Last month the state of Georgia executed Troy Davis for the 1989 killing of police officer Mark McPhail. The case gained national attention because several of the eyewitnesses who testified against Davis had recanted their testimonies and because Davis maintained his innocence. Many fear that Georgia killed an innocent man. The Davis case is just the latest high-profile case to stir the ongoing national debate over capital punishment—a debate that likely will play a role in the 2012 elections. The death penalty is an issue on which Christians disagree. LinC looks at why Christians have differing opinions and what the witness of Scripture and the teachings of the church tell us about capital punishment. Key Scriptures: Genesis 9:1-6; Matthew 5:38-48; Romans 13:1-5. When Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs died earlier this month, nearly every major media outlet ran stories about how Jobs had changed the world through the introduction of products such as the Macintosh computer, the iPod, and the iPhone, as well as through his involvement in the creation of Pixar animation studios. Steve Jobs definitely had a huge impact on the way people live their lives, and we should celebrate his accomplishments. But millions of lesser-known people change the world each day in ways that have nothing to do with technological innovation. Next week LinC looks at how we, as Christians, can transform the world by following Jesus’ example.
