[jcranmer]

> True but he was martyred by the state. This is the core of Christian faith. God was put to death by an unjust government. It was Christ’s threat to state power that earned the execution.

Actually, the Gospels make clear that Pilate found Jesus not guilty, and it was only the threat of a riot by the priests if he didn't crucify Jesus that he crucified him. It's still ultimately the religious authorities who order his death, and in this case, the state is at best acting as a tool of the religious authorities rather than in its own secular authority.