Death and Texas, Further Considered

Briefly noted yesterday was David Neff's reflection on a Reuters story about the record number of executions in Texas. Reporter Al Stoddard exhibits an ignorance not only of evangelicalism in particular, but also of Christianity in general with statements like this:

Like his predecessor, Governor Perry is a devout Christian, highlighting one key factor in Texas' enthusiasm for the death penalty that many outsiders find puzzling -- the support it gets from conservative evangelical churches.

This is in line with their emphasis on individuals taking responsibility for their own salvation, and they also find justification in scripture.

"A lot of evangelical Protestants not only believe that capital punishment is permissible but that it is demanded by God. And they see sanction for that in the Old Testament especially," said Matthew Wilson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Neff does a fair job of correcting Stoddard's many misrepresentations, such as evangelicals believing in "individuals taking responsibility for their own salvation" and looking to the Old Testament as the primary justification for their support of captital punishment. Stoddard, in typical secular media fashion, over-emphasizes the significance of small, self-described "evangelical" and/or "Bible believing" sects which dot the religious landscape of Texas and other southern states. Such sects are functionally Pelagian, exalting human free will over divine grace. The result is an ugly, pugnacious, and legalistic counterfeit of Christianity which gives the genuine article a black eye.