Pastor Richard Graf from the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, who is known for having baptised convicted mass murderer Dylann Roof back in 1997, is not giving up hope on the young man even after he killed nine African-American worshippers from the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina back in June 2015.
"What he did was terrible. There's no excuse for it. It was a crime against the people of God and God himself," Graf told WECT. "Those people had the God-given gift of life and he took that, he took that away from them."
However, Graf said he has an issue on how the government is handling his case and how spectators are "compounding one wrong with another" by spreading hate and condemning Roof. He said, "Evil is among us, none of us are perfect. We're all mortal and it is our sin that causes our death."
Graf added that baptism is a sacred act that should be used as a key to forgiveness for Roof, but only if he chooses to use it. Roof was only two years old when he was baptised, and the only way he can preserve the promises that come with baptism is if he decides to turn back on his past and embrace God.
"Will it make a difference? I don't know," Graf admitted. "But, I don't think God ever forsakes us and God's spirit is in there somewhere, so I would not give up hope on him."
Graf's sentiment is shared by Rev. Dr Calvin Samuel, principal of the London School of Theology and a Methodist minister. He said sin runs rampant in this world, so Christians should seek to offer grace every chance they can.
"First and foremost, we should mirror our God in being merciful and extending grace. Mercy is the withholding of the full punishment that a sin deserves. The ultimate punishment for sin is in God's hands, not ours, and in His time He will bring this about," he said.
