POLICING IN FAITH
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"A culture changing, life-saving work of God."
Policing In Faith: A Discussion About the Police, For the Police, and the People They Serve
Policing in Faith is a courageous, thought‑provoking examination of what it truly means for law enforcement officers to serve as enforcers of codified morality—not only the morality embedded in statutes and ordinances, but the moral expectations woven throughout Scripture. With clarity and conviction, this book exposes the often‑overlooked reality that the laws “we the people” must follow, officers must enforce, even when those laws lack universal definitions, consistent standards, or clear legal boundaries.
Through a faith‑rooted lens, this book unpacks the moral, legal, and spiritual tensions at the heart of modern policing, exploring landmark cases such as Tennessee v. Garner and Graham v. Connor, while also confronting the unresolved gaps that shape daily police‑citizen encounters, including:
The absence of a universally agreed‑upon definition of “use of force”
The fact that federal courts have never clearly defined what constitutes a lawful order
The reality that probable cause—one of the most critical standards in criminal law—has no federal statutory definition
The lack of any statute, federal or state, that outlines the specific facts, beliefs, or reasons required for an officer to form probable cause, issue a lawful order, or use bodily or deadly force
Yet Policing in Faith goes beyond legal ambiguity. It pulls back the curtain on the code of silence, highlights biblical examples of enforcement and accountability, and emphasizes the necessity of soul care for officers who carry both the authority of the state and the weight of public expectation.
Part legal exploration, part theological reflection, and part moral challenge, this book invites officers, community members, ministry leaders, and justice‑minded readers into a deeper conversation about authority, accountability, and the sacred responsibility of those who protect and serve. It is an essential resource for anyone seeking to understand policing not only as a profession, but as a calling shaped by law, morality, and faith.
THE WHY BEHIND POLICING IN FAITH
It was Monday, October 13, 2014, when I saw an Instagram post of Dr. Cornell West, former Professor of the Practice of Public Philosophy at Harvard University and Professor Emeritus at Princeton University and Dr. Jamal Bryant, social justice advocate and Senior Pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, being taken into custody for demanding that the Ferguson Police Department be held accountable for the wrongful death of Michael Brown, a young 18-year-old Black man fatally shot by Darren Wilson, a Ferguson police officer who’d been on the force just three years prior to the shooting. When I saw that he, and other men of God, had been arrested, it grieved me to the point that I woke up in the middle of the night to pray and ask God if there were accounts of police brutality in scripture that I could study to get some guidance and biblical clarity on the subject because to most, the state of policing today seems hopeless. But because I am a student of the Word, I knew that if I could find at least two witnesses of biblical precedence to stand on, then we, meaning the people, could not only have hope but could bring a solution to this mounting issue. Much to my surprise, He led me to what has become the book you're about to purchase now entitled, Policing in Faith: A Discussion About The Police For The Police And The People They Serve.
As I began to study the scriptures, I soon discovered that instead of this book being a one-sided us-versus-the-police type of work, it would be an all-inclusive body of work which would house hope, instruction, and biblical precedence of interactions between we the people, while simultaneously provide guidance for law enforcement on how the Bible says officers should conduct themselves. I must admit, it took well over five years for the Lord to convince me to write the book. Not that I’m an overly disobedient child of the Most High, but my disdain for law enforcement was at an all-time high. In fact, I questioned if what I was hearing in my heart was even the Spirit of the Lord. But over the years I’ve grown to know that God has always ‘…chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise…’ (1 Corinthians 1:27) Therefore...
It is God's modus operandi to choose someone who has an extreme aversion for a person, thing, or cause to change his or her way of thinking while simultaneously bringing the truth of His perspective to light. By doing so, that once adversarial person can provide a 360° view on the subject so as to leave no room for debate by advocates and critics alike.
One such person was Paul the Apostle who publicly admitted to punishing, incarcerating and persecuting, Christians. Yet God chose him to write three-fourths of the New Testament, and though he did, he often questioned his own qualifications. The same is true for me. Not only did I not want to author this book, but I am highly unqualified. I have neither a background in law enforcement nor do I hold any type of criminal justice degree. Yet like Paul, God chose me. Not because I’m qualified but because I was available. I know with certainty that there were several long tenured, high-ranking officers, nationwide, chosen for this assignment but turned it down. God chose me simply because I prayed a prayer, told Him yes, and sought the solution in His Word. That said, if you are still questioning my credentials, I encourage you to refer to the scriptures where...
God used a young shepherd to kill a military superpower; a queen to expose an existential threat, and a Man born of a virgin to not only die for all mankind but to go to the regions of hell and defeat God’s archenemy in three days.
So, think it not strange for God to use the least likely to bring about change in the culture of policing.
And that change will only happen the way that it always has - byway of prayer. David prayed. Esther prayed, and Jesus prayed but that’s not all they did, and neither should we. But because we pray, God will give some of us the plans and policies needed while placing others of us in positions of power to ensure that those who abuse their policing authority are held accountable. But first, we must locate instances of proper policing, examples of how communities should be policed along with incidents of police violence…in scripture. Once we, as believers, investigate these instances, then we, the people will then be in a better position to align our faith and prayers so as to become members of law enforcement, do the work needed to ensure that God-ordained decision makers have the wisdom and votes needed to pass legislation to make a change while also receiving the wisdom, strategy, and favor needed to reposition ourselves to become those decision makers.
“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is [being brutalized by police], and one of you says to them, “[I wish someone would do something about it],” but you do not [vote and do the things necessary to make a change], what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”
James 2:14-18 NKJV Author paraphrase for emphasis
If you’re still reading, then it’s possible that you’re either an intercessor which means you’ve been called to pray about the state of policing today or you’re being groomed to become a decision maker or a member of law enforcement. You’ve either been doing the work of an activist or you’re now being prepared to do the spiritual legwork required to navigate, legislate, and govern in your given space, or even better - you’re already a believer currently working in law enforcement. In which case, you should read this book with the intent of learning how to properly police in accordance with the scriptures. On the other hand, you could be an unbelieving skeptic looking to find fault and/or prove me wrong. If that’s you, then I can tell you upfront, that even you’ll walk away referring to something mentioned in this book. Either way, we all have a part to play. So, to you I say get in position and get ready because it’s time for us to do the spiritual investigative work needed in order to effect change.
