Capital Punishment

Whether one believes (knows?) capital punishment is “right” (i.e. Biblical) or “wrong” (i.e. murder) it seems to me that one (individual, or Legislature, or State) would not continue to keep both  a Court system that allows the death penalty to be imposed, but refuses to allow that penalty to be carried out.

California has not seen an execution for nearly a decade and, with an anticipated 20 new arrivals per year, the largest execution system in the U.S. has run out of room.  According to the Los Angeles Times, Governor Jerry Brown has requested $3.2 million in special funding to expand death row at San Quentin State Prison by 97 cells — utilizing facilities that have become free thanks to an overall drop in the state’s inmates following voter approval last fall of Proposition 47 (which reclassified most nonviolent drug crimes as misdemeanors). (TIME)

Why not just place those on Death Row in the prison’s general population?  Or, could one not set aside a particular prison (much smaller) to house those who are condemned – until they die of natural causes? (Dozens have died waiting for the penalty to be imposed.)

It got me thinking about the same problem in the Church of Jesus Christ. There are people who believe one ought to know (i.e. read, learn, understand) the Scripture, but refuse to undertake the study. There are  people who believe one ought to reach the World for Christ, but refuse to provide the financial resources to do so. There are people who believe the Church ought to have a full slate of  “activities” (i.e. Bible Study, Worship, Prayer, Outreach, Youth and Children’s Ministries, etc.) but support them with lax or irregular attendance. There are people who believe the Gospel should be preached, but that no one should ever be offended by the Truth. There are people who believe one must be redeemed to enter Heaven, but never quite come to “saving faith.”

My counsel to California is – Pick One! Save your money for a rainy day. You will discover if you were right or wrong one day. My counsel to the Church is – Be Obedient! The Father has already picked what is right and good, and you also will discover that one day. In the matter of the last on my list, surprise will not alter the facts when the Father says, “Depart from me. I never knew you.” (See Luke 13:24ff)