Is the Death Penalty Good or Bad? (With Dr. J. Daryl Charles)

Is the Death Penalty Good or Bad? (With Dr. J. Daryl Charles)

June 15, 2026 · 1h 19m · Episode 308

About this episode

Nathan Clarkson and Joseph Holmes debate the moral implications of the declining support for the death penalty in America with Dr. J. Daryl Charles.

Support for the death penalty is going down in America. But is this a sign of moral progress or moral decay? Nathan Clarkson and Joseph Holmes debate this question with political theologian and ethicist Dr. J. Daryl Charles. References and resourcesAmerican support for the death penality going down: https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/facts-and-research/religious-statements/opinion-polls-death-penalty-support-and-religion?Religious-secular divide on the death penalty: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2021/06/15/unlike-other-u-s-religious-groups-most-atheists-and-agnostics-oppose-the-death-penalty/Dr. J. Daryl Charles Recommended ResourcesJ. Daryl Charles, van den Haag, Ernest, “On Deterrence and the Death Penalty.” Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology and Police Science 60, no. 2 (1969): 141-47.idem, “The Ultimate Punishment: A Defense”; accessible at the PBS “Frontline” website.idem and John P. Conrad, The Death Penalty: A Debate. New York: Plenum Press, 1983.J. Budziszewski, “Capital Punishment: The Case for Justice.” First Things (August 2004); accessible the First Things websiteJ. Daryl Charles, “Outrageous Atrocity or Moral Imperative?: The Ethics of Capital Punishment.”…

People in this episode

Hosts: Nathan Clarkson, Joseph Holmes

Guest: Dr. J. Daryl Charles

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pew Research

Books & works: On Deterrence and the Death Penalty, The Ultimate Punishment: A Defense, The Death Penalty: A Debate, Capital Punishment: The Case for Justice, Outrageous Atrocity or Moral Imperative?: The Ethics of Capital Punishment, Crime, the Christian, and Capital Justice

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