'Soul-Twisting' or Biblically Justified? Christians Clash Over Pentagon's Plan to Livestream Execution

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According to AP News and CBS News, the Pentagon says the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan will be livestreamed, and the announcement has set off quite a passionate debate between Christians.

After more than 65 years, this will be the first livestreamed military execution. Taking place at Fort Hood on Dec. 3, Hasan will be executed for killing 13 unarmed soldiers and injuring 32 others in a shooting at the military base (2009).

As a former US Army major and psychiatrist from Virginia, Hasan told the BBC during his court-martial in 2013 that he believed “he was protecting Muslims and the Taliban in Afghanistan from the US military.” Hasan was shot during his original attack and currently uses a wheelchair.

While the public nature of the execution has created a strong divide of debates and reactions, its scheduling has also raised additional questions regarding how the death penalty is carried out in the U.S. This has also come directly after the failed and botched lethal injection of Christa Pike in Tennessee.

As December approaches, AP News confirms that “Hasan could choose to resist execution by filing a habeas petition — a legal request to review the legality of a detention — in civilian court, which may significantly delay the execution.” According to Eugene R. Fidell, a visiting lecturer at Yale Law School specializing in military law, “It frankly might outlast the current administration, and who knows if the next one will have the same penchant for executions.”

Regardless of the delay, American anti-abortion activist and founder and president of the anti-abortion organization Live Action, Lila Rose, believes that such actions will lead to the downfall of humanity.

“Our appetite for and habituation to violence will be our society’s downfall. Public executions don’t teach respect for human dignity and God’s image; they make violence a spectacle for public entertainment, and they corrupt the young and innocent," she wrote on X/Twitter. "In modern America, there is no need for executions — they only breed vengeance, violence, and dehumanization. Satan loves this.”

Ben Zeisloft, communications director for the Foundation to Abolish Abortion, pushed back against Rose, noting, “While you say Satan loves public executions, Satan actually hates them, because they are commanded by God to restrain evil.” He continued, “While you say public executions do not teach respect for the image of God, the very reason why murderers must be executed is respect for the image of God. 'Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image' (Genesis 9:6). Although public executions of heinous criminals may run contrary to modern feminine sensibilities and toxic empathy, they are directly ordered by our just and holy God.”

Samuel Sey furthers, “Public executions are not only justified, they are recommended by God. If that makes you uncomfortable, it should. That is the point. This is what God said about public executions:  “And all Israel shall hear and fear and never again do any such wickedness as this among you.”

Rev. Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals, released a response to the Pentagon's announcement that it would livestream the execution for public consumption. He called Hasan's killing of 13 people "horrific" and affirmed "the need for justice." However, he added that making the execution a public spectacle promotes a "culture of death, rather than a culture that upholds the dignity of every human being."

Christian conservative broadcaster Erick Erickson, however, seems to believe in a middle ground as he explains that while he does believe in the death penalty, to televise the act as a show is “soul-twisting” and a road no one should walk down. 

Former White House Press Secretary during Trump’s first administration, Sean Spicer, adds that he doesn’t believe something should be live-streamed that kids can access. “I don't care who you are, I don't want to watch somebody die."

To date, BBC reports that it remains unclear what restrictions will be implemented during the livestream. According to ABC News, while public executions were gradually outlawed in the 19th Century and have been taboo across the developed world, they still remain in practice for many authoritarian countries like North Korea. It’s unclear whether Hasan will resist the execution through appeal.

Photo Credit: ©Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Amber Ginter is a teacher-turned-author who loves Jesus, her husband Ben, and granola. Growing up Amber looked for faith and mental health resources and found none. Today, she offers hope for young Christians struggling with mental illness that goes beyond simply reading your Bible and praying more. Because you can love Jesus and still suffer from anxiety. You can download her top faith and mental health resources for free to help navigate books, podcasts, videos, and influencers from a faith lens perspective. Visit her website at amberginter.com.