March for Life: Executing Grace w/Shane Claiborne

March for Life Series: This is a four-part series that looks at the value of life through the various societal lenses of faith and politics.

Jesus was arguably the most famous innocent person who died of execution. He stood for peace, love, and a spirit of grace. So why is it that many of his 21st-century followers advocate for execution, especially when there are plenty of examples of people being set free on death row due to their innocence? Shane Claiborne, author of Executing Grace: How the Death Penalty Killed Jesus and Why it's Killing Us join Josh and Will on this continuation of the March for Life series. They discuss Shane's book and talk about how the "Bible Belt" has become more of a "Death Belt". They also go into some of the biblical scriptures that speak of executions, and how God's grace is difficult to preach when we advocate for the death of another human being. Finally, Shane shares a story about the South Carolina Charleston church shooting, where nine African Americans were killed during a Bible study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, and how grace prevailed over their assailant.

To purchase a copy of the book we discussed visit

Guest bio:

Shane Claiborne is a prominent speaker, activist, and best-selling author. Shane worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, and founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia. He heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of folks who are committed to living "as ifJesus meant the things he said." Shane is a champion for grace which has led him to jail advocating for the homeless, and to places like Iraq and Afghanistan to stand against war. And now grace fuels his passion to end the death penalty.

Shane’s books include Jesus for President, Red Letter Revolution, Common Prayer, Follow Me to Freedom, Jesus, Bombs and Ice Cream, Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers, and his classic The Irresistible Revolution. He has been featured in a number of films including "Another World Is Possible" and "Ordinary Radicals." His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. Shane speaks over one hundred times a year, nationally and internationally. His work has appeared in Esquire, SPIN, Christianity Today, and The Wall Street Journal, and he has been on everything from Fox News and Al Jazeera to CNN and NPR. He’s given academic lectures at Harvard, Princeton, Liberty, Duke, and Notre Dame.