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The Progressive Pentagon

There are five tactics you can be listening for when you’re being told by someone that they have a point, when in fact they’ve got something to hide.

I call it the “Perspective Pentagon” because, taken together, they serve as the way in which the Left both defends it’s stance and attacks it’s opponents.

It’s bogus, but it’s brilliant.

1) They spend more time attacking their opponent’s character than they do discussing their opponent’s content .

By making your opponent look immoral, their platform is interpreted as being immoral as well, regardless of how sound it may be (Matt 11:19; 2 Cor 10:10).

When you hear this tactic being used, chances are the person who’s speaking has something to hide.

2) They spend more time pretending to be hurt than they do proving that they’re right.

You can’t criticize someone who’s in pain let alone the person who’s trying to help without immediately being categorized as cruel and insensitive.

Because of the way this tactic has the ability to shut down any transparent dialogue, chances are the person who uses this technique can’t afford to be cornered by a direct question and they have something to hide (Prov 22:13)

3) They spend more time trying to appear honest than they do telling the truth.

You can be ethical without telling the whole truth. When you’re hearing this tactic being used, it’s then that credible evidence is usually being dismissed for no good reason because of the way it threatens to expose the truth.

Again, this person has something to hide (Matt 4:1-11).

4) They spend more time talking about labels, mobs and crowds than they do a name, a person and a choice.

You can conceal a person’s lack of judgment by ignoring their individuality and seeing them instead as part of a supposedly virtuous group. You can do the same thing, only in reverse, by refusing to see a person’s virtue and instead see them as part of a sinister collective.

Both approaches are part of a heinous tactic that seeks to assign whole demographics a specific morality, regardless of the individuals who do or do not qualify…

…and it’s often used by that person who has something to hide (2 Thess 3:10).

5) They spend more time defending bad decisions and demonizing personal responsibility than they do applauding wise choices and holding people accountable for their actions.

Of all the tactics represented by the “Progressive Pentagon,” this is the most obvious in that the person speaking is calling “good” bad and vice versa.

It’s accomplished by insisting that, as part of a flawed system, there are no “bad decisions” because of the way your environment obligates you to fail. Hence, you are not responsible for your actions and it’s not you that has to change, rather, it’s the ideals that the current system is based on that need to be altered if not destroyed.

It’s as nonsensical as it is sinister, yet it is a hallmark of those who have something to hide (Is 5:20).

You can remember those five tactics by using this mnemonic:

Mobs of Characters Hurt Honest Decisions

 

Anytime you hear any of these tactics being deployed, you’re listening to someone who has something to hide. And generally, what they’re trying to conceal is either;

  • the fact that their argument can’t bear up under the weight of a direct question, or…
  • there’s a darker purpose being accomplished that has nothing to do with the subject matter but is nevertheless advanced by the topic being discussed

 

You defeat the “Pentagon” by first being aware of it, then you you remind your audience that it’s not about the way they, “feel,” rather, it’s about what’s true. You insist on an evaluation of all the facts and as opposed to a manipulation of just some of the facts and you demand specific examples as opposed to a manufactured majority.

Finally, you demonstrate how what’s being debated is a natural compliment to the sinister agenda that’s hoping to go unnoticed. You avoid anything that can be potentially dismissed as an outrageous conspiracy, but you don’t allow the obvious to be dismissed as a meaningless coincidence.

In short…

You stand.

You speak.

…and you silence the evil disguised as compassion and the lie that poses as the truth.

Reconciliation

wokeRacism is an important topic to discuss in that to be a Racist qualifies you as one of the more detestable human beings on the planet. Wherever it shows up, regardless of to what extent, it needs to be identified and addressed as the godless and evil disposition that it is.

A Manufactured Majority and the Promotion of Socialism 

These days, however, Racism isn’t always a “topic” as much as it is a “tactic” and you can tell which approach is being taken simply by observing the extent to which the person speaking uses labels, mobs and crowds to make their point.

By using a faceless collective or the actions of a solitary figure to represent an entire people group (White Privilege, White Fragility, White Evangelicals, Black Crime Rate, Police Brutality), you can avoid having to elaborate on the personal history or individual character of those persons that make up your manufactured majority.

