Biblical Perspective on "Defund The Police"

Considering the positive response received from my last post, Biblical Perspective on "Black Lives Matter", it is safe to assume many people were shocked to learn more about the BLM organization and some of their egregious beliefs and policy demands. However, I chose to leave out one issue in particular, "Defund The Police," in order to focus specific attention on the sensitivity and complexity of this debate and shed light, from a Biblical perspective, how we should respond to this message. The challenge is attitudes vary based on personal experience and bias toward police officers' duties, subsequent performance, and accountability measures which ensure their compliance to a humane and ethical standard of excellence while fulfilling their employment obligations. Therefore, let us begin with an overarching definition readily accessible on Wikipedia to ensure we are unified in our general understanding of law enforcement at large:

"Police officers are generally charged with the apprehension of suspects and the prevention, detection, and reporting of crime, protection and assistance of the general public, and the maintenance of public order... In the majority of Western legal systems, the major role of the police is to maintain order, keeping the peace through surveillance of the public, and the subsequent reporting and apprehension of suspected violators of the law. They also function to discourage crimes through high-visibility policing, and most police forces have an investigative capability. Police have the legal authority to arrest and detain, usually granted by magistrates. Police officers also respond to emergency calls, along with routine community policing... Almost universally, police officers are authorized the use of force, up to and including deadly force, when acting in a law enforcement capacity. Although most law enforcement agencies follow some variant of the use of force continuum, where officers are only authorized the level of force required to match situational requirements, specific thresholds and responses vary between jurisdictions."

In other words, police officers are tasked to keep the peace in our communities and enforce judicial law with wisdom, discernment and a responsibility to serve and protect the general public. Moreover, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) provides law enforcement a foundational "Oath of Honor" to encourage universal accountability among all precincts:

"On my honor, I will never betray my integrity, my character, or the public trust. I will always have the courage to hold myself and others accountable for our actions. I will always maintain the highest ethical standards and uphold the values of my community, and the agency I serve."

Keep in mind, police officers are imperfect human beings, who possess the ability to make mistakes despite their best efforts to maintain compliance unto governing authorities and behavioral integrity in their endeavors. However, considering the contentious environment where we reside, police officers are now falsely and unjustifiably portrayed through liberal media outlets as racist, abusive, discriminatory and untrustworthy. Looking back in history, the apostle Paul encountered similar deceit in his day from those who disguised themselves as righteous servants in order to spread dissension and preach a false narrative. "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds" (2 Corinthians 11:13–15). Make no mistake, our culture now unrealistically demands perfection from law enforcement personnel—especially toward minorities and blacks in particular. However, is perfection even possible considering the split-second decisions police officers are forced to make in dire situations? Let us not forget police officers are flawed individuals just like the rest of us, which is why Scripture reminds us to not be so quick in judging others. "For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned" (Romans 12:3). Considering the fallen nature of our world, we are blind to assume evil does not exist and law enforcement is unnecessary. Quite the contrary! Based on the widespread lawlessness in our country, police officers are more important than ever to keep the peace as violence continues to spread across our communities. Therefore, the Bible calls us to respect the authoritative position police officers possess as stewards of justice because government was ordained and established by God to maintain law and order in our fallen world.

"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. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed" (Romans 13:1–7).

It is important to consider the context surrounding a Scripture passage. In this instance, Paul wrote to a frustrated church of Christ-followers in Rome experiencing extreme persecution under the rule of Emperor Nero. Nero tortured Christians, using them as torches within his garden—dipped in oil and set ablaze as lanterns. Therefore, if anyone had reason to revolt against the governing authority in place, the early church in Rome certainly did. However, Paul instructed them to be obedient and subjective to their governing authorities, knowing full well Nero's regime was corrupt and immoral to execute such atrocities against its citizens. What wisdom then should we glean from this passage? First and foremost, we must believe God is sovereign and trust His supreme control at all times. Second, although we are called to be subject to governing authorities, in a democratic form of government (i.e. United States) we have the protected right under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to respectfully express our opinions, peacefully protest, "and to petition the Government a redress of grievances." However, that does NOT entail breaking the law in the process. Therefore, rioting, looting and implementing violent measures against law enforcement is NOT an exception clause to the First Amendment or Romans 13:1–7. Rather, Paul exhorts us to obey the law set before us and the authorities which govern its precepts, just as Jesus did—willing to suffer the consequences if necessary.

"Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, 'Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?' But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, 'Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.' And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, 'Whose likeness and inscription is this?' They said, 'Caesar’s.' Then he said to them, 'Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.' When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away" (Matthew 22:15–22).

Keep in mind, this teaching of Jesus completely opposes what the BLM organization promotes:

M4BL/BLM: "We demand independent Black political power and Black self-determination in all areas of society. We envision a remaking of the current U.S. political system in order to create a real democracy where Black people and all marginalized people can effectively exercise full political power. This includes: An end to the criminalization of Black political activity including the immediate release of all political prisoners and an end to the repression of political parties." [CLICK HERE]

M4BL/BLM: "We demand that the rights of protestors be respected and protected and that there be no abuse of powers. We Demand: Violations of property should never be equated with the violation of human life; That local and state officials ensure that there are no abuse of powers; No use of lethal force on protestors." [CLICK HERE]

Because of the BLM organization's rhetoric, police officers are now placed in a position where their authority is not merely being questioned, but completely and universally rejected. In other words, the BLM organization believes that regardless of protesting methods used, including violence and destroying personal/public property, police should have NO AUTHORITY to arrest, detain or incarcerate any protester for damages inflicted. Moreover, anyone previously detained or incarcerated for "Black political activity" must be immediately pardoned and released, regardless of the crime committed. However, without law enforcement, what accountability exists to prevent total anarchy? Thankfully, Scripture provides a valuable lesson from the life of Ezra (commissioned by King Artaxerxes) concerning the role of judicial government in society to maintain law and order. "Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment" (Ezra 7:26).

The sad truth is that "Defund The Police" is quickly morphing from a rebellious, protest anthem to APPROVED LEGISLATION across many U.S. cities, most recently (8/10/20) in Seattle, WA where city council members approved defunding their respective police department by $85 million [CLICK HERE]. Consequently, Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best, the city’s first black police chief and 28-year SPD veteran, announced her resignation the next day citing overarching lack of respect and support from the city council who targeted her command staff's employment and compensation [CLICK HERE]. Moreover, according to an article posted (8/6/20) in Forbes [CLICK HERE], some of the largest cities across the U.S. have also approved budget cuts to "Defund The Police."

"The country’s two largest cities, New York and Los Angeles, approved budget cuts weeks after protests began—New York slashed $1 billion from its 2021 budget totaling $88.9 billion (reallocating $354 million to mental health, homelessness and education services) while Los Angeles approved a $150 million budget cut from its $1.86 billion proposed budget. Also in California, San Francisco approved a $120 million cut to the police and sheriff’s department, promising investments in Black residents, and Oakland passed its own $14.6 million budget reduction. A $15 million police budget cut also hit the nation’s capital, Washington D.C., in July. Baltimore; Portland, Oregon; Philadelphia; Hartford, Conn.; Norman, Oklahoma; and Salt Lake City also all approved the collective elimination of hundreds of police jobs and tens of millions of dollars from their department budgets. Several other cities, including Austin, Texas, are mulling the reallocation of funds within their own departments."

If we dig deeper into the reasoning and rhetoric behind the "Defund The Police" movement, we discover rationale the BLM organization uses to propagate their message and pressure community leaders to irrationally yield to their demands. In a video posted (7/6/20) on the BLM Global Network, Black Lives Matter Managing Director, Kailee Scales, explains What Defunding the Police Really Means.

BLM: "We know that police don’t keep us safe — and as long as we continue to pump money into our corrupt criminal justice system at the expense of housing, health, and education investments — we will never be truly safe. That’s why we are calling to #DefundPolice and #InvestInCommunities — and in our new video, Black Lives Matter Managing Director Kailee Scales helps break down just how it works."

