One of my favorite activities is debating. I love to debate with people from all over the world, and one funny thing which has come to my attention is how some Christians fervently supports the death penalty. Usually with the bible in hand.
Now, I am a Christian. Not a theologian, but I do like the bible. Especially as it is God's word and all. Thus, it did make me think, to see such fervor, what does the bible actually say about all this? Is it really relevant or defensible for us as Christians to support the death penalty?
Well, we are to use the bible as a reference point for all things, and we are to follow it. So it seems prudent to first examine the bible and see what it says on the subject.
Let's begin with the beginning and see what the Old Testament says on the death penalty...

According to the Old Testament - What Sins Hold Death as Punishment?

• Murder (Genesis 9:5-6)
• Blasphemy (Leviticus 24:13-23)
• Adultery (Deuteronomy 22:21-24)
• Rape (Deuteronomy 22:25)
• Incest (Leviticus 20:11)
• Bestiality (Leviticus 20:15-16)
• Showing contempt for priests or judges (Deuteronomy 17:12-13)
• Kidnapping and enslavement (Deuteronomy 24:7)
• Leading people away from God (Deuteronomy 13:6-11)
• Being stubborn and rebellious (Deuteronomy 21:18)
• Attacking one's parents (Exodus 21:15)
• Cursing one's parents (Exodus 21:17)
• Working on the Sabbath (Exodus 35:2)
• Spiritism (Leviticus 20:27)
• For careless handling of an animal (Exodus 21:29)
• Accidentally killing a pregnant woman (Exodus 21:22-23)
• Eating leavened bread during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:15)
• Consuming blood or eating rare meat (Leviticus 17:10)
• Sexual activity with a woman while menstruating (Leviticus 20:18)
• Speaking false prophesies (Deuteronomy 18:20-22)
• Being a glutton and a drunkard (Deuteronomy 21:20-21)

I think this list shows the general idea.

New Covenant and The Mosaic Laws

There are a lot of sins that carry the death penalty. A LOT of them. And I believe most of us are guilty of a fair share. Especially given into account what Matthew 5:28 says: "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.".
It seems like we are in a bad spot here. The old testament defines all these punishments for so many crimes - and then Matthew 5:28 says that if we even think of these things - we commit the sin of which we think. I do not think any human being can go his entire life without even thinking any of these things. And to make matters worse, James 2:10 says: "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it."
So it is evident we are in a tough spot indeed. If we break one command - we break all of them. And if we even think about breaking one... Well, then we break it. It would seem that it is impossible to lead a life which according to this should not be terminated by execution.
Let's look at these laws in the light of the new testament... Did Jesus come to break or remove these laws? In Matthew 5:17 Jesus says "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.".

So, according to these verses alone those Christians who embrace the death penalty for murder alone are making a biblical mistake. If Jesus came to fulfill the law, and our thought lives also apply - then we should all die, shouldn't we? I guess we might need to keep the electric chairs running for a while now. Long enough to make sure every single human is thoroughly dead. I think we can all agree that this is all impossible to follow for us mere humans. Basically, we're toast, right? Romans 3:23 really got it right. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And not just by a little bit either.

Not so Hopeless After All
Thankfully, the bible does not end there. There are a few verses which brightens the day a little. Romans 3:24-27 continues and says: and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.
On the same note Colossians 2:13-15 says: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
He forgave us ALL our sins. Pretty amazing if you ask me. Especially given what we learned from the old testament and what the new testament says. We know from these verses, and of course the famous John 3:16 that if we believe in Christ - our sins are washed away, no matter what they were. And this is in my opinion unbelievably great! The punishment for our sins remains, the laws still apply - but Jesus took the punishment upon Himself.

So then what? Are we to persecute all non-Christians and execute them for their sins? We can't honestly go for murderers or rapists alone as James tells us committing any one sin
means committing them all. And the Old Testament clearly states that there is a plethora of sins for which we must die. And if we truly are to use the bible to strengthen our arguments we should stick to it, not read it selectively.

