Two more hot button topics that have garnered plenty of attention lately and made some people sizzle—the tearing down of statues and defunding the police. In this post I’d like to shift the conversation—at least for Christians—to something other than supporting or opposing.

On statues, how should Christians biblically look at this issue? If we engage in the discussion, does God’s prohibition of making any graven images (see Exodus 20:3-6) factor in? Should it? Or is any work of art—be it statue, painting, or other representation of reality—only a forbidden graven image if we bow down and worship it? On a related point, should we also have a discussion on hero-worship as it relates to Hollywood stars, athletes, and other famous personages? My main contention here is not about supporting the tear down of statues or maintaining their current status in public venues, it’s simply—does the Bible speak about this issue and should it inform on how we approach the conversation? I personally had never thought of this before until recently when rioters began destroying some of America’s sacred historical figures. What do you think? It certainly made me ask some questions, including—what do I or should I fight for in society? We all must choose our battles carefully, especially considering that Jesus is our King and His Kingdom is the only one worth fighting for.

Defunding the police is another fiercely debated topic, at least for some. Do the incidents of police violence warrant their defunding? My first reaction when I heard about this was, “Is this even a question?” Could America, or any country for that matter, survive if its security forces were removed? I couldn’t believe that anyone seriously thought this was possible in a secular state. Until one of my good friends explained that there are some more reasonable voices out there (in stark contrast to the ACAB group proclaiming “All Cops Are Bad/____”) calling not for a complete defunding of the police but rather a partial reallocation of funds to programs that would hopefully mitigate the crime rate in society. Instead of beefing up the police department with more powerful guns and other equipment (that has potential to increase rather than decrease violence), why not invest a portion of those funds into initiatives that would ultimately dial back violence and improve relationships between authorities and civilians? It was a new thought for me that I’m still processing. And as a believer in non-violence it certainly gave me pause. I’ve also talked to a friend of mine here in Chicago who serves on the police force for his input. As with most complex problems, I’ve learned that there’s a lot of nuance and no simple solutions. And flaming rhetoric on both sides of the issue on social media or on the streets are not exactly yielding the fruits of righteousness either.

[In case you haven’t caught on, the point of this series of posts has been to dial back the arguments and get us to consider opposing viewpoints. Especially as brothers and sisters who name Christ—can we dialogue peaceably, agree to disagree agreeably at times, in all things show charity through a willingness to listen, and possibly gain some new perspectives? Ultimately, can we make Christ famous, showing the world a positive image of Jesus reflected in the diversity of His bride united around their allegiance to one Kingdom?]

Feedback? Thoughts? Please email them to luke@lukekuepfer.com.