Freddie Gray and Baltimore. Walter Scott and Charleston. Eric Garner and New York. Michael Brown and Ferguson. There are numerous other examples, but these four are the ones that have made the headlines, divided the country, sparked race debates, and led to extreme reactions such as rioting and targeting police officers. It seems like it’s only a matter of time until the next event.
Unfortunately, thanks to our constant news cycle and the need many have to form (and express) an opinion about everything these days, we Christians can often get caught up in choosing sides. I’ve seen plenty of social media posts along the lines of “Those criminals got what they deserved,” and conversely, “Those racist cops are just out to kill black people.” The fact is, every case is unique and we’re not always going to know all of the details. Beyond that, though, it’s not worth asserting our opinions if it’s going to turn people away from Christ. Who cares if you’re right if your inflammatory post about police/race issue leads people to ignore you when you talk about the Gospel? Being wrong about the details of a case isn’t going to keep someone out of heaven, but being driven away from the Bible by Christians who are obsessed with being right might.
When we talk about these issues, then, we can hold our opinions, but we can’t let them get in the way of our relationships with other people. All Christians can (and should) really do is hold to what the Bible teaches about these issues.
Christians and race.
This one is the easy one to address. Every single human has value from the instant life begins, because God has created them in His image. At no point has anyone of any skin color or race been more valuable to God. Even in the Old Testament, when Israel was His chosen people for bringing about the lineage of Christ, we see God’s love and concern for all people, such as when Jonah was sent to give God’s message to Nineveh and God spared them. There is no excuse for disliking a particular race, looking down on them, or lumping them all in together as if they are all the same person with the same brain. God created us as individuals, and He sees the heart (1 Samuel 16:7), not the skin color.
Christians as law enforcement officers.
God placed expectations on all who are given authority. In Luke 3:14, we see soldiers who had traveled to the wilderness to ask John what they should do to bear fruits of repentance. He told them not to take money from anyone or accuse anyone falsely, basically saying that they shouldn’t abuse the authority that they had over civilians. The same should be expected of today’s police officers, especially those who claim the name of Christ. While we often talk about Israel’s idolatry, their other major sin that the prophets railed against was taking advantage of others, oppressing those under their authority, and dealing with them dishonestly. God does not take that lightly, and policemen and women should always keep that in mind when exercising the authority given them.
Christians as citizens.
Having been pulled over a couple of times for literally nothing, I know it can be frustrating to deal with police at times. I’m also not naive or biased enough to overlook the fact that some communities deal with an inordinate amount of police scrutiny, and that frustration builds. However, as Christians that’s no excuse to undermine the police, treat them poorly, or view them with contempt. Consider the oppression the early church went through from the Roman government and its officers, and yet Paul still wrote that Christians should submit (Romans 13:1) and do their best to simply live quiet, tranquil, godly lives whenever possible (1 Timothy 2:2). Jesus pointed out that our concerns should not be about getting what is fair or always demanding our rights, but that we should turn the other cheek and hold ourselves to a higher standard, even when we do feel we’ve been treated unfairly (Matthew 5:38-42). The Christian’s first priority must be to glorify God and keep Him at the forefront of our lives rather than to get our eye for an eye when we feel the police (or anyone else) wronged us.
These are difficult times, and it’s likely only going to get worse. What this nation needs now as much as it ever has is for Christians to act like Christians. We need Christian police officers to set the standard for righteous conduct. We need Christians of every race to love and respect each other rather than dividing over opinions and personal political vendettas. Let’s work together to show the world a better way to handle these difficult issues.
