"The public will be able to watch the execution of a former US Army major by firing squad, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said.
A Defence Department official told the BBC the execution of Nidal Hasan, who fatally shot 13 unarmed US soldiers at the Fort Hood military base in 2009, would be livestreamed.
It is believed it would be the first public execution in the US in almost a century." - BBC news article, "Firing squad execution to be livestreamed, Pentagon says" 10/9/26
In 2025, only two nations carried out public executions: Iran and Afghanistan, now America is set to join that list at the express direction of the Defense Secretary, and very outspoken 'Christian' Nationalist, Pete Hegseth.
This will not be the first time that I've warned about the 'Christian' Nationalism that Hegseth represents {See: Militant 'Christian' Nationalism in the halls of Congress: An affront to the true Gospel}, nor the first time that I've warned about the pastor whose militancy influenced Hegseth and who is heroic to many within that anti-Gospel movement, Doug Wilson {See: The deplorable shame of using Potiphar's Wife to discount sex abuse victims: A refutation of Pastor Doug Wilson or The folly of the "Sin of Empathy" - A self-inflicted wound to Christian Fundamentalism}. In fact, I'm been working my way through a 62-part series detailing individual passages of scripture that each in their own way discredit and refute the very idea of 'Christian' Nationalism. {I've made it to 40, this one is the latest: Listen to the Word of God: 62 Scripture passages that refute 'Christian' Nationalism - #40 1 Corinthians 5:11-13}
Which brings us to yesterday's news that the Pentagon plans to livestream the execution by firing squad of an Islamic militant, and member of the U.S. military at the time, who murdered 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009. If you oppose the death penalty on the grounds of religious principles, this execution will be doubly troubling, but for those who support the death penalty for heinous crimes, this still ought to be a Bridge Too Far.
Why livestream the execution to the public? What is the purpose in doing this, and what will the consequences be?
Beyond the cynical, and sadly often true, political answers to these questions, we also have the profound moral truth about America that this points toward: We are NOT a Christian nation. On the one hand, we can't be because there is no such thing, a deeply profound book by Pastor Gregory Boyd lays out the case from the scriptures that there never has been, nor can ever be, a Christian Nation. {See: The Myth of a Christian Nation - by Gregory Boyd: a summary and response}. The kingdom established by Jesus in this era has no borders, boundaries, cultural or ethnic barriers. It supersedes them all, and has different goals, and different methods to achieve them. No nation, no matter how moral, can be a Christian Nation. Many have laid claim to the title, including the historical disaster that was the Papal States, but all have brought ill repute to the name of Jesus Christ by elevating realpolitik (to borrow Rochau's term) above the timeless character of Christ-likeness demanded by our discipleship.
We could start with the moral reasons why this public execution is indeed immoral, but in this Culture War-infused generation many will simply ignore them as they've already committed themselves to a "might makes right" and "win at all cost" lack of ethics. When you decide that morality is a luxury you cannot afford, nor really need, because politics is a fight to the death against "evil" fellow Americans (many of whom are also self-professing Christians), an appeal to what is moral will ring hollow.
Given that political stance against morality, the wisdom from this article will stand as my moral argument against repaying evil with evil: We ignore "repay evil with blessing" at our peril: the Culture War, politics, and 9/11
In practical terms, then, the execution will both (1) make a martyr out of a murderer, the video will be endlessly played in the dark corners of the internet to recruit new would-be terrorists, and (2) serve as a corrupting influence within our own culture and politics in a nation that already deeply devalues human life and dignity whenever it is convenient for the Red side or the Blue side.
In the end, because of our toxic politics, those who warn against both the immorality of this decision, and those who warn against the harmful practical outcomes that will likely result, will not be heard by a large part of our nation because the idea of a public livestreamed execution is coming from "our team" and must therefore be supported lest "they" {That is, the political enemy, fellow Americans} should ever win, even a little.
Lord, have mercy on us.
