A Texas police officer has self-published a controversial new book in which he justifies killing men in the line of duty by invoking his Christian beliefs. SWAT Officer Charlie Eipper has self-published a book called “Jesus Christ on Killing,” in which he says Jesus would not only condone but support his use of deadly force…. Eipper says that when his career began, he was told that killing was wrong in the eyes of Christ…. “After studying the Bible with the help of Grace Church Pastor Tom Rodgers, today Eipper is confident that Jesus Christ supports warriors.”
When you hear the phrase “spiritual warfare,” “fighting for Jesus Christ,” or a similar variant, you can be certain of at least a couple things:
First, the people employing such phraseology may consider themselves to be model Christians because of their self-ascribed total commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The truth is that these folks tend to be intolerant, self-righteous zealots who refuse to recognize the validity of other ideologies/theologies. Their belief is the One and Only Truth; anything else is idolatry, heresy, and/or blasphemy.
Second, the “Christianity” of people like this is generally built on a foundation of fear and ignorance. They’re terrified of those who think differently, act differently, look differently, believe differently- and so they live in a world that requires constant vigilance. In their minds they’re under continuous and relentless assault- from the forces of Satan, the forces of Evil, Liberals, Packers fans, homosexuals…etc., etc, ad infinitum, ad nauseum.
Charlie Eipper isn’t the head of security for Hobby Lobby. He’s a police officer, a sworn law enforcement officer tasked with protecting and serving. That’s not “protect and serve all who share his religious beliefs;” it means everyone, independent of race, creed, color…or any other categorization. Judging by Eipper’s literary debut, the good people of Wichita Falls, TX, have a trained, willing, and eager killer in their midst. He just happens to be hiding behind a badge…and his own disturbingly self-absorbed theology.
I can’t imagine I’m the only one terrified by the idea of a police officer using Rambo IV as a source of spiritual inspiration. That Eipper serves on the Wichita Falls Police Department’s SWAT team is something I find even more frightening. Combine that with a “kill or be killed” theology, and what you have is a massacre looking for a place to happen. I’d submit it’s not a matter of “if,” but “when.”
Correct me if I’m wrong (though I don’t believe I am); but isn’t Jesus Christ often referred to as the “Prince of Peace?” Did Charlie Eipper not get the memo?
“The Scriptures are clear that God condones the use of deadly force in killing whenever we are threatened,” Eipper said. “A woman who carries a handgun with a concealed carry license can be assured that she can defend herself with deadly force and still be in complete fellowship with her Savior.”
Law enforcement personnel are referred to as “peace officers” for a reason. Their primary task is to protect the public by ensuring the maintenance of peace and order. If a peace officer sees his primary role as being a “warrior” for Jesus Christ, can (and should) we reasonably presuppose what that officer’s default response might be when he feels threatened?
Eipper’s role as a police officer is to enforce the rule of law. A core tenet of the rule of law is that no one gets to act as judge, jury, and executioner (as in Rambo IV). His belief that “God condones the use of deadly force in killing whenever we are threatened” implies that an individual is capable of determining when they’re sufficiently “threatened.” Eipper’s views are a short step removed from the Wild West of the movies, in which a sheriff often killed the “bad guy” because he was the law, the only remaining obstacle between good, law-abiding Christian men and women and abject evil.
The bottom line is that Eipper’s a trigger-happy zealot willing to kill without prejudice or remorse in the service of his Savior. I’m not at all certain that this is the sort of personality that should be allowed on a SWAT team. When criminals hide behind a badge, they’re no better than the criminals they profess to be protecting us from.
Given that Wichita Falls is smack in the middle of the Bible belt, I suspect that many residents support and perhaps even applaud Eipper’s beliefs and his willingness to advertise (and kill for) them. If Eipper is favorably disposed towards killing whoever he deems as posing a threat, do the non-Christians unfortunate enough to call Wichita Falls home have reason for concern? From where I sit, they most certainly do.
