The Editor, Sir:

This is a response to the writer of Monday's 'Letter of the Day' over the signature of Dudley Sharp.

Dear Mr Sharp,

With regard to your letter about 'Citing scripture pro and con in the death penalty debate' (dubbed 'Letter of the Day' in The Gleaner of November 17), I must say I cannot agree with you more.

I find Peter Espeut's polemics to be so way off at times that it is simply astounding.

He clearly lacks a sense of social justice, and is also a poor exegete of the Bible as well (even while pretending to be so expert at its nuances, and context, yet clearly he needs a crash course in both).

Irrefutable proof

I firmly believe in the New Testament injunction of Romans 13:4, and it is irrefutable proof that the universal principle of Genesis 9:6 still applies (since it predated the Old Covenant economy of Israel by centuries).

Espeut clearly missed the whole point/context of John 8 (as you rightly pointed out), as well as the truth of the gospel message not being a means of trumping the natural and divine law of necessary justice to be exercised by governments of the world.

Clearly, he thinks that the 'sword' (a symbol of ultimate governmental justice) in Romans 13:4 should probably be used to only slap a hardened murderer on the backside.

Then we should allow him to live out the remainder of his days in jail, eating three free meals, while we all wait on other murderers to practise their gruesome craft, who will then also be given this rather nice treatment, even while the 'innocents' continue to be slaughtered all around us. What a laugh!

I am, etc.,

DERRICK GILLESPIE

Teacher at Munro College

St Elizabeth