The Rev. Richard Killmer is executive director of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, a coalition of more than 120 religious groups formed in January 2006. It includes representatives of Roman Catholic, evangelical Christian, mainline Protestant, Unitarian, Quaker, Orthodox Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh communities.

Derek S. Jeffreys is an associate professor of humanistic studies and religion at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay. He is the author of a 2009 book, Spirituality and the Ethics of Torture.

Darrell Cole is an assistant professor of religion at Drew University. Cole is the author of When God Says War Is Right: The Christian’s Perspective on When and How to Fight, and was a participant in the 2006 First Things online symposium on torture.

Read a May 1, 2009, National Catholic Reporter story about a rally of human rights activists in Washington, D.C., to support a criminal inquiry.

Read a May 5, 2009, Religion News Service story about Richard Land’s statements.

Read a May 6, 2009, Religion News Service story.

Read a May 11, 2009, “Sightings” column by Martin Marty that follows up on his earlier essay on torture and churchgoers; it includes a response from David Neff of Christianity Today.

In January 2009, in response to the renewed debate about torture, the website of First Things posted all the responses from a November 2006 online forum, “The Truth About Torture? — A Christian Ethics Symposium.” Nine Christian thinkers responded to a provocative Weekly Standard essay, “The Truth About Torture,” by Charles Krauthammer. In it he argues that “Torture is not always […]

The Fordham Center on Religion and Culture of Fordham University in New York held an October 2008 symposium, “Torture and American Culture,” which explored whether images in  U.S. popular culture “may have predisposed leaders to authorize torture or the public to tolerate it.” Panelists discussed shows, such as “Lost,” “24,” “The Wire” and “Sleeper Cell.” Read a […]