We all know that without the rule of law, chaos will ensue. In order for a society to function there must be order. Therefore, God ordained government to keep the peace. The apostle Paul wrote, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.” (Romans 13:1-2). In cities like Chicago, Law Enforcement Officers are on the front lines to maintain law and order. While we are sleeping peacefully at night, Law Enforcement Officers are patrolling the streets, responding to calls of crimes that are in progress, and often putting their very lives at risk.
Now because of the vital role that Law Enforcement Officers have to keep the peace, Paul wrote in 2 Timothy chapter two, "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (2 Tim. 2:1-4).
As of first importance, Paul, with a sense of urgency, exhorted believers to pray for all people, and more specifically, those in positions of authority so that we, among others things, may live in a peaceful society. This is vital because where there is an absence of peace, due to lawlessness, Jesus said, "the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:12).
Why does lawlessness lead to lovelessness and coldness? Obviously people who have a disregard for the rule of law also have a disregard for the rights and property of others. And disregarding others for your own self interest and selfish ambition is the opposite of love and leads to "disorder and every vile practice" (James 3:16).
Lawlessness also breeds fearfulness. When people experience fear, real or imagined, the human instinct is to protect oneself, to put ones guards up, and to put distance between oneself and the object of one's fear. Jesus said that in the last days lawlessness will increase (Matt. 24:12) and men's hearts will faint because of fear (Luke 21:26).
Today in our world there is certainly and without a doubt both lawlessness and fearfulness. And unless this lawlessness is restrained, and the fearfulness is calmed, coldness and lovelessness will sweep over our society. And if this happens, there will be utter disorder and every vile practice.
So what do we do as Christians and citizens to respond to the lawlessness and fearfulness that we see in our society? Do we throw up our hands and declare every man for himself? Do we take up arms? No! We first of all, turn to God in prayer and cry out to him for all people and those who are in authority. We pray for peace. We pray for Law Enforcement who are on the front lines to restrain evil in a just manner. We peacefully demand that those who abuse their authority be held accountable.
We also need to acknowledge with great sensitivity that some in our society, especially in the black community, fear that there is systematic racism in Law Enforcement that leads to blacks being imprisoned unjustly and even killed. In an interview with The Gospel Coalition, Brandon Murphy, a pastor and deputy sherriff in a large Southern city said, "Our justice system isn’t perfect. And sometimes police make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes are purposeful since they have hatred in their hearts because of sin. But I believe those occasions are rare. Historically speaking, policing in America has been a tragic profession. We will always be trying to undo what our grandparents did. We must be diligent to give people an area for healthy dialogue involving available facts and validated feelings. Whites need to recognize that millions of people in this country have not benefited from the same background and privilege that they have. And blacks need to recognize that not all police officers are bad."
As a former Police officer, I don't believe that there is an assault on blacks by the Police. Recently, I read in a FaceBook post someone suggesting that Police Officers need to stop patrolling certain neighborhoods like they're in a war zone. In response, someone else wrote, "There have been over 2000 shootings in Chicago through June, and the overwhelming majority happened in a small handful of neighborhoods. More people are shot in those neighborhoods than in Baghdad or Kabul, which are in active war zones. Police are humans, they are going to be on edge in those neighborhoods. Anyone would be, you can't train that out of people and probably shouldn't if you could. Take the inherent danger away, and that edge will go away with it. It's a myth that it begins with the police. All things good and bad start with the community itself, and all communities start with the family. It doesn't
matter what color people are. Show me any community where the majority of households are strong family households, and I'll show you a community that is safe and without so called police overreach no matter what color the residents happen to be."
I believe that there is much truth to officers being on edge in high crimes areas and that change does not all fall on the Police. As was suggested in the Facebook post, it starts with the family. But what about children that are not being raised in stable homes? The church for one needs to get out of their comfortable buildings and seek to minister to these children with the hope and love of the gospel. Children and their parents coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus and being discipled (mentored) is the greatest hope for all communities.
As a Pastor, I recently received an e-mail from a Christian organization called Grip that is looking for churches to partner with them in mentoring children in neighborhoods where there's a breakdown in the family. GRIP Outreach for Youth exists to break the fatherless cycle in our city through Christ-centered Life-on-Life relationships. More churches need to get involved with ministries like this (www.gripyouth.com).
Now suggesting that change starts with the family doesn't mean that officers that cross the line should not be held accountable. They must be held accountable. I appreciate what I heard Pastor James Ford say recently, "If a person will not be accountable to nobody, they will not be responsible to anybody." He was speaking about husbands when he shared those words, but they apply to all who have positions of authority. There must be accountability or there will irresponsibility. And irresponsibility can lead to brutality. Responsible people who have nothing to hide welcome accountability.
Let me add that those in charge of holding others accountable must be responsible too. For example, videos of Officer's using force to effect an arrest can be a tool for accountability, but they don't always tell the whole story. In addition, they can be taken out of context. Furthermore, as human beings, we are often biased one way or the other and sometimes fail to judge things objectively. Those holding others accountable, and that includes the average citizen, must be responsible. This involves being informed and not rushing to judgement.
But what about those officers who are on edge in crime ridden neighborhoods? Can something be done, or should something be done to take the edge off? Having policing experience, I can tell you
that not being on edge can get an officer killed, if by being on edge we mean hyper vigilant, alert, and even fearful of potential danger.
Are there times when an officer's fears may be unwarranted? Yes. Sometimes these unwarranted fears that may lead to deadly force can be reasonable or unreasonable. It may be reasonable for an Officer to think that someone was pointing a gun at them and responds with deadly force, but was mistaken. Are there Officers who possess unwarranted fears that are based on the color of someone else's skin that can lead to an unjust and unreasonable use of force? I don't believe this is common, but I do believe it exists. And when it is determined that an Officer acted in such a way, he must be justly held accountable.
So in addition to praying for peace, we must acknowledge the real fears that exist in both the community and Law Enforcement. To deal with these fears, the community and the police department need to come together to acknowledge and talk about these fears and seek to understand one another. Face to face respectful communication and building relationships can build trust and create understanding that can lower fears on both sides.
In addition, there needs to be mutual respect. Officers in high crime areas can do a better job communicating with citizens that they daily interact with in a more respectful and professional manner. And when an officer is performing their duties, citizens should carefully respond to a Police Officer's reasonable commands even when they appear on edge. This will go a long way at calming any unwarranted fears that can lead to an unnecessary escalation of force.
We must point out and cry out against injustice when we see it. But God help us to do more than just point out the problems. As Christian, may we seek to be the ministers of reconciliation we are called to be. As children of God, let's lead the way in doing everything we can to live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:8). In the words of Martin Luther King Jr, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness: Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: Only love can do that." Let's be the light and by God's grace we will not be "overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21).
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