With this approach in place, you can characterize an entire race as cruel, a particular profession as sinister or make a criminal appear heroic.

But you can’t assume the conduct of one individual defines the morality of an entire group any more than you can use the behavior of a group to define the morality of an entire race. To do so makes you a Racist and it’s here where those who use Racism as a tactic become the very thing they claim to despise.

In that instance, it’s not Racism being contested as much as it’s Socialism being promoted.

Socialism doesn’t acknowledge the existence of fools. In the mind of the Socialist, there are only two categories of individuals:

  • The System which consists of the rich and the corrupt
  • The People who are poor and abused

Psychological Extortion

This is why everything you hear from the Democrat camp is framed around the “victim.” In addition to it being consistent with the paradigm they’re wanting to establish, you can’t criticize someone who’s in pain or the person who’s trying to help without appearing insensitive and cruel.

This is how you…

  • shut down anyone who challenges your platform
  • prevent anyone from seeing your true purpose
  • justify demonizing anything or anyone associated with your opponent

Still, you can’t claim to be a casualty of a flawed system if the majority of your wounds are self inflicted. Your cry for equality is nothing more than a demand for immunity if your personal record is littered with bad decisions and your appeal for “justice” is revealed as a veiled attempt to vaccinate yourself from the consequences of your actions.

When any kind of psychological extortion is being deployed – when certain assumptions are being forced into the conversation by claiming to be hurt and ignored – you’re not championing a platform as much as you’re concealing a poison. As least, that’s how you’ll be perceived by anyone who values the Truth over a soundbite.

From a Biblical Perspective

From a Biblical perspective, Racism doesn’t exist in the mind of God or anyone who understands the substance of Grace.

26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal 3:26-29)

You are responsible for your actions. Not your parents…

30 “Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. 31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? 32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live! (Ez 18:30-32 [see also Jer 31:29-30])

43 “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. (Lk 6:43-45 [click here to read about the “generational curse”])

…nor your environment:

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. (Jas 1:13-14)

No Posing

Posing as a victim in order to avoid taking responsibility for your actions is futile, selfish and wicked…

No matter how you want to make your situation appear in the eyes of others, God sees your heart and nothing gets past Him:

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Sam 16:7)

If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done? (Prov 24:12)

“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” (Jer 17:10)

and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Rom 8:27)

Blaming others is cowardly and demonstrates an unhealthy preoccupation with one’s self. As has already been referenced in the context of Ezekiel 18:30-32 and James 1:13-14, God evaluates your morality according to your heart and your actions and not the behavior of others.

In addition, you can see throughout Scripture examples of individuals attempting to pose as a victim of someone else’s influence in order to avoid being held accountable for their actions. In each scenario, not only did it prove to be a pointless effort, it revealed the true nature of the heart behind the sin.

Here’s a few examples:

When God confronted Adam and Eve about eating the forbidden fruit, Adam started off by blaming Eve: “The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” (Gen 3:12). Eve responded by blaming the serpent: “Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Gen 3:13)In both instances, you’ve got an individual who’s trying to pose as a victim of outside forces rather than admitting the fact that they’re nothing more than a victim of their own poor decision making. As a result, not only did their attempts to avoid discipline fail, they showed just how weak their resolve was to obey God in the first place. In 1 Samuel 15, King Saul was instructed to destroy the Amalekites and their livestock. Instead, he spared the king and the best of the sheep and the cattle. When he was confronted by Samuel, he started by lying and saying that he had done as he was told and when pressed, he said, “The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”Whatever doubts may have been lingering about Saul’s true character, they were laid to rest when Saul attempted to conceal his own wrongdoing by implying that he was being blamed for the actions of other people. You could say that he was insisting he was a victim of a an unjust system…Samuel responded by informing that Saul would no longer be king… In Luke 19, Jesus tells a story of three men who were entrusted with different amounts of money that they were expected to invest and multiply. Two of them came back having done just that, but the third man had done absolutely nothing and attempted to blame his boss by saying that, “I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.“The fact of the matter was the servant was both lazy and wicked. He was lazy in that he failed to do what would’ve been a simple and easy thing by simply depositing the money and letting it gain interest. He was wicked in that rather than admitting his guilt, he not only attempted to make excuses, but he went as far as blaming his master – the one who gave him the money to begin with – for the shame that he now had to contend with.

