We livestream executions now?? Lord, have mercy on us.

"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.

Sermon Video: When Jacob's sons repaid evil for evil - Genesis 34

 

The book of Genesis is an encouraging story about the faithfulness and grace of God. It is also an honest story about the failings and follies of the people whom God has chosen to work with, and humanity as a whole. In Genesis 34 Jacob's daughter Dinah is raped by one of the leading men of a neighboring tribe. Rather than seeking justice openly, Jacob's sons scheme like their father resulting in wholesale murder of all of the male relatives of the perpetrator living in the same town, the stealing of all of their property, and the enslavement of the now widows and orphans. Jacob's sons responded to evil with a much greater amount of evil. There are no excuses, no "what about..." deflections. They knew better, and they should have done much better than any of that. As a Church, Jesus Christ calls us to reject this human tendency toward vengeance in all its forms.

Sermon Video: God is merciful, even to the murderer Cain - Genesis 4:8-16

It is well known that Cain killed his brother Abel, what is less well understood is that God showed incredible mercy to Cain when he confronted Cain afterwards. God could have struck Cain down in righteous wrath, ending his life right there, he had earned that punishment. Instead God chose to show mercy, an act of grace that reminds us that all of us who have come to know Christ as our Savior are the recipients of tremendous grace.

There is no Christian justification for preparing to kill agents of your own government

 

For years I have been disturbed to hear again and again from those who claim to be Christians, or representing a Christian background, that they need various weapons, armor, and technology to defend themselves against the government of the United States.  In essence, they are saying that they need to be capable of killing representatives of the government if/when 'they' are threatened in some way by them.  It shocks my how casually people contemplate killing police officers, FBI agents, even members of the American military over issues of taxation, land use, various rules and regulations.  The thing is, there is ZERO theological justification for this attitude in the Christian Worldview.  Sadly, rather than leaning toward pacifism and making violence a resort only of protecting the weak against the strong, the Church for much of its history has tended toward militance and only used non-violence as a fallback position.  The passive resistance of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement should have been a tried and true tactic of Christian efforts to achieve Justice rather than an aberration, it should have had precedents going back to the Early Church which was non-violent, but it did not.

The Apostle Paul led a Church that faced an increasingly hostile Roman Empire, a government more powerful compared to its contemporaries and those living within it than the American government is to its citizens, and far more willing to use violence against those people, even enslaving more than a third of them.  And yet, one looks in vain in Paul's voluminous letters for any hint that Christians should be gathering weapons and preparing to kill Roman administrators and soldiers.  If any group of Christians were going to be told to 'fight fire with fire' and 'kill in Christ's name' it would have been those who would soon face the lions in the arena, but they were not.  What command, from God, did Paul offer to them?

Romans 12:14 (NIV) Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Romans 12:17-21 (NIV) Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 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.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Where is the militant attitude?  Where is the warning to prepare to fight?  The Word of God commands Christians to do the opposite from what large numbers of Americans who profess to be Christians have, by word and deed, declared their intention to do.  This is not an esoteric point of theological debate, but a core tenant of the Christian understanding of our world and our role in it.  God is the Judge, God is solely responsible (with governments deputized to protect the innocent as stewards, see Romans 13) for violence (wrath).  We, as Christians, have no legitimate reason to 'take matters into our own hands'.  When we do so, we demonstrate a lack of faith in God's sovereignty, in God's promise to reward good and punish evil, and in our commitment to judge the next life as more important than this one.  In other words, when Christians become militant, individually or collectively, embracing violence as a means to an end, they abandon the heart and soul of faith, choosing power in this life over devotion to the next.

It isn't just Paul whose words we should be following, Paul is but echoing Jesus when he told the Roman Christians, living in the very heart of the Empire that would soon be persecuting them, to "overcome evil with good."

Matthew 5:38-48 (NIV) “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

How do we go from this radical teaching of Jesus that flies in the face of our default human attitude, to "I need a stockpile of guns, ammunition, and body armor to protect myself against the government"?  Where is the love of our enemy? {Side note: that the American Government is 'the enemy' worthy of a violent response is itself a frightening thought}  Where is the willingness to sacrifice rather than respond with violence?

That our nation has those living in it so opposed to its laws that they would be willing to kill rather than follow them is nothing new, nor is it terribly surprising, most nations have at least some people violently opposed to the society they live in.  What is shocking, disturbing, and another sign of an unhealthy Church, is how little pushback is given to self-professed Christians who fall into this camp.  This is not a call for unthinking acceptance of any and all governmental policies.  In fact, the non-violent protests of the Civil Rights Movement illustrate how one can combine a Christian passion for Justice with a Christian ethic of loving one's enemy.  It is, however, a warning that the path of militancy, in the name of Christ, is stain upon the Bride of Christ, a detriment to Gospel witness, and a direct violation of the Word of God.

Thou shalt not murder is still in the Ten Commandments, being upset at the government in no way erases what God has written.

Your stockpile of weapons is a refutation of your claim to be living by faith.