MEDIA ADVISORY
September 13, 2016
CONTACT: Jason Redick, TCADP North Texas Outreach Coordinator
972-824-5847 (cell)
Jason@tcadp.org
Prominent Evangelical Faith Leader to Address Death Penalty
in Dallas and Fort Worth
Shane Claiborne visits North Texas during historic gap in executions, new death sentences
Dallas, Texas – In his thought-provoking new book, Executing Grace: How the Death Penalty Killed Jesus and Why It’s Killing Us (HarperOne; Paperback; June 7, 2016), social justice pioneer Shane Claiborne challenges Christians and non-Christians alike to abandon the death penalty and embrace a plan for true justice. Claiborne will speak at White Rock United Methodist Church in Dallas on Tuesday, September 27, 2016 and at Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth onWednesday, September 28, 2016.
In Executing Grace, Claiborne not only shares the grim statistics of a faulty justice system, but also the faces and stories of survivors of crime, murder victims’ families, prisoners, pastors, prosecutors, the exonerated, and even executioners. In these conversations, he showcases some of the strongest voices against the death penalty in the United States. Weaving together personal stories, church history, and Biblical analysis, Claiborne makes a convincing and multifaceted case against the death penalty, encouraging readers to find a new way to think about justice, Jesus, and killing.
Claiborne is visiting North Texas at a critical time in our region’s experience with the death penalty. Although Dallas and Tarrant Counties are among Texas’ top sentencing counties, more than two years have now passed since juries in these jurisdictions imposed a new death sentence. In fact, Dallas County has not imposed any new death sentences since 2013. Overall, death sentences in Texas have declined more than 80% since peaking in 1999 as both prosecutors and juries accept the alternative of life without parole. The last execution in Texas took place in April.
Claiborne will speak about the message of his book at each event. Following his remarks, he will moderate panel discussions featuring voices of experiences on the death penalty in Texas. The panels will include a defense attorney for capital murder cases, a death row exonoree family member, a clergy member who witnessed an execution earlier this year, and exonorees from North Texas. These events promise to be a unique opportunity to hear about the realities of the broken death penalty system here in Texas and beyond. All are welcome.
WHAT: “An Evening with Shane Claiborne: A Conversation on Executing Grace”
WHEN: Tuesday, September 27 at 7:00 PM and Wednesday, September 28 at 6:30 PM
WHERE: White Rock United Methodist Church (1450 Oldgate Ln, Dallas, TX 75218) on Tuesday, September 27, and Broadway Baptist Church (305 W Broadway Ave, Fort Worth, TX 76104) onWednesday, September 28
WHO: Sponsored by the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, White Rock United Methodist Church, and Broadway Baptist Church
More information about Shane Claiborne and Executing Grace is available athttp://executinggrace.com/.
To arrange an interview by phone or in person with Mr. Claiborne, please contact Jason Redick, TCADP North Texas Outreach Coordinator, at 972-824-5847 or Jason@tcadp.org.
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