How Should We Treat Detainees?: An Examination of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques under the Light of Scripture and the Just War Tradition

During the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the American government authorized "enhanced interrogation techniques" to obtain answers for potentially life-threatening situations from those in custody of U.S. forces. In this volume from the Reformed Academic Dissertation series, J. Porter Harlow argues that this policy was contrary to Scripture and the just war tradition established by Augustine, Calvin, Murray, and Ramsey.

In How Should We Treat Detainees?, Harlow:explains the background of "enhanced interrogation techniques" used on detaineesdetails how historical prohibitions against torture, violence, and sexual and religious humiliation during interrogations were violateddemonstrates how those prohibitions are consistent with Scripture and the just war traditionshows how the support of these interrogation techniques by prominent theologians conflicts with the just war traditionencourages Christians to use the same criteria for decisions about national security policy that they use for other moral issues.

About the Series

P&R's Reformed Academic Dissertation (RAD) series consists of top-tier dissertations (Ph.D., Th.D., D.Min., and Th.M.) that advance biblical and theological scholarship by making distinctive contributions in the areas of theology, ethics, biblical studies, apologetics, and counseling. Dissertations in the RAD series are carefully selected, on the basis of strong recommendations by the authors' supervisors and examiners and by internal readers, to be part of this collection. Each selected dissertation provides clear, fresh, and engaging insights about significant theological issues.