Wineskins bust.: Parables from Death Row: Hood & Johnson Bart Johnson, Prisoner on Alabama’s Death Row The Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood, Death Row Spiritual Advisor Wineskins bust. You can’t put new wine in old wineskins. Such information seems meaningless unless you care about wineskins. Then again, the parables of Jesus always seem meaningless until we figure out a way to give them meaning…until we find a way to make them meaningful…meaningful to our moment. Some parables age better... Read more
A Vision, Dumpsters and Kenneth Smith in Alabama Deep in prayer this evening, I sought God’s guidance. I was transported to another place. There, I saw dumpsters full of people. Each dumpster was labeled in particular ways. The labels didn’t seem to matter as much as the dumpsters full of people. As I stood there, I kept seeing people thrown away in different dumpsters. Each time, a label was affixed to the person, and they were placed in... Read more
The United Nations, Kenny Smith & Alabama: Nuanced The United Nations (a panel of their experts) issued a press release today entitled, “United States: UN experts alarmed at prospect of first-ever untested execution by nitrogen hypoxia in Alabama.” In it, various international experts call for Kenneth (Kenny) Smith’s execution in Alabama to be stayed…citing their concern that the method of nitrogen hypoxia could possibly result in a “painful and humiliating” death. Of course, they’re right. There is no... Read more
Walk Away: On Moral Embarrassment, Alabama & Kenny Smith Earlier today I came across the following headline, “The Alabama Supreme Court has officially given the order to carry out the nation’s first nitrogen hypoxia execution.” The article contained the following announcement, “Starting at 12 a.m. on the 25th, the Alabama Department of Corrections will have 30 hours to execute Smith with nitrogen gas. The order expires at 6 a.m. on Jan. 26. If successful, Smith... Read more
The Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood, Death Row Spiritual Advisor Bart Johnson, Prisoner on Alabama’s Death Row Matthew 7:24-29 Parable of the Rock from Death Row: Jeff Hood & Bart Johnson The ones that build their house on the rock. That’s who we’re supposed to want to be right? Not the sinking sand that won’t hold the house. But…what is the rock? Throughout its history, the church has taught that the rock is Jesus and we are... Read more
In a little over three weeks, the State of Alabama intends to strap a mask on the face of Kenny Smith as tight as possible to create an airtight. Then, prison officials will step back, allow nitrogen to flow into the mask and wait for Smith to be declared dead. If successful, this new execution procedure known as “nitrogen hypoxia” will become the latest option in a long line of procedures dubbed more humane than the last. Think about... Read more
Conviction is defined by defiance amid injustice. Of course, conviction is full of dangerous consequences. Indeed, it is the possession of such conviction that leads to spaces of great sacrifice. You don’t know where you might end up until you get there. Danger resides everywhere on these moral journeys. Not the danger that kills immediately…more so, the type of danger that will kill you slowly…one fraught choice at a time. If you feel like you’re dying…that’s what you signed... Read more
Religious Liberty for the Condemned: Kenny Smith and Us To the disappointment of many of his disciples, Jesus was not a conquering king. Indeed, his ministry was never about forcing people to believe anything at all. The ministry of Jesus was always about invitation rather than subjugation. Repeatedly, people even walked away from Jesus and decided to no longer believe. Followers of Jesus were there because they wanted to be. Such is the essence of faith…choice. Faith without choice... Read more
Parable of the Weeds on Death Row: Jeff Hood & Bart Johnson The Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood, Death Row Spiritual Advisor Bart Johnson, Prisoner on Alabama’s Death Row Matthew 13:24-30 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. So when the plants came up and bore... Read more
Nitrogen. I keep hearing the word repeatedly. In fact, the word presently consumes a good part of my life. Will it happen? Will it kill me? What are the dangers? Is it all hyperbole? I don’t know. I just know that I’ve been asked by Kenny Smith in Alabama to accompany him to the first execution by nitrogen hypoxia…his execution. If that wasn’t enough, Smith was the victim of a botched execution just over a year ago. So, this... Read more
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