About the Book
In this reasoned exploration of justice, retribution, and redemption, Shane Claiborne offers a powerful and persuasive appeal for the abolition of the death penalty. Shane tells stories of horrific pain and heroic grace. He interviews victims of violent crimes, survivors of death row, lawyers, experts, and even an executioner.
In this thought-provoking work, Claiborne explores the contrast between punitive justice and restorative justice, questioning our notions of fairness, revenge, and absolution. At times, Shane also dives into the Bible and into history.
Shane takes another look at the Bible because the death penalty has succeeded in America not in spite of Christians, but because of Christians. He looks at history because it is impossible to separate the contemporary practice of the death penalty from the historic terror of lynching. He shows why the death penalty today is in critical condition, and why we can live without it.
At the heart of the book are stories that show the true cost of the death penalty. These stories raise the question: should we kill those who kill to show that it's wrong to kill?
Is there a better way? In Executing Grace, he reminds us of the divine power of forgiveness, and evokes the fundamental truth of the Gospel that no one, even a criminal, is beyond redemption.