\u201cI hope my death brings some measure of peace.\u201d<\/em><\/a><\/p>\nThat first line is devastating. It is not arrogance. It is not manipulation. It is the resignation of a man who knows the weight of his crimes. But it is also more than that. It is a mirror turned toward us. If Richard Djerf cannot find a reason to live\u2026maybe it\u2019s because the state has never offered him one\u2026maybe it\u2019s because the courts have never offered him one\u2026maybe it\u2019s because the church has never offered him one.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I can\u2019t find reason to spare my life what reason would anyone else have?\u201d That question cuts like a blade. It\u2019s not just about Richard. It\u2019s about us. We have failed to embody the Gospel in such a way that even the condemned can believe they are redeemable. We have left him in the dark so long that he cannot see the light. We have let the logic of death replace the promise of resurrection.<\/p>\n
This is the scandal of grace. God offers redemption even when we cannot see it. Christ sees worth when we declare worthlessness. The Spirit breathes life when we demand death. If Richard cannot find reason to live\u2026it is because we have abandoned him to the grave. His despair is not proof of his unworthiness. It is proof of our refusal to believe in the God who makes all things new.<\/p>\n
Repentance is real. Transformation is possible. But America does not want redemption. The state does not want it. The courts do not want it. And far too often the church does not want it. We want blood.<\/p>\n
The Theology of State Murder and the Death Penalty<\/h2>\n
Christ said it plainly in Matthew 25\u2026\u201cWhatever you do to the least of these, you do to me.\u201d<\/em> And who is more \u201cleast\u201d than the condemned strapped to a gurney and pumped full of poison?<\/p>\nThe death penalty is heresy. It denies redemption. It spits on forgiveness. It bows before vengeance. It dares to claim there are sins God cannot forgive, people God cannot redeem.<\/p>\n
When the chemicals burn through Djerf\u2019s veins\u2026Arizona will not be preaching the Gospel of Christ. Arizona will be preaching Pilate\u2019s gospel. Rome\u2019s gospel. The gospel of empire\u2026egomania, torture and death.<\/p>\n
The Crucifixion of Christ in Modern Executions<\/h2>\n
I will not be able to make it to Arizona. But I will be praying. For Richard. For the Luna family. For the guards. For the technicians who push the poison. For the witnesses forced to watch. Because this system crucifies us all.<\/p>\n
When Djerf dies\u2026the blood will be on every one of our hands.<\/p>\n
A Different Way Beyond the Death Penalty in Arizona<\/h2>\n
It doesn\u2019t have to be this way. We could choose life without parole. We could let Djerf live out his days in prison\u2026carrying his guilt\u2026carrying his remorse\u2026continuing to be transformed. We could honor the Lunas by preventing future violence\u2026not multiplying it. We could put our resources into mental health\u2026into our communities\u2026into life.<\/p>\n
We could choose grace. We could choose resurrection. But we will not. Because we are addicted. We believe state murder is holy.<\/p>\n
The Resurrection We Reject and America\u2019s Refusal of Redemption<\/h2>\n
The tragedy is not only the four lives stolen in 1993 or even the one about to be taken in 2025. The deeper tragedy is our refusal to believe in redemption at all.<\/p>\n
Richard Djerf could continue being a witness to transformation, a counselor, a living testimony to the scandal of grace. But Arizona will not allow it. Arizona demands blood. Arizona insists on killing redemption itself.<\/p>\n
And the church\u2026which should be the loudest voice against execution\u2026too often stands silent\u2026or worse yet\u2026cheers for the straps and the syringe. The crucifixion goes on with the blessing of the very people who claim to follow the crucified one.<\/p>\n
And when it happens Christ will weep. Again.<\/h2>\n
*<\/p>\n
*If you would like to support the Execution Intervention Project (the organization that financially supports Dr. Hood\u2019s work), click<\/span> here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On October 17, 2025, the state of Arizona will strap Richard Kenneth Djerf to a gurney and carry out an execution on death row. Arizona officials will call it justice. They will say the death penalty is closure for the 1993 Luna family murders. But it will not be justice. It will be another crucifixion. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2509,"featured_media":14135,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,10,1],"tags":[7751,7766,7760,7757,7754,7763],"class_list":["post-14126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-freshwritings","category-thoughts","category-uncategorized","tag-arizona-death-penalty","tag-attorney-general-kris-mayes","tag-christian-theology-and-capital-punishment","tag-luna-family-murders","tag-richard-djerf-execution","tag-state-sanctioned-crucifixion"],"yoast_head":"\n
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