Pastor Derrick Miller
Over the past week, immigration raids in Minneapolis have shaken families, neighborhoods, and churches. In response, Vice President J.D. Vance publicly stated that federal agents involved in these actions are protected by “absolute immunity” because they were doing their jobs.
That statement matters, not only politically, but theologically.
First, a clarification. The Vice President did, in fact, say this. Multiple news outlets have reported it, and legal scholars have pushed back strongly. Federal agents do not possess blanket or absolute immunity from accountability, especially in cases involving potential harm or criminal conduct. That claim is disputed by legal consensus.
But my deeper concern is not legal. It is spiritual.
What troubles me most is how quickly this kind of power is being described, defended, and even celebrated as “Christian” by many evangelicals. That deserves a careful response from those of us who are trying to take the way of Jesus seriously.
Throughout Scripture, authority is always paired with accountability. Kings are judged. Prophets confront rulers. Even priests are rebuked when they misuse power.
Immunity removes accountability. It places force beyond question before any facts are fully examined. That posture runs directly against the grain of the biblical story. Jesus never affirmed authority simply because it was authority. In fact, he consistently challenged leaders who claimed moral legitimacy while refusing moral scrutiny.
If anything, the teaching of Jesus moves in the opposite direction. Those entrusted with the most power are called to the highest level of responsibility, humility, and restraint.
Law and Order Is Not the Same as Righteousness
Some appeal to Scripture to argue that enforcing the law is inherently righteous and therefore beyond critique. But the Bible never makes that claim. The prophets repeatedly condemned leaders who enforced laws while crushing the vulnerable. Jesus himself lived under Roman law and openly named its abuses without calling his followers to violent resistance or blind allegiance.
The biblical question is never only “Is the law being enforced?”
The question is “Who is being protected, and who is being harmed?”
A system that shields itself from accountability when fear and force are involved should concern Christians, not reassure them.
Why This Hits Close to Home for Me
I don’t write this only as a pastor. I also serve as a firefighter. I have a front-row seat to people on their worst days. I am invited into tragedy, chaos, and fear, often without warning.
I have sworn an oath to help anyone and everyone without discrimination. I do not get to choose who is worthy of care. I am accountable for how I carry authority, how I use force when it is required, and how I protect life when it is most vulnerable.
In my line of work, authority does not excuse harm. It increases responsibility. We are trained that the moment we believe we are beyond accountability is the moment we become dangerous. That reality has deeply shaped how I read Scripture and how I hear claims about immunity, power, and righteousness.
Jesus Rejected Coercion as a Tool of God’s Kingdom
When Jesus was tempted to seize power, he refused. When his disciples reached for violence, he stopped them. When the state exercised cruelty, he named it without becoming it. The cross stands as God’s definitive rejection of coercive power as a means of salvation. God does not redeem the world by overpowering it, but by absorbing violence and exposing it for what it is.
Any policy that depends on fear, force, or immunity from consequence should make Christians pause before calling it holy.
Why I’m Concerned About the Church Right Now
When Christians publicly celebrate immunity for agents of the state while families live in fear, the church is not seen as a refuge. It is seen as aligned with power against the powerless. That alignment shapes our witness.
The gospel is good news to the poor, the outsider, and the afraid. When Christianity is used to excuse harm or remove accountability, it stops sounding like good news at all.
A Better Way Forward
Christians can affirm the need for order without excusing abuse.
We can support public servants while still demanding accountability.
We can reject chaos without baptizing cruelty.
We can pray for leaders without surrendering our moral voice.
The way of Jesus has always been a third way. Not lawlessness. Not authoritarianism. But justice shaped by mercy, truth, and humility.
If we are going to call something Christian, it should look like Jesus.