev. Dr. William Tabbernee, if the state fails to execute the guilty murderers, the state has failed society. As Immanuel Kant once said, “A society that is not willing to demand a life of somebody who has taken somebody else's life is simply immoral.”

“Religiously, speaking, we have to remember that as Christians we follow the life and teaching of a death row inmate,” Leathers added. “Jesus was convicted and executed by the state. If we affirm the death penalty, we are counting ourselves in the same ranks as those who once cried out ‘crucify him.’ Would Jesus be able to tell the difference between us and the people that hung him on the cross? I think that is the question before us.”

Larry Bauman, Senior Pastor of Sunny Lane United Methodist Church said, “I’m here because I oppose the death penalty. I find it very non redemptive.”

REBUTTAL: Please see my blog post. ‘DEFENDING THE DEATH PENALTY: THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST’, it will rebut everything they say. Jesus Christ died to save us from our sins, he was not put to death because he is a guilty murderer. We, Christians, are not in the same rank as those who wanted him crucify. We want the government to obey God in protecting the state from evildoers.

In conclusion, I will strongly advise those churches not to mislead the public in abolition of the death penalty by twisting the scriptures. As Martin Luther once said:

“By God's grace, I know Satan very well. If Satan can turn God's Word upside down and pervert the Scriptures, what will he do with my words -- or the words of others?”

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CHRISTIANITY AND CAPITAL PUNISHMENT, PLEASE GO TO THE FOLLOWING LINKS:

1. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Genesis 9 verse 6

http://soldierexecutionerprolifer2008.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/pro-death-penalty-quote-of-week-sunday.html

2. John Calvin’s commentary on Romans 13 verse 4

http://soldierexecutionerprolifer2008.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/christian-quote-for-death-penalty.html

3. Thou Shalt Not Kill & The New Testament

http://soldierexecutionerprolifer2008.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/thou-shalt-not-kill-old-testament.html

4. Saint Thomas Aquinas in defense of the death penalty

http://soldierexecutionerprolifer2008.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Thomas%20Aquinas

5. John Murray (Page 122 of Principles of Conduct)

http://soldierexecutionerprolifer2008.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/christian-quotes-for-death-penalty.html

6. Born Again Christian Journalist, Peter Hitchens