It is no secret that the Gospel was spread throughout the known world through the advances in communication and transportation infrastructure pioneered by the Roman Empire. [6] In fact, one might even argue that an empire, with its proliferation of prosperity, abundance, and intercultural trade was an ideal tool with which to spread the Gospel.
The peacekeepers of this empire were Roman soldiers stationed throughout the empire. Without their efforts, there would not have been an empire.
Like Roman soldiers, the peacekeepers of our world are police officers. And like Roman soldiers, many of them are hated.
Nonetheless, Jesus made it unequivocally clear in Matthew 8:5-13 when he healed the servant of a Roman centurion (a commander of soldiers) that God Himself could call these men blessed. As Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith [as this centurion].”
Unfortunately, our modern peacekeepers are unjustifiably vilified. Their faithfulness is overlooked and under-appreciated.
When footage recently surfaced of a half-naked child yelling profanity at police officers, all many of us would do was shrug. After all, this kind of violent rhetoric toward police officers has been normalized in recent years. As The Gateway Pundit described the encounter, “A video showing a young child cussing and taking a swing at police officers made its rounds on the internet Monday, giving a picture of the general disrespect for Police in the Minnesota capitol.” [1]
This attitude is hardly surprising. While many have spent the last few years focusing on alleged police brutality, few have taken into account how this “anti-cop” rhetoric has affected both crime rates and officers themselves.
According to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, between 2019 and 2020 (the year which inaugurated the infamous George Floyd race riots), there was a sharp increase in the number of officer deaths. Although this may be partially attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic, the percentage of deaths in 2021 increased at a higher rate proportionally from 2018, than did the comparison between 1917 and 1919 when the Spanish Flu ripped through the United States (a 320% increase versus 120%, respectively). [2] [3]
Furthermore, the unlawful disorder that resulted from the 2020-2021 race riots resulted in a whopping $1 BILLION dollars plus in damages. [4]
In cities like Minneapolis, which bought into the rhetoric about “defunding the police,” dozens of people are now dead. The spike in homicide victims is laid firmly at the feet of a decrease in police funding.
As Police Chief Medaria Arradondo stated while pleading for increased funding:
“‘I have 74 people who are no longer alive in the city because they’ve been killed. I’ve got almost 500 people who have been shot and wounded in this city. We can go back and forth on the $185 million [annual MPD budget], but that is not stopping the bloodshed that is occurring in our city,’ Chief Arradondo said. ‘We can talk about reimagining policing; I am talking about what is necessary today in this city, and we need extra resources.’” [5]
In light of stories like this, it is clear that our nation must renew its appreciation for the blessings of law and order afforded by the work of police officers. As Romans 13:2 says, “whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”
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