The impending execution of Georgia death-row inmate Kelly Gissendaner has an international audience: her transformation, while behind bars, from convicted murderer to budding theologian is inspiring blogs, news stories and a social media hashtag.
Scheduled to be executed by the state of Georgia on Monday evening, Gissendaner was the subject of this weekend's "Beliefs" column in The New York Times. Writer Mark Oppenheimer highlighted her pursuit of a theology degree while in prison and her four-year friendship with Jürgen Moltmann, an acclaimed religious thinker.
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Although her supporters say it's their faith that calls them to speak up, majorities of most of America's large religious groups favor capital punishment, according to a March 2014 study from Pew Research Center.
"Roughly six-in-ten or more white evangelical Protestants (67 percent), white mainline Protestants (64 percent) and white Catholics (59 percent) express support for the death penalty," Pew reported.
These results contradict the official teachings of the Catholic Church and most mainline Protestant denominations, Catherine Woodiwiss noted in a piece for Sojourners.