In the Absence of Truth

In John 7:24, Jesus says to stop judging according to mere appearances, but instead judge correctly. In other words, be certain that you’re basing your convictions on what’s true – an evaluation of all of the facts – and now just on what’s accurate, which oftentimes is nothing more than a manipulation of just some of the facts.

In the absence of Truth, Love is Neglect, Compassion is a Subsidy and Justice is Favoritism.

Moreover, Reconciliation, in this instance, assumes that someone has been wronged and the oppressed is now magnanimously reaching out to the oppressor and offering forgiveness.

But if there is no “oppression” – only a campaign to either blame someone else for the mistakes you have made or a resolve to evaluate an entire demographic based on the character of a select few – than Reconciliation is nothing more than the Psychological Extortion that was referenced earlier, but on an even grander scale.

Now, you’re not just blaming another individual or even a select group of people. You’re blaming another race and labeling every Caucasian as being a problem, not because of who they are as an individual, but because of the pigmentation of their skin.

There’s a word that describes that mentality…

Racism.

Bottom Line

You and I are perpetually poised on the threshold of great things because the One Who made us has equipped us for a life characterized by purpose and fulfillment (Josh 1:8; Jer 29:11; Eph 2:10).

It’s True! It’s not “positive thinking.” It’s “profound thinking” and it’s right out of the Bible.

But we can’t blame something or someone else for wherever we failed to do something right (Gen 3:12-13). Nor can we expect our best performance to always be embraced and applauded if we would reach that place where we’re able to experience the life that God offers to those who trust and obey (Jn 16:33).

Those that we admire not only owned their mistakes and learned from them, they also persevered when they encountered disappointment and didn’t rush to demonize those who enforced a certain standard without first ensuring they were able to meet that standard themselves before voicing any concerns or criticisms (Matt 7:1; Lk 19:20-26).

The bottom line is that these days, in order to label something as “racist” you have to be a Racist yourself. The question isn’t, “Is he a black man?” or “Is he a white man?” The question should be, “Is he a good man?” That’s the mindset advocated by Dr. Martin Luther King and, more importantly, that’s the only criteria used by God when He evaluates the conduct and the character of an individual that He has made (1 Cor 3:12-15).

As long as your platform consists entirely of labels, mobs and crowds as a opposed to a name, a person and a choice, you’re employing the very same sinister mindset you would condemn in others and you are the very thing you claim to despise.

This is why Reconciliation, Woke, BLM, Reparations etc. fails to secure the collective endorsement of the public in general because of the way each of these campaigns reek of the very thing they supposedly detest.

Whatever racial tension or injustice exists, you’re not going to defeat it using the same mindset it is founded upon. In other words, you don’t destroy racial prejudice with more Racism and until those that are truly concerned about the welfare of those they represent focus on the individual character of the people being considered and not their skin color, they’re not helping anyone, they’re just making a bad situation worse.

There Have to be Divisions

division1 Corinthians 1:10 says:

Now I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction. (1 Cor 1:10)

I’m hearing a lot of biblically based admonishments to be pursuing unity and to be sensitive to how Satan uses volatile subjects such as Politics and Race to divide God’s people.

They’re right.

You can get into some pretty passionate conversations when it comes to Black Lives Matter and the lines that distinguish the difference between Democrats and Republicans and if you go by 1 Corinthians 1:10, it’s hard not to agree with the idea that you either…

  • keep your opinions to yourself
  • keep current events at an arms distance and not “watch the news”
  • be like Jesus and “love everyone” and not let our respective differences inspire any tension

But does 1 Corinthians 1:10 represent the whole of what the New Testament has to say about “divisions?” Are cultural trends and current events supposed to be categorized under the heading of  “loving one another”and all differences swept under the carpet in order to “get along?”

Is that the Message of Scripture?

