Customer Reviews

Jesus on Death Row: The Trial of Jesus and American Capital Punishment

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Good Easter Morning!

Jesus on Death Row - - A surprising and enlightening book. Challenges you to examine capital punishment under a unique perspective. Jesus Christ, a criminal indicted and convicted of an offence worthy of the death penalty.

Taking each of the four Gospels Osler expertly dissects the chapters of Jesus' trial & execution.

In the USA 85% identify themselves as Christian. The debate over capital punishment is important. Thus to a Christian this presents itself as an important book. We follow our elected leaders' choices regarding execution. But do our leaders (Clinton, Bush, Obama) follow their Christian roots and professed convictions?

This book is an enlightening read to help one better partcipate in the debate regarding the death penalty. To better appreciate the judistcal atmosphere of the court and death penalty. Could YOU pull the switch? Or could you elect someone to do it for YOU?

As viewed through the eyes of a well versed Christian lawyer. Understanding Christ as a criminal.Caught in a web: the violence of arrest, due process, witnesses, clemency refusal, provision of trial, prosecutors emotions, cruel & unusual execution.

At a deeper spiritual level this book gives life to the experience Jesus endured both psychologic and physical.

An easily digested book about an important contemporary subject. Intriguing.

"Jesus on Death Row" is a wonderfully rewarding surprise. Elegantly written, with a host of fascinating stories and allusions, Prof. Osler delicately stitches together a narrative of the trial and execution of Jesus with modern American Christian views on the death penalty. This is NOT a dogmatic screed. Instead, "Jesus on Death Row" is a thoughtful, sometimes surprising essay on what we believe -- and why. I loved every page.

In this unique linking of Biblical scripture and current law, Osler cites and examines much of his own experience as a federal prosecutor to illuminate the similarities between the steps in Jesus' arrest, trial, and execution with contemporary criminal practice and attitudes about punishment in the US. This book could rightly be called "Jesus Christ, Defendant," as that is exactly the lens Osler uses to examine the death penalty in the US.

And his result is striking. Consider this excerpt from the chapter entitled "Last Meal:" "With the murderer we have almost nothing in common (we hope), but still he wants chicken for dinner . . . We are somewhere in between the Savior and the killer. We exist in that wide chasm between the murderer and Christ, yet our common experience meets the murderer in the precise place where it meets the life of Christ" (p. 67). By yoking the two extremes, he reminds Christians that they follow "a religion whose central narrative is an execution and its aftermath" (p. 144), and allows all his readers a generous window into the complex, fraught practices of the current prosecutorial system. Osler's plain style shepherds readers effortlessly through his argument, showing us all our fragile humanity.

The author does a fascinating job exploring the parallels between the trial & execution of Jesus with our current capital practice procedure. By analyzing the similarities the author challenges the reader to think about our current "modern" procedure. A procedure many have so much faith in because we believe our system to be a sophisticated system in which only the "guilty" receive the ultimate judicial punishment. But how different is it? An excellent & insightful discussion on our sentencing system.

What do the life and death of Christ have to do with the way Christians approach the criminal justice system? The death penalty? More than you might think according to Mark Osler, former prosecutor and current Baylor Law professor. Far from settling for worn clichés and easy answers, Osler presents a thoughtful, reflective look at the United States criminal justice system through the lens of the crucifixion of Christ. In taking this cruciform look at how we try, convict, and punish criminals, Osler provides compelling insights into the ways Christians can bring both justice and mercy to the criminal justice system.

His insights alone are worth the price of the book, but I also see great value in exposing believers to not just the content of the book but also Osler's method. As a pastor, Osler does what I hope every believer in Jesus Christ would do, he takes the life and the teachings of Christ and applies them in a reflective manner to his daily life (not simply his devotional life). Believers from all types of professions would benefit from following Osler's example of allowing the life and death and resurrection of Christ to inform, question, and challenge their own professions and areas of expertise.

Not only will I encourage others to read his book but will also encouge them to likewise engage other areas of life (Health care, education, etc) from a cruciform point of view.

Many books on political, social, religious and philosophical issues are heavy-handed, ponderous and much too long. This book makes its points in a highly engaging fashion and does not repeat the same themes over and over.

Its a brisk read that will leave the reader thinking about the issues raised instead of confused over the reasoning. Like a good lawyer, the author gets to the point and provides evidence in the form of biblical citations to back up his argument.