United States of America

[Jonathan Skinner]

So your attacking our MILITARY, FARMERS AND HARD WORKING CITIZENS. Hmmmm the very people that make this country. Not smart. Oh and I dont recieve any kinda of tax break. My wife and I paid nearly $50,000 last year in taxes. Maybe thats enough idk

Also I just bought a BIG ole nice BRICK house...

[Brenden Toney]

So your attacking our MILITARY, FARMERS AND HARD WORKING CITIZENS. Hmmmm the very people that make this country. Not smart. Oh and I dont recieve any kinda of tax break. My wife and I paid nearly $50,000 last year in taxes. Maybe thats enough idk

Also I just bought a BIG ole nice BRICK house...

We bout to be paying more taxes for the illegal immigrants

[Randall Reynolds]

Mr. Skinner,

You need to go back and read it again. You were complaining about people recieving handout and I pointed out some of the people that you were talking about. I didn't degrade anyone just pointed out that your selling equipment to farmers recieving huge handouts (and paying your salary) so doesn't that make you the beneficary of those very handouts?

So you claim you recieved no tax break at all? didn't right off mileage, travel, file jointly instead of single with no deduction nothing??

[Brenden Toney]

Mr. Skinner,

You need to go back and read it again. You were complaining about people recieving handout and I pointed out some of the people that you were talking about. I didn't degrade anyone just pointed out that your selling equipment to farmers recieving huge handouts (and paying your salary) so doesn't that make you the beneficary of those very handouts?

So you claim you recieved no tax break at all? didn't right off mileage, travel, file jointly instead of single with no deduction nothing??

Im sure the handouts he was referring to is the people who receive disability and welfare and etc, but are more than capable of working and providing for themselves but are too useless...

[Randall Reynolds]

Like being on welfare and food stamps and being perfectly able to work

Here's your quote. You degraded them not me.

Mr. Toney,

He lumped them all together I just pointed out the people that he was talking down about.

[A J Dovers]

Farmers are often lumped into an entitlement group due to the large farm bill..... Could someone please look and see what percent of the farm bill is for food stamps. I think you will be surprised.

[Jonathan Skinner]

Exactly what I was talking about brenden.

[Kevin Deboy]

As for the farm bill and tax breaks for big companies these are only in place so big government has control. I think if you would ask anyone in agriculture they would tell you they would gladly see the farm bill dissolved and let the free market work.

[Brian Gaston]

I can't believe people are standing up for a man that has tons of violent pics on his social media site, and a man that robbed a store owner, trying to take something that someone else had worked hard for. At the same time they are looting and burning down there own town while standing up for this guy.Once they've burned down there town that has done nothing to them, where are they gonna shop? Where are they gonna work? Does any of this violence bring the guy back to life? Why dont they promote the story of how Jesus Christ left heaven and came down to die for people just like Michael brown? Why can't they pray for the families loss instead of rioting? I'd say that most of the rioters and looters dont even know the guy or the facts, nor do they even care. They just see an opportunity to spread hurt and pain to people that dont deserve it. They should get jobs and go home to be with there families or they could be the next to die in the violence. I dont even watch it anymore because it is absolutely - that grown people resort to this. I agree Mr. Skinner. Our government has allowed this by handing out to people so freely. They dont work(obviously) so they have tons of time to think of ideas to go out and publicly act like un-caged, un-learned wild animals. They should arrest them all, white black Hispanic Asian or any other race, and put them on public display in the local zoo for people to see. Here's an idea. Get a job.Go to work. Go to church. Go home and spend time with your family, and then do a little coon hunting, and you won't have time for this nonsense.

[Chris Ergle]

Chris, sad to say but I think if the racial dynamics were different more than likely the outcome would have been different as well.

CHRIS YOU MUST KNOW SOMETHING THAT I MISSED OUT ON TO FELL THIS WAY. WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE IF YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE COPS PLACE
WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE IF YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE YOUNG MANS (ROBBER SO CALLED) PLACE

[Wesley Rasco]

Mr Reynolds I don't know u sir but can not believe sum of the stuff u are saying

[Max LeBleu]

The welfare system was set up as a work program. It needs to get back to that. When they show up to get their check you give them there job duties. If they don't show up they don't get a check. This will knock out about half the welfare cases. Then you drug test whats left and you will no longer have anyone on welfare. And by the way I am subject to random drug testing to keep my employment.

I have no problem helping the needy or the old. Americans will take care of these people. But what a lot of us hard working Americans are getting tired of is these free loading dope heads or just sorry lazy people living off the tax payers back.

I have 2 boys. That is all I could afford to support. There are people with 6,7,8 etc... kids that can't afford to support one. Something is very wrong with a system when the more kids you have the more money the government gives you and not to mention they have never paid one cent into the system.

