Position

The CRC has declared that modern states are not obligated by Scripture, creed, or principle to institute and practice capital punishment. It does, however, recognize that Scripture acknowledges the right of modern states to institute and practice capital punishment if it is exercised with utmost restraint.

History

In the 1970s the issue of capital punishment was under a great deal of discussion in both the secular and religious worlds. The CRC began to study the issue formally in 1976 and adopted the recommendations of a study-committee report in 1981. That report remains the most current study of capital punishment in the CRC, and its recommendations have not been challenged or altered in subsequent years.

References

Acts of Synod 1976, pp. 105-06, 668-74
Acts of Synod 1979, pp. 45-46, 137, 468-508
Acts of Synod 1981, pp. 72-73, 448-91