Virtual Book Club: September 2024

Get mobilized with SCADP and the SC Christian Action Council with our  Virtual Book Club! Our September selection is You Shall Not Condemn by Rev. Dr. Jennifer McBride. 

Bring your favorite beverage as we discuss this important story about faith and advocacy on death row. You are not required to read the book for the event and are encouraged to purchase the book at your local bookseller or borrow it from your local library!

Book Summary:

This book tells the story of Kelly Gissendaner, the only woman on Georgia’s death row until her execution in 2015, and highlights the role theological studies played in her faith and in advocacy efforts on her behalf. Central to the book is the written correspondence between Kelly and German theologian Jürgen Moltmann, known internationally as the “theologian of hope.” After reading Moltmann’s work in a course taught by McBride at the prison, Kelly began a five-year correspondence with him. When Kelly was denied clemency, a local and international advocacy movement arose that was rooted in her theological studies and friendship with him. The advocacy campaign challenged Christians who supported the death penalty to re-examine basic truths of Christian faith. As it was unfolding, the story of Kelly’s transformation changed people’s minds, not only about her case, but also about the death penalty itself. Weaving together powerful storytelling and theological expertise, McBride recounts that story again here, with an aim toward abolition, and offers practical ways that readers may enter the work.