The Essence of Christianity
Thankfully the bible has verses which tell us what Jesus thinks we should do not only with sinners, but those who hate us and would want to kill us. And this is where things really get radical.
Luke 6, 27-31 reads: "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you."
LOVE your enemies. And do good to those who hate you. That's pretty tough. That means we should all try to do some good for Osama Bin Laden. Don't get me wrong here and start collecting money to send to him, but still. We are to love him, not hate him as he hates us. The murderers at school massacres are also to be loved by us. The bible is very clear on exactly this. Luke 6 is a very good read concerning loving those who are wicked. It continues in verse 35: But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
I did tell you radical, didn't I. We are to be as merciful as our Father is merciful. And Jesus didn't mean our earthly father, but God. Echoing the mercy of God is kind of hard. That was the mercy which caused him to go get tortured and then nailed to a cross to die. So we wouldn't have to. Echoing that mercy is hard for us humans, as we are so much smaller and so much less capable than God. It's a lofty goal for sure, but nevertheless a goal we - if we are to call ourselves Christians - must pursue before all else.

Overcome Evil With Good
The death penalty as a punishment should, I believe, not be one supported by us Christians given the sum of the verses I have quoted up till this point. There is, of course, more to back my statement up. Let's go to Matthew 5:38-39 where Jesus comments on the Law of the Talion from Exodus 21:22-24. Known for the line "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth". In Matthew Jesus says: "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also". These verses strikes at the very heart of the death penalty - retribution and vengeance. Which is also very directly addressed in Romans 12:19-21: Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"says the Lord. On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
And here we are with the essence of what our calling as Christians is. "Overcome evil with good". Jesus gave us plenty of examples of this. How He dines with the sinners of his day and age. How He handled it when a woman who was caught in the act of adultery was brought before him. He told them the famous line found in John 8:7: "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Jesus did not He himself stone her, as the Mosaic law dictates should have happened. He forgave her, and overcome what evil she did by doing good to her. There are numerous stories in the bible about Jesus relating to sinners. In His own words: "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (excerpt from Mark 2:17)

Who Would Jesus Kill?
Given all this, how can one condone the death penalty and use the bible as a basis for this support? I can only conclude that given the new covenant, Jesus' blood excluded no-one. His sacrifice was for all human beings. Not just those who have not committed murder. Or those who have not committed adultery. All. After all, one sin means all sins. And it would seem most of them hold biblical support for punishment by death. Thank God for the blood of Jesus by which we do not have to face this doom. But by which we are free. One could easily let this post drag out into the political and debate the social impact of the death penalty for some time. But my purpose - for now - was to approach the issue biblically.

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

"An Inconvenient Truth"

Read film reviews here

Vegar's Review:

There are some movies out there that make me drool. More or less. They make me go crazy about them anyway. Lord Of The Rings; The Fellowship of the ring was one such film. I think I saw it five times in the cinema. This one; AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH is another. If for completely different reasons. There are no special effects. No entertainment really (I did not laugh my head off) and it does not have a cast so full of stars the milky way looks dim in comparison.

However, this movie is one I would say is not a "should see" nor a "warmly recommended" - but a must see.
For anyone who supported Bush in the elections where he competed against Al Gore the movie does contain a few jabs. It seems Al is a little bit bitter about the whole issue. And this pulls the quality impression of the film. After all, it is not supposed to be about who won the election. It is about the current issues of global warming. And regardless of your political or ideological viewpoints this movie is a must. It holds a lot of facts that simly must get 'out on the streets', and these facts are presented in a way I believe will keep the vast majority of the viewers nailed to their seats. Especially if you are American, as this movie - made by an American - contains many facts and pointers that are especially valid for citizens of the USA.

In essence, See the film. Buy the DVD and petition Al Gore to make it available for free on-line. This movie must be seen!

Kelly's Quest for FAIR TRADE

The first time Vegar ever mentioned fair trade to me I was completely clueless. I knew it must have something to do with paying overseas workers more money for their goods... and after quite a bit of traveling, that idea made me a bit skeptical. I have seen the effects of people overseas getting twice as much income as their friends and family. Envy and greed inevitably rule in such settings. On the contrary, fair trade doesn't mean paying the people American salaries for factory work... it means giving them a fair and decent salary for their work.

A friend of ours is a textiles designer. She works with women in southeast Asia. They make the most magnificent silk scarves! Her women make FAR less money than we make in a given day... Just a few dollars a day... but that is more than the big corporate factories pay. They must work longer hours in sweatshop conditions for maybe half the income in these Walmart type sweatshops. It is amazing to me that one thing I valued about American shopping is the cheap sales... unbeknownst to me... those cheap prices were very costly.

