Several times in the past decades, the North Carolina Council of Churches has spoken about the inhumanity and racial bias of capital punishment. We have been on the forefront of this issue for years, from one of our first policy statements in 1970 urging the “abolition of capital punishment” and declaring the “death penalty has been used disproportionately against black people in our society, thereby reflecting classist and racist tendencies in our criminal justice system.”
While North Carolina has not carried out an execution in a decade and a half, other states continue to do so. Meanwhile, prisoners sentenced to death in North Carolina remain on death row, uncertain of their fate.
As Christians, we believe the abolition of the death penalty is a moral imperative.
Overview
As Christians, we believe the abolition of the death penalty is a moral imperative. In a 1984 policy statement, we said: “We oppose the death penalty because we oppose the spirit of retribution. It is illogical and profoundly irreverent to kill somebody to prove that killing is wrong. . . It creates the illusion of setting things right while in fact creating new victims.”
The execution on Good Friday contrives to be repeated. Innocent people are convicted and murdered by the state. Violence and torture are perpetrated under the guise of security. Brutality is used as a weapon of fear to oppress those who long for freedom. Retribution and vengeance create a continuing cycle of violence. We reject this fetishization of violence and long for a world where Christ’s death puts an end to death, so there will be possibilities for justice and new life.
Council Resources
Abolition Sabbath Weekend Toolkit
This Death Penalty Abolition Sabbath toolkit can be used for any period of time and will provide faith communities with resources to learn, preach, and pray about this matter. Please use the information provided –key scriptures, sermon starter, litany, and prayers– anytime and share with your denominations and faith groups in your local communities.
Legislative Bulletin: Faith and the Death Penalty
Several times in the past decades, the North Carolina Council of Churches has spoken out about the inhumanity and racial bias of capital punishment. Check out this legislative bulletin that outlines why the death penalty is an issue of faith, what scripture tells us, facts about the death penalty in our nation and state, and what actions need to be taken to prevent capital punishment in the future.
Resolution on the Death Penalty
Adopted by the House of Delegates, North Carolina Council of Churches, April 23, 1987.
Denominational Members’ Resources
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Resolution on the Death Penalty
Episcopal Church
Statement on Federal Executions
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Global Ministries (Disciples of Christ & United Church of Christ)
Death Penalty Teaching Material
Mennonite Church USA
Response to the federal government reinstating the death penalty
Presbyterian Church USA
United Church of Christ
United Methodist Church
Death Penalty Issue Statements
The Council takes positions on issues through policy statements that inform, guide, and frame our work. Policy statements are adopted by our governing body, often upon the recommendation of one or more of the Council’s program committees which are made up of representatives of our member bodies.
- Resolution on the Death Penalty (4/23/1987)
Death Penalty Partner Organizations
Below is a list of our partners statewide with a link to their website for more information:
Capital Restorative Justice Project
North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty
Center for Death Penalty Litigation
Emancipate NC
Ways to Take Action
Abolition Sabbath Weekend Toolkit
This Death Penalty Abolition Sabbath toolkit can be used for any period of time and will provide faith communities with resources to learn, preach, and pray about this matter. Please use the toolkit provided –key scriptures, sermon starter, litany, and prayers– on this abolition sabbath weekend and share with your denominations and faith groups in your local communities. This abolition sabbath has been planned by the North Carolina Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty in which the Council is a member.
JOIN THE NCCADP COALITION
The NC Coalition for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (NCCADP), in which the Council is a founding member, is a group of people, organizations and faith communities from across North Carolina who are working to end the death penalty and spread the message that capital punishment is wrong, unjust and racist. Join us!
- Follow NCCADP on Facebook and Twitter. Please like and share.
- Visit nccadp.org, which is full of data, stories, photos, video and more.
- Sign up to receive NCCADP’s newsletter.
- Invite them to speak, offer a panel of impacted voices, or facilitate a discussion about race and the death penalty with your congregation. Email Noel Nickle, noel@nccadp.org.
- Donate to their work at nccadp.org/donate. We are a 501(c)(3) organization.
Key Contact
The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Copeland, Executive Director
