UPDATED: Is death penalty anti-Christian?

Is the death penalty Christian? [Click here to view this message in your web-browser](. Edition: US 28 April 2017 [[The Conversation]Academic rigor, journalistic flair]( Editor's note After this newsletter 'went to press' last night, Arkansas executed its fourth prisoner in seven days, after the final appeals of Kenneth D. Williams were rejected. Arkansas sits in the middle of the “Bible Belt,” where most executions have taken place over the last three decades. While support for death penalty is falling worldwide, in the United States, a majority of white Protestants and Catholics are in favor. Catholic scholar Mathew Schmalz argues that the “eye for an eye” retribution might well go back to prebiblical times, but Jesus’s admonition was to [forgive one’s enemies](: “if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” As Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month comes to an end, Henry Adams at Case Western Reserve University argues that artists have paved the way for mathematicians throughout history: [explore for yourself](the evidence, from Islamic tiles to Jackson Pollock’s paintings. Meanwhile, USC Dornsife statistician Rand Wilcox writes that [there are better ways for scientists to analyze data]( – but modern techniques haven’t made great inroads with the research community. And this week President Trump ordered a review of more than two dozen national monuments. He may seek to eliminate or shrink some of them. In response, four environmental lawyers explain why that power rests with Congress, not with presidents. Kalpana Jain Senior Editor, Religion & Ethics Ethics + Religion - [Is death penalty anti-Christian?]( Mathew Schmalz, College of the Holy Cross Support for the death penalty is falling worldwide. In the Western world, the U.S. is only one of two countries that retain it. What is the Christian view? Arts + Culture - [Did artists lead the way in mathematics?]( Henry Adams, Case Western Reserve University Mathematics and art are generally viewed as very different. But a trip through history – from an Islamic palace to Pollock's paintings – proves the parallels between the two can be uncanny. - [Is there any way to stop ad creep?]( Mark Bartholomew, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York A host of spaces that were once immune to commercial intrusion – from parks to our friendships – are now being infiltrated by advertisers. Are we being enslaved by a 'merciless master'? Environment + Energy - [National monuments: Presidents can create them, but only Congress can undo them]( Nicholas Bryner, University of California, Los Angeles; Eric Biber, University of California, Berkeley; Mark Squillace, University of Colorado; Sean B. Hecht, University of California, Los Angeles President Trump has ordered a review of national monuments protected by his predecessors, and may try to abolish or shrink some. But four legal experts say that only Congress has that authority. - [Trump’s offshore oil drilling push: Five essential reads]( Martin LaMonica, The Conversation The industry has wanted access to offshore oil for decades, but the Arctic remains challenging. Consumers, meanwhile, seem conflicted on expanded offshore drilling. Economy + Business - [Can charity save journalism from market failure?]( Victor Pickard, University of Pennsylvania Big cash infusions can give nonprofit journalism a much-needed boost. But the ailing news industry needs more consistent funding. Education - [How parents can help autistic children make sense of their world]( Allyssa McCabe, University of Massachusetts Lowell People tell each other stories every day about the things they've seen and done. For many children with autism, this kind of personal narrative doesn't come easily. Here's how parents can help. - [Is charter school fraud the next Enron?]( Preston Green III, University of Connecticut Enron stands as one of the most infamous scandals in business history. With a growing charter school sector and lax regulation, the same kind of corruption and fraud is rearing its ugly head. - [“As school choice champions like Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos push to make charter schools a larger part of the educational landscape, it's important to understand the Enron scandal and how charter schools are vulnerable to similar schemes.”]( Preston Green III University of Connecticut [Read more]( [Preston Green III] Science + Technology - [New statistical methods would let researchers deal with data in better, more robust ways]( Rand Wilcox, University of Southern California – Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences Any field that collects and analyzes data relies on statistical techniques to make sense of it all. Modern, more accurate methods should supplant the old ways... but in many cases, they haven't yet. Health + Medicine - [The patients we do not see]( Dave A. Chokshi, New York University Langone Medical Center For many of the nation's poor, food and shelter are more important than health care. Questions of insurance coverage loom broadly, but another question lingers: how to treat the poor we do not see. Politics + Society - [How Woodrow Wilson's propaganda machine changed American journalism]( Christopher B. Daly, Boston University An executive order signed in 1917 created what's been called 'the nation's first ministry of information.' The media are still feeling its impact. Trump's 100 Days - [Trump and the history of the 'first 100 days']( Robert Speel, Pennsylvania State University Franklin D. Roosevelt is famous for really getting a lot done fast. Will history remember Trump so kindly? - [100 days of presidential threats]( Jennifer Mercieca, Texas A&M University A scholar of rhetoric makes note of one way Trump’s language has changed since he became president. - [Trump's brand of economic populism gets a makeover in first 100 days]( Charles Hankla, Georgia State University A flurry of policy reversals in recent weeks suggests Trump has changed his tune from his populist campaign promises. Has he? - [One way Trump went big league in his first 100 days]( Mark Major, Pennsylvania State University The stack of executive orders, proclamations and memoranda Trump has signed makes other presidents' stacks look puny. From our International Editions - [More than an oppressor's language: reclaiming the hidden history of Afrikaans]( Hein Willemse, University of Pretoria Afrikaans is very much a black language. The apartheid government's ploy to construct it as a "white language", with a "white history", denied the commonality of the language across race and class. - [Worthless mining waste could suck CO₂ out of the atmosphere and reverse emissions]( Simon Redfern, University of Cambridge Scientists want to exploit a natural process of carbon storage. - [France's major parties want to block Marine Le Pen – but don’t expect a repeat of 2002]( David Lees, University of Warwick When Jean-Marie Le Pen made it to the second round in 2002, France was in a very different mood. - [And the winner in the French presidential election is... populism]( Luc Rouban, Sciences Po – USPC A survey shows that candidates who exploited populism in one way or the other during the first round of the French presidential election captured about half of the vote. - [Why brain stimulation isn't what it's cracked up to be]( Martin Héroux, Neuroscience Research Australia; Colleen Loo, UNSW; Simon Gandevia, Neuroscience Research Australia Electrical brain stimulation is used to treat a range of conditions, from depression to epilepsy. But how confident can we be that it works? [We produce knowledge-based, ethical journalism. Please donate and help us thrive. Tax deductible.]( [Follow us on Twitter.]( [Join us on Facebook.]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation](. Not interested anymore? [Unsubscribe instantly](. We’ll miss you. 625 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139 USA