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“It is impossible to put into words
the overwhelming sorrow and remorse I feel for my involvement in the murder of my husband, Douglas Gissendaner. Tere is just no way to capture the depth of my sorrow and regret. I would change everything if I could. I will never understand how I let myself fall into such evil, but I have learned firsthand that no one, not even me, is beyond redemption through God’s grace and mercy.” Te fruit of Gissendaner’s trans-
formation is seen through reconcili- ation with her children, ministry to despairing inmates whom no one else can reach, counsel to troubled youth and daily encouragement to others. Trough the theology program,
she continued to cultivate fruit. She discovered her authentic theological voice, began a pen pal friendship with German Lutheran theologian Jürgen Moltmann, and gained a sense of hope and purpose she hadn’t previously known. In her 2011 graduation speech,
Gissendaner said: “From the start of the theology class I felt this hunger. I became so hungry for theology and what all the classes had to offer.” Six months into the program, a
new administration prohibited her from attending class. She recounted this about her theology education: “Since I couldn’t go to theology
class … the instructors came to me. … Tat gate was meant to keep everyone and everything separated from me. But that gate couldn’t keep out the knowledge that I was so hungry for, nor friendship and community. And it sure couldn’t keep out God. … Hope is still alive despite a gate or guillotine hovering over my head. … I have the capacity and unstoppable desire to accom- plish something positive and to have a lasting impact.
‘I have learned firsthand
that no one, not even me, is beyond redemption through God’s grace and mercy.’
“Even prison cannot erase my
hope and conviction that the future is not settled for me or anyone. I have placed my hope in the God I now know. I rely on the steadfast and never-ending love of God.”
Execution day I was with Gissendaner on the scheduled execution day when the news came that her clemency was denied. It’s the closest I’ve come to the powers of evil and death, and I wasn’t sure I could find my way out of the despair. But earlier that morning, the
execution scheduled for that night had been postponed for five days because of the possibility of snow. With this giſt of time, a new resolve welled up within me, a determina- tion that Gissendaner’s execution would not happen in silence, behind closed doors, without the world watching. I didn’t necessarily think her
life could be saved, except by her lawyers who were working around the clock. But I did think her story could be told. We could raise her voice, demanding that her life be witnessed and that this execution be condemned. Without much of a plan, I
reached out to a colleague at Te New York Times, simply wondering if the theology certificate and story of Moltmann’s friendship might be of interest for his weekly religion piece. As I did so, I noticed Facebook
and cellphone messages from a few close friends. A group of about
15, all of whom were connected in various ways to the prison theol- ogy program, were already gather- ing to plan the next steps—faculty, theology instructors, pastors and priests, doctoral students and semi- narians, and a former inmate who credits Gissendaner with her own transformation. Tat night in the living room of
a dear friend, the #kellyonmymind campaign was born. In that living room we met every
night to devise a course of action. Within a day or two, Te New York Times piece was out, getting picked up by other media outlets from CNN and the Washington Post to Fox News and the Christian Broad- casting Network. Kelly’s story was impacting Christians across the political divide, pushing the logic of Christian faith to its outermost limits, pressing us to re-examine and reaffirm the truths we proclaim about repentance, forgiveness, redemption and hope. In five short days leading up
to the scheduled execution, we launched a major social media campaign reaching more than 4 million people, wrote for Huffing- ton Post and
CNN.com, gathered letters from religion scholars around the world who advocated for their fellow theologian, started petitions and delivered more than 80,000 signatures to the governor’s office. We mapped out talking points,
made phone calls, published news releases, held a news conference at the Georgia Capitol, produced short documentaries, hosted a prayer vigil and sparked others in seminaries across the country, and responded to numerous local and national interview requests. Te movement happened so quickly we could barely keep up.
28 October 2015 27
AP PHOTO/ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, BITA HONARVAR
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