Faith is What Sustains Dallas Police Chief through Difficult Times
- Updated Jul 12, 2016
The city of Dallas is still grappling with the tragedy that shocked the city last week when a gunman killed five police officers and wounded seven others.
The shooting occurred during a Black Lives Matter protest which was in turn a response to the police shootings of two African-Americans earlier in the week.
Dallas Police Chief David Brown is in charge of the investigation into the shooting that killed the five officers.
Brown has given many interviews and press conferences in the few days since the Dallas shooting, and many articles have been written about him, but GetReligion.com notes that most of the media coverage of Brown tends to ignore how integral his faith is to his life.
However, one article published by the Dallas Morning News does address Brown’s faith:
“Faith, family and his love for his hometown are what drive Brown, say those close to him. He stresses the importance of family time. He's married to former police Sgt. Cedonia Brown, and they have a 10-year-old daughter,” states the article.
The article goes on to say that Brown attends Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship where the Rev. Tony Evans is pastor. Evans said that “Brown believes in bedrock Christian doctrine – faithful submission to God's plan followed by an eternal reward. He sees his job as a ‘divine assignment’ and brings a Biblical perspective to all his decision-making.”
Brown, an African-American man whose own son killed a police officer and whose brother was shot and killed by drug dealers, has personal experience with law enforcement apart from being an officer himself.
“Brown sees himself as a representative of good fighting evil," says Evans. “That's what keeps him grounded during tragedies and crises.”
Publication date: July 12, 2016
