Michael Brown

"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same (Romans 13:1-4)."

By now everyone is aware of the decision not to indict officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown. It is almost cliche' by now for those disappointed by such a decision to react with violence and destruction which, all too often, is aimed at innocent victims. Like with many things in life, the facts are often ignored because there are those who would rather hold onto their beliefs rather than subjecting themselves to the facts to see if their beliefs hold up. Unfortunately, the moment Michael Brown was shot Officer Wilson was guilty of murdering an innocent, African-American teenager, in the minds of many. But, what are the facts of the case? According to one report, here are some facts that have not received much, if any, attention:

1. Surveillance video showed that shortly before the confrontation, 18-year-old Brown stole cigarillos from a convenience store and shoved a clerk who tried to stop him.

2. The autopsy report showed that Brown had marijuana in his system when he died.

3. Officer Wilson, driving to the call of a medical emergency, first encountered Brown walking in the middle of a street and told Brown and his friend to walk on the sidewalk. Brown responded with an expletive.

4. Wilson chose to confront Brown only after he saw the cigarillos in his hand and recalled the radio report of a robbery at the convenience store.

5. Wilson said when he tried to open his car door, Brown slammed it back shut, then punched Wilson in the face.

6. Fearing another punch could knock him out, Wilson drew his gun, he told the grand jury, and Brown grabbed the gun, saying "you are too much of a pussy to shoot me."

7. An African-American witness confirmed that Brown and Wilson appeared to be "arm-wrestling" by the car.

8. Another witness saw Brown leaning through the car's window and said "some sort of confrontation was taking place."

9. After Wilson fired a shot that struck Brown's hand, Brown fled and Wilson gave chase. Brown suddenly stopped. An unidentified witness told the grand jury that 6-foot-4, 292-pound Brown charged at Wilson with his head down. Wilson said Brown put his hand under the waistband of his pants as he continued toward Wilson. That's when Wilson fired.

10. A witness testified that Brown never raised his hands.

11. Gunpowder found on the wound on Brown's hand indicated his hand was close to the gun when it fired. According to a report, the hand wound showed foreign matter "consistent with products that are discharged from the barrel of a firearm."

12. Judy Melinek, a forensic pathologist who reviewed the autopsy for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, said the gunpowder "supports the fact that this guy is reaching for the gun, if he has particulate matter in the wound."

13. Wilson said Brown was physically uncontrollable and "for lack of a better word, crazy." He said that during the confrontation, he was thinking: "He's gonna kill me. How do I survive?" Legal experts say police officers typically have wide latitude to use deadly force when they feel their safety is threatened.

Assuming these facts are true, and I believe that they are, the only reaction is that Michael Brown was not murdered in cold blood, he was killed in self-defense. In other words, Officer Wilson was within his right to shoot Michael Brown. There are no winners here, but thankfully, we didn't have to witness two tragedies stemming from this horrible incident. First and foremost it is sad to see a teenager struck down in his youth. But, secondly, at least the authorities didn't cave to public pressure to indict a man who was only defending himself while executing his duties as an officer of the law and public servant.

The Bible tells us that the authorities that exist have been put there by Him. Furthermore, when we run afoul of the authorities we risk experiencing the wrath of the authorities; up to and including the loss of our lives. The problems surrounding the death of Michael Brown are deeper than any rift between the African-American community and law enforcement. This tragedy can be traced back to a community and a country that has increasingly abandoned the authority of God. The family structure, particularly within the African-American community has been destroyed and it isn't because of "murderous" cops or "racial divides." It comes back to our lack of having the Lord in our in our lives, in our homes, in our communities and, ultimately, in our country and world. If we do not believe in the One true God of the Bible and do not put faith in Jesus Christ, we have no ultimate authority to be accountable to. Therefore, how can we expect to see anybody have respect for the authority that God has allowed in this world to govern over society? Yes, there is racism. Yes, there are bad police officers. Yes, there is injustice in the world. And, yes, innocent people do suffer. But, while we focus on what is here, we have forgotten to focus on what no longer is here; faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to govern our hearts. 

Jesus Christ said, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God (Matthew 19;17)." if only God is good, and people don't even believe in Him and His authority, how do we ever expect people to do "what is good"? My prayer is that we get past the lies, rhetoric and emotion of this case, and those like it, and turn to the truth of God, His Word and faith in Jesus Christ.