Thoughts on Police Corruption and How Christians Should Respond
There has been much made of police
corruption in recent days with, much of it spawned by reactions to the shooting
of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO as well as the death of Eric Garner in New
York. One should not underestimate the tragedy of these events. Lives were
lost, and it is certainly possible for one to grieve the countless lives of
police officers who have died in the line of duty while still also grieving the
lives of men and women in situations such as these two. Human life is valuable
no matter who it is. No one is subhuman as many would proclaim. We should all
grieve the loss of life. As Christians though, how are we to respond to these
incidents? How are we to respond to the notion of police corruption, and how
are we to respond to the actions of those who break the law? I have some
personal thoughts on the matter that I would like to express, but realize that
the bottom line is not just police corruption but the corruption and sinfulness
of man in general.
It is good to be neutral on matters
like this, to take a step back and evaluate the reality of the situation as
difficult as this may be. I do not want to jump to conclusions and simply
assume that police officers are always right in what they do; nor do I want to
assume that those who have supposedly committed a crime are absolutely wrong.
The fact is that it is not always black and white. A crucial item related to
these situations is the fact that mankind is fallen and sinful. This goes for
everyone including our authorities. Police officers and politicians are just as
swayed by sin as one who commits a crime. Even our “good guys” are prone to
make decisions based out of selfishness, vain conceit, pride, and sinful
ambition. We cannot overlook this fact. To assume that someone needs more or less
grace than another person is absolutely incorrect, and to assume that someone
is beyond any grace at all is horribly wrong as well. We are all in need of
grace, namely grace from the Savior, Jesus Christ. Because of that though, we
must also give grace. Those who have been given the most grace often seem to be
the ones who give it most. I can certainly relate to Paul in that I consider
myself among the worst of sinners, and I do not take grace lightly. Civilians
make mistakes, and so do authorities. In light of this, we as Christians must
be people of grace realizing that no one deserves God’s grace, but we are all
offered it.
Romans 13 tells us to be subject to
the governing authorities. One might ask, “What about authorities who are
corrupt?” I will not deny that many of our authorities including police
officers are corrupt. Again this is the nature of sinful man. However, consider
the fact that governing authorities could likely not be more corrupt than when
Paul wrote Romans 13. This was written during the reign of Nero who was known
to participate in infamous activities such as burning Christians on crosses in
order to light his pathway at night. Yet Paul still tells us to be subject to
the governing authorities. We have no excuse. How could this be though? This
isn’t justice. Paul also tells us in Romans 13 that God has appointed these
leaders. This goes for politicians, police officers, governors, and anyone else
in authority. It does not matter how they came to their position. What matters
is that God, in his sovereignty, has placed them there, and we are to respect
that order.
What does being subject to the
governing authorities imply for Christians then? This answer can actually be
quite complicated. It certainly does not mean a lack of stance against
corruption or injustice. Christians should be outspoken and bold about their
political beliefs, which are hopefully rooted in a Christ-centered worldview. When
injustice occurs (and it certainly will among a fallen mankind), we must be
quick to take notice of it and stand against it. This could mean consequences,
but it is the right thing to do. As I mentioned earlier, things are not always
black and white. Many police officers, for example, are required to enforce
laws that they do not necessarily agree with. Often the tragedy of a situation
is that it should have never happened but did because of an overreached law
that a legislature passed. We should not always pass off blame on the person or
people it is often being placed on. Often people do not take time to examine
the facts of the situation. Again the governing authorities are not always
right. However, we must also realize that the purpose of authorities is to
prevent injustice. We live in a nation where this is largely true. There may
very-well come a day when our authorities do not exist to prevent injustice but
rather participate in it. In fact, I strongly believe that day is certainly
coming. However, that day is not here yet. God has appointed authorities to
fight against injustice, and we must respect them for it. Respect does not mean
being walked upon or treated unfairly. It simply means acknowledging the
position one holds with dignity and submitting to the rules set out whether we
agree with them or not. If we are honest, there are many laws and rules we
strongly disagree with. In fact, in many instances, our law-makers continue to
push legislation which makes little sense and has no value or purpose. We
should take a stand against these types of laws but also respect and obey them
as long as they do not violate our biblical mandate to serve and honor Christ.
We are called to be a holy people.
Realize, however, that not all of our governing authorities are Christians. Therefore,
they have not yet been called to be holy. Even those who are Christians are
still tugged and swayed by the power of sin. The fact is that everyone is in
need of grace including our authorities and police officers. Mistakes will
happen. It is guaranteed whether it is a civilian or an officer. We must take
those instances and use them as learning and growing opportunities with the
goal of restoring the one who made the mistake. God has more than enough grace
to give, and we as believers should be instruments of his grace and peace. We
should not automatically think that police officers are wrong. Nor should we
automatically think that civilians are wrong. We should instead seek the truth
and seek the Lord in restoring this broken world. Do we have corrupt
authorities? Yes. Do we have corrupt civilians? Yes. We are still called to be
subject to our governing authorities though, and to do anything less is sin. If
we respond in love and grace, we cannot respond in the wrong way. Love must be
shown, not hatred. Let us love and respect.