I want every tax break I can get. I pay way to much in taxes already. Why would you want to give it to a government that is nearly 18 trillion dollars in debt. I think I can manage my money a whole lot better than the government.

I promise I will be there to vote on December 6 to get that Mary Landrieu out of office. I don't care much for Cassidy but he is the lesser of the two evils.

Americans better get away from voting for these democrats and republicans and vote for someone that will do the right thing for the country. These two parties are ruining this country. They both have agendas and the middle class gets screwed by both.

[Bryan Sanders]

In early August my wife and I, along with seven of our nine children, left for a month-long ministry tour in Africa (Kenya, Zambia, and South Africa). It was a couple of days before we got settled and had any access to media. As such, I was taken aback when I began to receive Google alerts, emails, and Facebook and Twitter messages either demanding that I comment on “Ferguson,” or condemning me for failing to do so. The only problem was, I had absolutely no idea what they were talking about. Who, what, or where was Ferguson? Why was it such a big deal? Why was I being condemned (along with other “high-profile” evangelicals) for “failing to speak out on such an important issue”?

I eventually got up to speed. Or at least I found out what all the fuss was about. Over the next several weeks I viewed this issue from a unique perspective. I was an American in Africa watching an issue ignite ethnic tensions in my homeland. It was almost surreal.

Who Am I to Speak?

My first response to Ferguson was to say nothing. I was on the outside looking in. I didn’t know what happened. I didn’t know the communities or the issues surrounding the tensions. Second, I chose to remain silent because people were demanding that I speak—even condemning me for my silence. In this age of “I sure would love to hear your thoughts on” I get tired of the sense of entitlement with which people approach those whom they deem to be popular or high-profile Christians. No one is “entitled” to my opinion. Nor is my faithfulness to God determined by how quickly I respond to “relevant” issues.

As a pastor, I have a responsibility to my flock. If those for whose souls I care (Heb. 13:17) want help thinking through these issues, I am obligated to them. I have a duty to walk them through issues like these to the best of my ability, and with sensitivity to their particular needs. What worries me is that Christians in the age of social media care more what “popular” preachers have to say on issues like this (and whether or not they agree with other “popular” preachers) than they are about taking advantage of an opportunity to work through challenges in the context of Christian community. More importantly, it worries me that so many Christians view themselves primarily as members of this or that ethnic community more than they see themselves as members of the body of Christ.

The Plight of Black Men

Rest assured, I do believe there are systemic issues plaguing black men. These issues are violence, criminality, and immorality, to name a few. And all of these issues are rooted in and connected to the epidemic of fatherlessness. Any truly gospel-centered response to the plight of black men must address these issues first and foremost. It does no good to change the way white police officers respond to black men if we don’t first address the fact that these men’s fathers have not responded to them appropriately.

There is indeed an epidemic of violence against black men. However, that violence, more often than not, occurs at the hands of other black men. In fact, black men are several times more likely to be murdered at the hands of another black man than they are to be killed by the police. For instance, in the FBI homicide stats from 2012, there were 2,648 blacks murdered. Of those, 2,412 were murdered by members of their own ethnic group. Thus, if I am going to speak out about anything, it will be black-on-black crime; not blue-on-black. I want to apply the gospel and its implications in a way that addresses the real issue. If a few black men being killed by cops requires a national “dialogue,” what in the world does the overwhelming number of black-on-black murders require? If the police do not see black men through the proper gospel-centered, image-of-God lens, what does the black-on-black murder rate say about the way we see ourselves?

In addition to violence, black men are plagued with criminality. Low-income black communities like Ferguson know all too well that black criminals preying on their neighbors makes life almost unlivable. Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, I know all too well what it’s like to have bars on the windows and doors for fear that thugs will break in to steal or kill. I remember being robbed at gunpoint on my way home from the store one day. It was one of the most frightening and disheartening events of my life. The fear, helplessness, and anger I felt stayed with me for years. And it taught me an unfortunate lesson: the greatest threat to me was other black men.

The underlying malady that gives rise to all the rest of these epidemics is immorality and fatherlessness. We know that fatherlessness is the number one indicator of future violence, dropout rates, out-of-wedlock births, and future incarceration. And in the black community, more than 70 percent of all children are born out of wedlock! Fatherlessness is the bane of the black community.

Nor is this plague forced on us. It is as common as morning dew, and as overlooked as dust under a refrigerator. Where are the marches against this travesty? Where are the protestors who demand better? Where are the black “leaders” who . . . oh, that’s right, they have just as many illegitimate children as anyone else. Again, it is common knowledge that this is the most immediate root cause of the ills plaguing black Americans.

But What About Racism?

