On Capital Punishment

The death penalty has been the subject of continual debate in the Christian realm. Is it moral? Do Old Testament mandates still apply? To accurately evaluate capital punishment, we need to know exactly what God says on the subject. William H. Baker contends that the death penalty is a continuing mandate of God. He presents a concise history of capital punishment from earliest times to the present, then illustrates his interpretation with Old and New Testament passages. Dr. Baker discusses the purposes of capital punishment and whether or not New Testament revelation has altered Old Testament commandments on the death penalty, concluding that it is indeed an "unpleasant necessity." William Baker (B.A., Biola College; B.D., Th.M., Talbot Theological Seminary; Th.D., Dallas Theological Seminary) is professor of Bible and theology at Moody Bible Institute. He has several pastorates and taught at both John Brown University and Philadelphia College of Bible.