Many questions come to mind seeing a caption like this which, unfortunately, renders this information highly questionable, undoubtedly misleading, and immeasurably dangerous:

• Why are no sources listed to verify the their provided statistics?
• What are the demographics of the 1,000+ deaths? 100% black?
• How is "brutalized and abused" defined? Why are no statistics provided?  
• What circumstances caused police officers to use lethal force? 
• In how many cases were officers fired upon or attacked? 
• What % of killings resulted in self-defense by officers?
• How are children defined? What ages? 
• Are juvenile teenagers (13-18) considered children? 
• How are police "out of control" if the U.S. population has increased +3.8% from 2013 to 2019, and killings by police per year have decreased (-0.8%), 2013 vs. 2019?

Not to minimize the BLM organization's strategic purpose to intentionally over-inflate the statistics and over-exaggerate the narrative, but why is there so much widespread concern over 1,000+ killings per year by police when HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PRE-BORN BABIES ARE LEGALLY MURDERED EACH YEAR in the United States under the women's "reproductive rights" umbrella of legalized abortion which BLM 100% supports? Perhaps we should consider one notable, statistical comparison for further context on how ridiculous their argument truly is regarding "out of control" killings by police. According to the Guttmacher Institute, "In 2017, an estimated 862,320 abortions were provided in clinical settings in the United States." So while the BLM organization 100% endorses abortion rights to the tune of 862,320 innocent, pre-born babies MURDERED in clinical settings, BLM is solely focused and consumed by 1,000+ killings by police, the overwhelming majority of which are likely justified as necessary in the line of duty.

862,320 vs. 1,000+! 

If anything, our liberal media has proven a mob/herd mentality propagated by radical organizations such as Black Lives Matter can easily manipulate the hearts and minds of millions to endorse and apply legislation to immediately "Defund The Police" — all while allowing abortion to flourish legally the past 47 years. Are we truly so easily deceived and blind to the magnitude of the facts? Since "Roe vs. Wade" took effect in 1973, an estimated 61,826,584 pre-born babies have been ABORTED/MURDERED in the United States [CLICK HERE], yet the only message our liberal media and the BLM organization can champion right now is "Defund The Police." 

61,826,584!

Should it surprise us? Unfortunately not, for Scripture warns:

"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people" (2 Timothy 3:1–5).

Therefore, let us yield our hearts to the wisdom of God's Word so our minds can recognize foolishness when we hear and see it, like "Defund The Police." Bottom-line, law enforcement is NOT our enemy. However, the longer we sit idle and allow radical organizations like Black Lives Matter control the narrative and sway popular opinion, our country will undoubtedly become a more dangerous place to live if we do not affirm and support the brave men and women who risk their lives to protect our freedoms and maintain peace, law and order in our communities. Make no mistake, our law enforcement officers fight to protect BLACK LIVES in our communities each day, but their efforts will never be enough because the BLM organization is hell-bent on portraying themselves as victims and police officers as villains. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (Matthew 5:9), but also, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:10). Therefore, if our police officers are being persecuted for crimes they have not committed, how can we allow our local governments to marginalize their importance by terminating their employment, reducing their pay, and/or stripping them of the resources they need to do their jobs? If we are so eager to eradicate "systemic racism" in our country based on the color of someone's skin, why are we so quick to discriminate against those who put on the BLUE uniform each day? Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13). Therefore, let us no longer take for granted the freedoms our law enforcement officers are defending and protecting, but instead, express our sincere gratitude and appreciation for their daily sacrifices by boldly standing in the line of fire, literally and figuratively, ON THEIR BEHALF! 

"Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor" (1 Peter 2:13–17).

In closing, please take 7 minutes and watch this passionate video from retired police officer, Brandon Tatum, who describes what is ultimately at stake in this "Defund The Police" debate, and why we should NEVER "Defund The Police," but rather "DEFEND The Police!"

[CLICK HERE if video does not load.]