Huckabee and the Death Penalty: Where is the Christianity?

Mike Huckabee has called for application of the death penalty to the source of the recent disclosures by WikkiLeaks. One might wonder how an evangelical Christian like Huckabee can square his Christianity with his support for the death penalty. In response to this question, Huckabee gave a breathtaking response in 1971, “Interestingly enough,” he said, “if there was ever an occasion for someone to have argued against the death penalty, I think Jesus could have done so on the cross and said, ‘This is an unjust punishment and I deserve clemency’.”  See here. From the failure of Jesus to protest in this way, Huckabee concluded that Jesus was not opposed to the death penalty. I suppose it follows that Jesus was not opposed to torture or the killing of innocent men.

Seriously, I wonder what biblical argument a serious evangelical could make in support of the death penalty. I suppose a starting point would be that the Sermon on the Mount and the rest of the preaching of Jesus was not directed to and does not apply to how governments should operate, but rather to how disciples should live their lives. But, even if that were true (I do not believe it is), that would come nowhere near the conclusion that Jesus affirmed the death penalty. Indeed, it seems to me that Christ’s death on the cross is compelling witness against violence. As Stanley Hauerwas puts it, “What I find absolutely crucial is reflecting on Christ’s death and resurrection. What that means is that God would rather die, God would rather have God’s own Son die, than to redeem the world through violence. And that central story is what Christians are about.”

cross-posted at religiousleftlaw.com