I have been pulled over by police for no apparent reason. In fact, it has happened on more than one occasion. I was stopped in Westwood while walking with a friend of mine who was a student at UCLA. We found ourselves lying face down on the sidewalk while officers questioned us. On another occasion, I was stopped while with my uncle. I remember his visceral response as he looked at me and my cousin (his son). The look in his eye was one of humiliation and anger. He looked at the officer and said, “My brother and I didn’t fight in Vietnam so you could treat me like this in front of my son and my nephew.”

Again, this experience stayed with me for years. And for many of those years, I blamed “the system” or “the man.” However, I have come to realize that it was no more “the system” when white cops pulled me over than it was “the system” when a black thug robbed me at gunpoint. It was sin! The men who robbed me were sinners. The cops who stopped me were sinners. They were not taking their cues from some script designed to “keep me down.” They were simply men who didn’t understand what it meant to treat others with the dignity and respect they deserve as image bearers of God.

It does me absolutely no good to assume that my mistreatment was systemic in nature. No more than it is good for me to assume that what happened in Ferguson was systemic. I have a life to live, and I refuse to live it fighting ghosts. I will not waste my energy trying to prove the Gramscian, neo-Marxist concept of “white privilege” or prejudice in policing practices.

I don’t care what advantages my white neighbor may or may not have. If he does have advantages, God bless him! I no more fault him than I fault my own children who have tremendous advantages due to the fact that they were raised by two educated, Christian parents who loved, disciplined, and taught them. Ironically, when I think about THAT advantage, I am filled with joy and gratitude to God for his faithfulness. People are supposed to bequeath an advantage to their children and grandchildren (Prov. 13:22). Why, then, would I be angry with my white neighbor for any advantage he is purported to have? And what good would it do? How does that advance the gospel? Especially in light of the fact that growing up with the gospel is the ultimate privilege/advantage! It is the advantage that has granted us all “American privilege”! Are we guilty for being citizens of the wealthiest republic in the history of the world? I think not!

As a father of seven black men, I tell them to be aware of the fact that there may be times when they may get a closer look, an unwelcome stop, or worse. However, I do not tell them that this means they need to live with a chip on their shoulder, or that the world is out to get them. I certainly don’t tell them that they need to go out and riot (especially when that involves destroying black-owned businesses). I tell them that there are people in the world who need to get to know black people as opposed to just knowing “about” us. I tell them that they will do far more good interacting with those people and shining the light of Christ than they will carrying picket signs. I tell them, “Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay'” (Rom. 12:19). And I tell them that there are worse things than suffering injustice. That is why we must heed Peter’s words:

But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. (1 Pet. 3:15–17)

In the end, the best lesson my children can learn from Ferguson is not that they need to be on the lookout for white cops. It is far more important that I use this teachable moment to remind them that “God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Gal. 6:7). Moments before his death, Michael Brown had violently robbed a man in a store. A man doing the best he could to make a living. Minutes later, Brown reaped what he sowed, and was gunned down in the street. That is the sad truth.

My sons have far more to fear from making bad choices than they have to fear from the police. The overwhelming majority of police officers are decent people just trying to make a living. They are much more likely to help you than to harm you. A life of thuggery, however, is NEVER your friend. In the end, it will cost you . . . sometimes, it costs you everything.

Voddie Baucham is the pastor of preaching at Grace Family Baptist Church in Spring, Texas.

[Michael Brown]

Michael, you need to read all the information that the Grand Jury provided. You also need to listen to officer Wilson's testimony. And the testimony of eye witnesses. Officer Wilson was assaulted in his squad car. A criminal that just had robbed a store assaulted him and tried to take his weapon and use it on the officer. The criminal fled and refused to stop. The 6'5" 280 lb criminal turned and charged Wilson like a line backer. If Wilson would have not acted with lethal force he might be dead. So the fact he was unarmed as you say ,seems to not have any relevance at all. It makes no difference what race the criminal was. Under the same scenario the out come should be the same.

Sir, I read the evidence as well. There is no evidence that the man tried to get his gun and use it on him. If me and you fight and you pull a gun at close quarters I'm gonna fight for the gun too! Mostly to prevent you from killing me. Once I lose that struggle and you shoot me, I'm liable to run like hell just like this guy did. When you fire four more shots at me while I'm trying to get away, I may feel like a cornered dog. At that point, if I've had serious trust issues with the police it will be my belief that I'm gonna die. There is just as much testimony saying that at that point he didn't charge the officer as there was that he did. 12 shots from beginning to end and 6 at least in the suspect and I don't have a right to be suspicious? Witnesses disappear and the department investigates themselves? Why assume either said is in the right? This officer should've called for backup and arrested the kid

[Chris Saunders]

I don't know anymore than anyone else, like most I'm using my life experiences form my opinion.

I don't know what I would have done either way I wasn't there. I can say this I've never been shot but I've been shot at and the last thing on my mind was running towards the guy doing the shooting.