Introduction

I chose the book:

Religion and the Death Penalty: A Call For Reckoning
Edited by Erik C. Owens, John D. Carlson, and Eric P. Elshtain

I decided to focus my critical book review on the topic of the death penalty after watching the Republican Presidential Debate a few days ago. While watching, I was shocked at the applause of one statement made about Rick Perry. One of the moderators mentioned that under the governorship of Rick Perry, Texas had executed 234 death row inmates. This number is the most executions under any governor in modern history. Unexpectedly, the crowd burst into applause at the statistic. That moment made me realize how lightly people in America take capital punishment these days. It is the gravest of issues and I wanted to take this opportunity to explore its serious implications further.