Look at this:

No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. (1 Cor 11:19)

Any attempt to foster good will and collaboration in the absence of wisdom is ultimately a poison. “Unity” becomes corrupt, “Diversity” becomes toxic and “Peace” becomes sinister. Reason being is that sin doesn’t sit still – it doesn’t merely “co-exist (Matt 16:8-12; 1 Jn 1:6).” It either grows or it dies. So, when you make philosophical concessions and allow evil elements to exist by labeling their presence as an innocent variety, you’re being disobedient and destroying the good that might otherwise occur (1 Cor 5:13).

When there are flawed convictions being either promoted or subscribed to, we are commanded to speak up in a way that facilitates learning and a positive result. That’s what Scripture is referring to in Ephesians 5:11, Galatians 6:1 and James 5:20. It’s not your “opinion” being expressed if you’re accurately quoting God’s Word and however it applies to the issue in question. Failing to speak up or push back in the name of “unity” is like watching a person drive down the wrong side of the road and not saying anything and justifying it by saying, “They’re in a hurry.” They’re hurting themselves and putting others at risk at the same time – something that’s true of sin in general. If you choose to not say anything, that’s not love…

That’s neglect.

There are well meaning people as well as some genuine fiends who proclaim their perspective on things in a way that translates to a bad influence and a lethal result (Prov 14:12). To not respond in order to avoid “division” not only makes a bad situation worse, but it also makes true Unity impossible.

There have to be divisions.

When Christ prayed for unity in John 17, His prayer was for a unified commitment to the Truth as opposed to a group of fractured believers committed to personal preferences.

When you encounter those who champion a mindset that deviates from the Truth, you want to speak up in order to promote unity. By remaining silent you destroy it.

There have to be divisions in order to clearly see who’s got the better handle on God’s Perspective. It’s not a competition, it’s the manifestation of God’s command to be capable of “correctly handling the Word of Truth (2 Tim 3:16-17).” If that is both our starting point and our fuel, then Unity is a natural byproduct. Otherwise, not only is it a house built on sand, it’s a house divided. Either way it will collapse. The only way to avoid it is to identify where the discrepancies are and process divisions as warning signs and respond accordingly.

There have to be divisions.

You Are What You Eat

friesYou are what you eat.

If you’re trying to trim down and build a leaner and more muscular physique, you have to be mindful of what you’re putting into your body.

Imagine you’re at a fast food restaurant and you’re getting ready to order what you believe to be a more healthy alternative to the “gut-bomb” that you would’ve otherwise gravitated to. But before you place your order, you do a quick inspection of the calories represented by the “healthier” option you’re getting ready to eat by looking it up online. To your surprise and dismay, you find out that a “small” order of fries is 320 calories all by itself. In other words, with this one meal you’re getting ready to purchase, you’re downing almost half of the calories you’ve allotted for yourself that day.

“Validation” requires more than just a quality “presentation.” You have to pop the hood on what you’re getting ready to consume, especially if it could lead to a bad habit that you’re not even aware of.

The same thing applies to the way you process yourself and the world around you.

Paul says, in 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22:

Test everything. Hold on to what is good. Avoid every kind of evil. (1 Thess 5:21-22)

Convictions can be easily influenced with bad personal experiences and incomplete information. Just like holding that small order of fries up to the light of a reputable calorie counter, you want to hold up whatever it is that you’re considering to the Light of Truth and and remember that the bottom line is not defined by the way in which some of the facts are being manipulated, rather it’s how ALL the facts are being evaluated.

Test everything because…

…”you are what you eat.”

A Name, A Person and a Choice

nametagThe vocabulary of today’s Liberal is framed in the context of Labels, Mobs and Crowds.

Referring to individuals in the context of their nationality or their religious creed is not inappropriate, but it can become a problem when personal responsibility is intentionally put aside in favor of the assumed “goodness” of the group you’re placed in. At that point, depending on how your opinions line up with the Liberal mantra, either your mistakes are excused as involuntary reactions to a flawed system and you are a victim or, should you embrace the notion that a person is to be held accountable for their actions regardless of their environment, you are cast as a villain and a merchant of fear and hate.

It’s a brilliant strategy in that the individual is never really considered. Rather, it’s the label that has been fixed on to your person and it’s that label that can now be moved around and positioned as a legitimate reason to destroy any institution or ideal that differs from the Progressive mindset.

Take Racism, for example.

