|
|
By Scott Tibbs, December 20, 2017
I simply cannot understand how someone can be a Christian and not believe there are bad police officers. Not simply bad at their jobs, but that some people wearing the badge are corrupt, or overbearing bullies, or deeply morally flawed in some other way. The Bible makes it clear that all mankind is totally corrupted by sin and that we are incapable of reconciling ourselves to a holy God. And more than that, how can we look at our own sin-corrupted hearts and not realize that wearing a badge does not make someone invulnerable to being truly wicked?
But for many on the right, law enforcement is put on a pedestal where they do not deserve to be. There are a lot of reasons for conservative admiration of police, with political and cultural factors that stretch back decades. This is reasonable: As a conservative, I believe that we should support our law enforcement personnel. As a Christian, I know we are ordered by God to honor those in authority over us. But that support should never be blind, because of how sin corrupts everything and everyone. Unflinching, unquestioning support of law enforcement basically amounts to calling God a liar.
The brutal murder of Daniel Shaver, caught on video, shows just how corrupt some law enforcement officers can be. A helpless, drunk man was berated and bullied by a bully on a power trip, who panicked and riddled Shaver with bullets when Shaver was simply trying to keep his pants from falling off. At no point was there any effort to have another officer physically restrain and arrest Shaver while the thug with a badge held him at gunpoint, or to even tell him to lie still in a prone position so he could safely be apprehended.
Look up the video for yourself. It is horrific, terrifying, and infuriating. The entire police department needs to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch with an emphasis on the highest ethical standards and respect for citizens rights and respect for the lives of those the police department is supposed to protect and serve. This simply must not be allowed to stand.
|
