After watching this video, and seeing that a DUI checkpoint was held in a church parking lot, I decided I must contact the church. I included the email I sent them below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsiXDz6REMY

Hello,

I attend a Calvary Chapel. I became aware that in April 2014, you allowed police to conduct a DUI checkpoint in your parking lot.

I’m certain you had good intentions in allowing this checkpoint on your property. Minimizing drunk driving is a worthwhile goal. However, the ends do not justify the means.

This nation was founded on the Bible. The founders attempted to implement biblical law in our country. This country certainly was not perfect (slavery was an egregious exception), and no society of men ever will be perfect, even though we have access to God’s perfect law (Psalm 19:7).

However, we have descended from there at an ever-accelerating pace. My explanation for why this has happened is that Christians have abandoned our place as people who proclaim right and wrong to the government. We have the only source for absolute morality: God’s law. Only Christians can tell the government what is right and wrong, because no one else has God’s law.

There may be other contributing factors to America’s decline, but the blame for why government has become tyrannical must be laid at the feet of Christians. In the case of the DUI checkpoint, rather than proclaiming why checkpoints are evil, you offered your property to them. In that, you failed to be salt and light and contributed to the degradation of our freedom.

As with most other American institutions, police have become more and more unbiblical. I would like to make the case to you that the police as we know them are horribly unbiblical and Christians should not support them any longer.

1. Police are allowed to lie, and do so often.

2. Normally, police can’t pull drivers over unless they are suspected of a crime. That in itself is unbiblical. But at a checkpoint, they can pull everyone over. This is a heinous violation of the 4th amendment upheld only by lawless judges, of which we have an abundance.

3. Police are under a special set of laws. They aren’t held to the same standard of conduct as citizens. This is grossly unbiblical.

In ancient Israel, there were no government agents going around looking for trouble. It was the victims who pressed charges when they were harmed.

This is much like the system the founders gave us. In early America, victims would often act as the prosecuting attorney (or hire an attorney). Victims or private citizens would execute search and arrest warrants. There weren’t even police until the 1830s.

I’m not saying their system was perfect, but it was way closer to the biblical example than we have today. Check out http://www.constitution.org/lrev/roots/cops.htm for a free history lesson.

I have only learned these biblical principles within the last couple years, so if I say anything harsh, I say it humbly, knowing that I blindly supported the police not that long ago. I pray that you receive this as a Berean.

I can send you more information if you’re interested.

—————–UPDATE 7/4/15—————–

The email was not well-received by Dave Dodge, an assistant pastor. His email response today says,

“I don’t see anything humble or revelatory in your email. Be a a Berean yourself and read Rom 13, especially the first six verses. Please don’t send us anymore of your information. Renew your with real vision and under the on going revelation contain in the depth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “

I’m glad there’s nothing revelatory in my email. Sometimes I worry that I’m the only one who hasn’t bought into peitism. Unfortunately he must have rejected previous revelations. And as far as my desire to be humble, to clarify, I don’t mean to be humble about declaring what the Bible teaches. I want to be as bold as a lion (Proverbs 28:1) in that regard, but humble in not looking down on others who haven’t yet learned what I have learned. What do I have that wasn’t given to me?

As far as Romans 13, if he believes that it teaches that he ought to rent his parking lot to the cops, that would be the most radical interpretation of that passage I’ve ever heard. That would mean that we must grant every request of government, even if it involves us sinning. I have to assume that isn’t what he meant, because that would mean they’re not even Christians.

Renting your parking lot to police is not required under Florida law, and it is sinful under God’s law. When confronted with their sin, they respond defensively and with a false interpretation of Scripture.

Here is the email I sent in response:

Your surface-level interpretation of Romans 13 contradicts the rest of Scripture. You’ll soon be marrying homosexuals under a judge’s order if you’re going to remain consistent with that, right?

Happy dependence day.

I certainly hope that he would say that he’ll never in a million years perform a same-sex marriage, no matter what a judge says, no matter what it might cost, even to the point of being thrown in jail.

So even he would say (I trust) that there are limits to Romans 13. What it really teaches is that the magistrates are God’s ministers for rewarding good behavior and punishing evil. What is good and evil apart from God’s standard? If the government defines good and evil, then you better get ready for the gay marriages at Calvary Chapel St Pete.

Here’s the pastor’s info where you can send an email.