Your ethnicity is your argument. Your label is your cause. Whatever it is that constitutes an unmet expectation in your life is blamed on a broken system and an unjust legal paradigm. Your diploma, your SAT scores, your work ethic, your morality – none of that is considered apart from the way it can reinforce the legitimacy of your crowd and the desperation represented by your label.

From a Biblical standpoint, you’ve got all kinds of Truth to reinforce the idea of personal responsibility. 2 Thess 3:10 quotes Paul as saying that if you don’t work, you don’t eat. It’s not whether your family or your community works, it’s whether or not you’re working. The most substantial Truth, however, would be the fact that come Judgment Day, it is your actions being weighed and not someone else’s (see 1 Cor 3:13 [2 Cor 5:10; Heb 9:27]).

And it works the other way too.

There are those who lack for nothing, yet are critical of wealth because they’ve never had a job and all they needed to in order to get what they wanted was to simply manipulate the authority figures who provided for them. Hence, all wealthy people are processed, not as creative hard-workers who’ve succeeded according to their industry and ambition, but as a like minded mob who extorted profit from the employee or the customer that was willing to be deceived.

In order to see the world for what it truly is, you have to get beyond Labels, Mobs and Crowds and instead see it in the context of a Name, a Person and a Choice.

Again, Collectives are not necessarily sinister. We are Americans, we can embrace our membership in different organizations such as the military or sports teams that drive you to become more than what you might otherwise be. But however you might be categorized in the context of a nationality, an ethnicity or a particular talent – that group identity can never suffice as a replacement for personal responsibility.

If you claim to be a victim based on your “crowd,” or you would demonize an individual because of the “label” you’re determined to fasten on to them as a comprehensive caption, there is no point to be made unless you can validate your platform in the context of a Name, a Person and a Choice. In other words, your innocence or someone else’s guilt is not defined according to the uniform they wear or the color of your skin. Rather, it is the character and the actions of the individual that is considered first and foremost. Only after their behavior and / or your choices can be validated as something that is beyond reproach are you justified in indicting the system that would otherwise be the focus.

Anytime you hear someone accuse another of a hate crime, or you hear an individual demonize an entire segment of society, challenge them with a Name, a Person and a Choice. And remind them that there’s a word that describes what they’re doing when they assume someone to be either guilty or virtuous based on the Label, Mob or Crowd that they use to justify their perspective…

Racism.

An Imaginary Sermon Preached by a Famous Civil Rights Leader

❶ There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal 3:28)

❷ When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. (Prov 29:2)

❸ Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. (Prov 16:32)

❹ You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. (Rom 2:1)

❺ I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’ Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. (Is 43:6-7 [emphasis added])

On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. (Jn 14:20)

❻  In the same way, let your light shine before men so that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matt 5:16)

In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us. (Titus 2:7-8)

❼  He repays everyone for what they have done; he brings on them what their conduct deserves. (Job 34:11)

When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord. (Prov 19:3)

Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else.
5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct. (Gal 6:4-5 [NLT])

❽ Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? (Prov 6:27-28)

❾ For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. (Rom 13:4)

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness but rather expose them. (Eph 5:11)

❿ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. (col 1:16)

➀ Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (Jas 1:22)

➁  Do not hastily bring into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame? (Prov 25:8)

Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. (Ecc 5:2)

➂  “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Cor 2:16)

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, (Jas 1:19)

➃  a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, (Ecc 3:3)

➄ Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people. (Prov 28:15)

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Even so, many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep. (2 Pet 2:1-3)

➅ For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. (Ps 51:3-4)

➆ You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. (Ex 20:7)

➇ For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. (1 pet 2:15)

⑨ “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Matt 7:1-2)

Brothers and sisters in Christ, greetings!

I come before you today in the Name of Christ Who, with His death and Resurrection, destroyed every social construct that would otherwise be used by sinful men to restrict the rights and opportunities that God gives to every man ❶.

We are here today to consider the tragic death of George Floyd and to determine if his death is the result of a wicked mindset manifested in the actions of ones entrusted with the role of keeping the peace. ❷

We, as a culture, have been conditioned to project any one of a number of assumptions on to scenarios such as these and believe that it is all part of the insidious sin of Racism our ancestors had to endure for centuries. But I come to you in the Name of Christ today to remind you that we become the very thing we claim to despise if we first do not mediate on the Truth of Scripture which is what gives Divine Credence to our cause. ❸

Here me.