Most large corporations in America take advantage of free trade agreement and expose many to horrible working environments and unfair market value for their work. They pocket most of the profit and even walk away from these villages having used up natural resources or polluted water systems. Coca Cola has even ruined the water supply of a village in India, for example.

WHAT CAN WE DO?
Well, think about it... We buy 5 tshirts from Walmart that cost $5 each (*cough cough* ahem... Dad. ;) Nah, the example just went that way, I am not pointing fingers at Dad just because he is known for his Walmart shirts :). So, these shirts probably won't last many years because, to be honest, they were poorly made out of fabric that is laced with chemicals. So, you spent $25 on some shirts that won't last long, may irritate your skin, and encourage unethical working conditions/wages. Instead, you could buy an organic cotton shirt from the wonderful cotton farms in your own state (there are several in Texas), you could buy bamboo fabric shirts which last a very long time, don't hold onto odor, and keep you really cool in hot summers, or you could buy a hemp tshirt that will last for many years and supports village women who are making a fair living.

I have started buying fair trade, ethical clothing. It is really awesome to know that village women in Nepal made the headband I have on right now... or that my cardigan is good for my skin AND helped people in Romania earn a fair living.

We live in the richest nations in the world. WE are responsible for making a difference in the world! We have the money to spend, so let's spend it wisely and carefully.... in a way that will make the most difference.

One of the neat things about Fair Trade is that it's such a good way to do missions. Many missionaries work with villagers to teach them a trade or skill. Then they teach them how to market that trade... and thus they create a sustainable business! That's what it's all about-- equiping people living in poverty to make something of their lives. No one WANTS to BEG. We CAN'T simply send money! Supporting these village initiatives really makes a difference in developing these communities! Once people have the basic physical needs met, we are able to point out their spiritual needs as well... Just as Jesus met physical needs, it is crucial that we support these groups who are meeting the needs of villagers around the world.

Some things to think about...
Our Ministry Tshirts... what sort of conditions did the 'made in china' ministry shirts promote? We buy them cheap so we have money for more ministry... but isn't it a part of our responsibility as Christians to care for the hopeless and defenseless? We may not directly force people into these sweat shops... but our money supports their continuation. Did you know that organic cotton shirts, made in Texas, aren't very expensive at all? Why not put in a few more dimes per shirt to ensure that we are living ethically.

Cheaper does NOT mean better... The next time you need to buy socks, underwear, clothing, etc... Let's buy fair trade! What will you get? a higher quality garmet that is healthier for your skin, better for the environment where it was made, and provides a fair job for the person who made it!

Written in the Coffee... Starbucks uses Fair Trade coffee. :) Next time you are looking for fresh grounds, make sure it's fair trade. It just costs a dollar more but makes a huge difference!

An Ethical Christmas... From the time we are babies, we are given so many things. How about a really unique gift in the form of a donation to a charity, mission group, or actual physical gift for someone who really needs it more than we do. For example, if you know a couple getting married who wants to make a difference in the world, a nice gesture would be buying wedding goats for a couple in Africa. This allows them to start their married life with two goats that will provide offspring and a way of income and food for this new family that has so little. :)

Just some things to get you thinking:
*Fair Trade Certified-- What you can do to make a difference
*Do Something Ethical-- Creative ways to live ethically, especially geared for young people
*Make Trade Fair-- activism
*Creative Gifts that are given to someone overseas with a card sent to the person whose event you are celebrating
*Womans Missionary Union's WorldCrafts-- Gifts that not only support village crafts but also missionary work!
*Global Exchange-- An Amazing Fair Trade Online Store with loads of gifts for every occasion and even care packages and gift baskets!

You can buy almost everything fair trade... food, clothing, pencils, pens, lighting, cleaning supplies, decorations, jewelry, accessories, and the list goes on and on. Email me if you have any questions or are looking for something in particular! :)



My Fair Trade Organic Cardigan that feels SO comfy, cozy on me! I LOVE IT! I can feel the difference between this and most of my synthetic clothing. It breathes SO much better. :)

My organic cotton fleece jacket. :)