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Avery Cardinal Dulles wrote an article for First Things on capital punishment. He provides NUMEROUS biblical citations demonstrating that nothing in either the Old or the New Testaments argues that Christians have no right to defend themselves and build just societies. Defensive war and capital punishment are two of the necessary tools for keeping a just peace.

Another passage in Acts, for instance, has the Holy Spirit telling Peter to visit the pious centurion and baptize him. Nothing about telling him to quit his job. Nor did Jesus tell the centurian to change his line of work when He cured his daughter from a distance.