Should Christians Support the Death Penalty? A Formal Debate.

Should Christians Support the Death Penalty? A Formal Debate.

From Theology on Air by Theology by the Pint

March 27, 2026 · 1h 50m

About this episode

Evan McClanahan and Matthew Tyson debate whether Christians should support the death penalty, exploring historical and ethical perspectives.

Evan McClanahan and Matthew Tyson look at the question of the death penalty and ask if Christians should support it or not. It seems there was unanimity on this subject for much of Christian history, but now, many Christians oppose the death penalty. We will consider Old Testament Law, ethics, pragmatism, and more as we unpack this complex topic. This is the first of a regular offering of debates we hope to offer as a joint effort between First Lutheran and Theology by the Pint. For years, the First Word Debate series featured in-person debates on a robust number of topics. As the debate world has moved online, we thought we would try our hand at producing interesting debates for the online community as well. If there are topics you would like to see us take on, don't hesitate to reach out to us at flhouston.org or theologybythepint.org.

People in this episode

Guests: Evan McClanahan, Matthew Tyson

Topics covered

  • death penalty
  • Christian ethics
  • Old Testament Law
  • pragmatism

Keywords

  • debate
  • Christianity
  • First Lutheran
  • Theology by the Pint

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: First Word Debate

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