You Who Pass Judgment Do the Same Things

If we do not call out these officers by name and instead condemn the entire law enforcement community –   if we do not address those individuals within the system who are corrupt and instead  indict the entire system…

Are we not doing the very thing that we accuse others of doing to us? ❹

Set Them an Example

Moreover, when we take the stand in the court of public opinion, how does our testimony resonate in the minds of the jury? It says in Proverbs 3:1-4:

My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, 2 for they will prolong your life many years and bring you peace and prosperity 3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. (Prov 3:1-4)

Later in chapter 22, it says;

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. (Prov 22:1)

As believers, you bear the Name of Christ. As a son and as a daughter you bear the name of your forefathers and of your immediate family. It is because of this Truth, that your reputation is so important because your actions reflect, not only on yourself, but also on those whose name you bear. ❺

What is our reputation?

41% of our young people drop out of High School, 70% of our infants are born out of wedlock. Combine that with the fact that while we account for only 13% of our nation’s total citizenry,  the population of our country’s prisons are 34% African American.

When a police officer kisses his wife good bye in the morning, there is an unspoken reality that he is seeing his bride for the last time given the risks he takes to serve and protect. Does our reputation put him at ease or does it put him on his guard?

Is our reputation such where the words we speak are immediately embraced as the legitimate concerns that they are or does our notoriety drown out the voice of our hurting and the sound of our appeal? ❻

Jesus said you will know a tree by its fruit. What sort of produce do our collective vineyards yield? Is it characterized by law abiding citizens or arrest records?  Do we have more abortion clinics than nurseries? Does it boast a rich collection of graduates or a large number of empty classrooms?

Are we collectively setting an example that compliments our cause or does it distract from it?

We Each Are Responsible

We accuse our own within the law enforcement community of being corrupt, we assault the character of anyone who dares to suggest that our bad reputation is deserved, we complain that the system is rigged, that our image is distorted and even now, we prepare to protest the newest appearance of Police Brutality because we believe that it was not only Racism that caused the death of George Floyd but it’s Racism that’s to blame for all the adversity we contend with. ❼

But to what extent do our collective actions place us in the position we’re in? Are we victims of a biased infrastructure or are we merely victims of our own immoral decision making? ❽

We complain that the police project on to every one of us the trouble and the harm they have suffered at the hands of our brethren. But should not a portion of our indignation be directed to those of us who are lawless instead of hating the one who enforces the law? ❾

We burn the flag that elects a black man as president, we spurn the anthem that destroyed slavery, we denounce the system that gives us free education and all the while it is our fathers who are leaving, it is our grades that are lacking and it is our own that we are killing.

If our platform is to have any credibility –  if our indignation is to resonate as righteous –  than we cannot be hypocritical in our accusations, we must set an example in our conduct and we must take responsibility for our actions.

Regardless of Race

And it is here where I would pause and remind you that at this point I do not speak only to those who are gathered in this sanctuary, but to all men regardless of race.

We stifle the resolution we seek by referring to men as either black or white. And ladies, I beseech you to hear me include you when I say, “men” in that I’m referring to all humanity.

We are not “white,” we are not “black” we are all God’s offspring ❿  and we are all therefore obligated to not only hold the Bible we own with our hands, but to obey the God it proclaims with our whole heart. ➀

More Than An Authority

As an officer of the law, you are tasked with keeping the peace and assuming all suspects are innocent until proven guilty. Even those whose records are tarnished with past mistakes, the Bible rebukes those who make false assumptions. ➁ Your badge must be more than an authority, it must also be an example. And however you are maligned and even threatened, your response must go beyond being merely “smart,” you have to be “wise.” ➂

And I am not suggesting that by being “wise,” you are therefore restricted from using deadly force. It’s not that you are restricted as much as you are resolved to kill only when it’s appropriate to do so.

And yes, there are times when it’s appropriate to kill. ➃ But there is also a time to heal and you must be able to make that distinction.

