High Court: States Must Allow Prayer, Touch in Executions
The Supreme Court said Thursday that states must grant the wishes of death row inmates who want to have their pastors pray aloud and even touch them during their executions.
Unsettling Advent, Day 23
In day 23 of our Unsettling Advent devotional series, Sophie Day reflects on the message of Advent in light of her work to tell the stories of individuals who have been sentenced to death and are in their last stages of appeals.
High Court Skeptical of Texas Death Row Inmate Prayer Demand
Conservative Supreme Court justices expressed skepticism Tuesday about a Texas death row inmate’s demand that his pastor be allowed to pray out loud and touch him during his execution.
Foes of Death Penalty Offer Spiritual Support at Executions
After Sister Barbara Battista, a Roman Catholic nun staunchly opposed to the death penalty, agreed to accompany a condemned man at his execution in federal prison, she wondered doubtfully, “Am I just part of this whole killing machine?”
Texas Man Gets Execution Delay Over Pastor’s Touch Request
A Texas death row inmate won a reprieve Wednesday (Sept. 8) evening from execution for killing a convenience store worker during a 2004 robbery that garnered $1.25 after claiming the state was violating his religious freedom by not letting his pastor lay hands on him
Can This Texas Pastor Lay Hands on an Inmate During Execution?
Q&A with SBC minister Dana Moore on the power of prayer in a state death chamber. Read full piece
Death-Row Inmate Sues for Pastor’s Touch During Execution
A Texas death-row inmate has sued state prison officials to allow his pastor to lay hands on him as he dies from a lethal injection. John Henry Ramirez, 37, is scheduled to be put to death in the Texas death chamber on Sept. 8.
Vengeance is Not Ours
The Bible continues to be used to boost support for the state killing people. In this issue of A Public Witness, we look at the state of the death penalty in the U.S. today, and the role of Christians in keeping it alive.
Executing Justice
Editor-in-Chief Brian Kaylor reflects on news that DNA evidence tested FOUR years after the execution of a Black man in Arkansas suggests the state killed an innocent man. Kaylor also highlights the Baptist prophet who tried to stop the execution.
Texas Ends Ban on Clergy, Spiritual Advisers in Death Chamber
Texas prisons have resumed allowing clergy as well as spiritual advisers in the death chamber, reversing a two-year ban created after the U.S. Supreme Court halted the execution of an inmate who had argued his religious freedom was being violated.