Should it be determined that you are using your position to lord it over those who are obligated to obey, you are identified in Scripture as a wicked oppressor and a false teacher and there is a special kind of destruction awaiting you on Judgement Day. ➄

To those who are breaking the law, in whatever capacity, know this: You are not just violating a human regulation, you are breaking a Divine Directive. If you commit murder, if you steal, you not only incur the righteous wrath of of the law, you also sin against God.➅ Just like the Police Officer who has to answer to a Higher Standard than his immediate supervisor, you also have to answer to a Higher Law. And should your behavior be revealed as violent and disrespectful when you are apprehended, you do nothing but add to your guilt both in the sight of your jurors as well as in the sight of your King. ❾

It’s Not Only the Law That You Are Breaking

And to those who murder, steal and destroy and excuse it as a reasonable reaction to “not being heard” or a “miscarriage of justice,” let me remind you that the moment you break the law, you are no longer a protester or an activist, you are a criminal and, again,  it is not only the law that you are breaking, it is your God that you are offending – especially if you do your wanton acts insisting that you represent a godly disposition ➆.

What Are We Doing?

In the sixties, a number of extraordinary people emerged who had labored beneath the weight of racial prejudice and went on to accomplish some amazing things:

  • Rosa Parks was a soft spoken black woman whose refusal to surrender her seat because of her race would inspire the Montgomery Bus Boycott and lead to her being honored with the Medal of Freedom in 1996.
  • James Meredith was a nine year veteran of the United States Air Force who would go on to become the first black American to attend the University of Mississippi despite the riots his enrollment inspired which would be dispersed only with the intervention of Federal Troops.
  • Percy Julian is one of the most influential chemists in American history despite his not being able to attend High School and had to study abroad in order to secure his doctorate because of his color.
  • Barbara Jordan grew up in a poor, black neighborhood in Houston, Texas and, despite the challenges of being an African American in an area where Jim Crow laws was common, she was nevertheless able to make history by being the first black female in congress to come from the deep south.

These are among the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement. They inspired change, in part, by presenting an argument that reeked of moral and professional excellence. By living and performing in a manner that was beyond reproach, they were able to silence the criticisms that would’ve otherwise distracted from the injustices they sought to resolve and the result was dramatic ➇.

Today, we are instructed to embrace an entirely different kind of individual and and honor them in the same way we do the noble persons who carried the baton of the Civil Rights issue decades ago.

  • George Floyd had a criminal record that included five arrests and five years spent in prison for aggravated robbery.
  • Rodney King, at the time of his arrest in 1991, had been sentenced to two years in prison for robbing a convenience store armed with a tire iron.
  • Freddie Gray had been arrested on multiple occasions for drug related crimes.

In each case, you have a person that had a criminal record and was resisting arrest when they were initially apprehended. Now, rather than being able to prosecute our cause in the context of moral courage and professional excellence, we are seen as accusing others of being unprincipled when our champions seemingly have no principles ourselves. ⑨

What are we doing?

If we would answer that question with a response that included successful appeals for justice and productive conversations that yielded positive results, we need to cease all attempts to qualify an event by asking whether or not it involved a black man or a white man and instead ask whether or not it involved a good man – be they the one being arrested or the one that is making the arrest. And if Christ really did die and come back to life, than the definition of a good man is a godly man, can I get an “Amen?”

Let Us Move Forward

Let us move forward, then, by refusing to express our concerns in the context of labels, mobs and crowds. Let us avoid becoming the very thing we claim to despise by  by directing our questions to the individuals involved and not the institutions they represent. Let us labor to be living manifestations of the moral excellence we would demand in others. Let us move beyond race and instead look at one another as fellow soldiers battling our eternal enemy as a unified force, sanctified by the blood of Christ and empowered by His Holy Spirit. And let our cause be a racially diverse venture that battles true bigotry by holding up specific instances of moral excellence responded to with an undeniably sinful bias- and not the flawed campaigns triggered by legitimate arrests and prosecuted with even more criminal activity.

That is how you effectively assert the Truth of your God, that is how you lead by example and that is how you effect true and enduring change.

Let us move forward and let us pray now for both the Strength and the Wisdom to do just that.

Lets’ pray…