The Current Landscape

On August 22, 2025, Iryna Zarutska was murdered in cold blood as she rode on a light rail in Charlotte, North Carolina. The attacker, Decarlos Brown, Jr. has since been arrested and faces multiple charges, including federal charges brought by the Department of Justice. The brutal attack was captured on surveillance video and has been the subject of much discussion on various conservative news outlets and online forums. However, while it has received some mention within the mainstream media, it has not received the attention that past criminal matters have. Why? Much speculation centers on the fact that Zarutska, a Ukrainian woman who fled to America due to the war, was white while Brown is a black man. It would appear that mainstream news outlets appear concerned that highlighting this heinous crime would negatively impact public opinion about the black community, therefore, they have done little to cover the story.

Further complicating the matter is that Brown has garnered an extensive criminal history since 2007 which includes arrests for Assault, Resisting a Public Officer, Communicating Threats, Shoplifting, Larceny, and he has served time in prison for Robbery with a Dangerous Weapon. His most recent arrest before the recent attack was for misuse of 911, a charge for which he had been released by the Magistrate with a written promise to appear. Many have questioned why someone with an extensive history like Brown should have been out of custody at all. It is a question rooted in changes to the criminal justice system that have been ongoing for years. Some changes include changing crime laws to make felonies into misdemeanors, making the threshold for felonies higher, bail reform, requiring no bail releases, lowering sentences, and even pushing to prevent incarceration for all but the most violent criminal offenses. Many argue that such reforms have not reduced crime and have even made the nation less safe.

The Legal Issue

The issue of criminal justice reform has been the leading topic of those who argue that the American system of jurisprudence systemically oppresses minorities in the nation. By appealing to evidence such as statistics which indicate that black Americans are incarcerated at a higher rate than white Americans such persons claim that the system privileges whites while oppressing blacks and other minorities. They have further claimed that comprehensive reform is necessary in order to provide minorities with fair opportunities in the culture. High-profile incidents, such as the arrest and subsequent death of George Floyd in 2020, who died while being physically restrained by law enforcement officers, have been used as de facto proof that law enforcement specifically and the criminal justice system in general unfairly target and harm black Americans. As a result, the nation is still reeling from massive financial cuts dealt to law enforcement and systemic changes to criminal laws throughout the country.

Biblically astute Christians understand that Scripture resoundingly condemns criminal behavior. First and foremost, all criminal acts are a sin against God for which He will bring His just and righteous wrath against. Regardless of whether or not a criminal escapes earthly justice, God will have the final say. To that end, apart from a radical conversion of his soul, Decarlos Brown, Jr. will stand before God and will face eternal condemnation for his crimes, as will all sinners. Furthermore, God reveals His hatred of such sin and His love for justice when one reads the laws contained within the Old Testament, laws which include just punishments for crimes committed against others. Murderers faced the death penalty (Gen. 9:5-6), while those guilty of negligent homicide, or manslaughter, were confined to a City of Refuge until the passing of the high priest (see Ex. 21:12-13; Num. 35:9-29). Those who caused physical harm to another or deprived someone of goods or livestock were required to make restitution (see Ex. chps 21-23). God is a just God, and he demands that those who commit a crime be held accountable.

Christians then have a duty to advocate for just laws in their respective nations. While God has indeed given us governments for the protection of the innocent and the punishment of evildoers, it is still populated by sinners who will misuse or abuse their power for their own benefit. We see such abuse in our nation today as those who desire to amass power for themselves seek to tear down the founding document of the Constitution which uniquely protects the rights of the people. In doing so, they have privileged criminals over citizens by passing laws that embolden criminals who know they will not face justice. As such, Christians should actively participate in the electoral process and elect officials who will reinstitute the rule of law in the country. In doing so, criminals will face a swifter and more sure judgment, resulting in a curbing of criminal activity. Both criminals and those who enable them will be held accountable, making citizens more safe.

The Gospel Issue

When the arguments for criminal justice reform reached a fever pitch, many high-profile evangelical leaders were swift to jump on the bandwagon. Many churches and Christian leaders championed changes to criminal law based on arguments drawn from the Critical Race Theory (aka, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) ideology being promulgated at the time. Arguing that Christians were preaching an incomplete gospel if they did not include making both societal and church changes that privileged minorities inherently oppressed by the culture, these leaders pushed the Christian church into political activism. Many Christians found themselves in a time of great anxiety and confusion. They simultaneously felt a deep desire to love their neighbors who claimed oppression and yet, sensed something was off about the church leaders who were fundamentally changing how the church functioned. The result was a church divided along sociopolitical lines. Those same leaders who were swift to call for change following the death of George Floyd are conspicuously silent after the murder of Iryna Zarutska.

Scripture is clear that we are not to privilege any person or people group over another, justice must be fairly applied to all. Any ideology that assumes the innocence of a group merely on the assumption that they have been unfairly oppressed is in opposition to God’s word. Every person, regardless of their background or perceived disadvantages, will stand before God and be held accountable for their sins on judgment day. There is no mitigation or plea deal. There will be no lowering of sentences or arguments for conditional release. Every person is held responsible for their individual sins. Instead of preaching worldly ideology and activism, Christian pastors and churches must teach the hard truths of Scripture and prepare their congregations to live with the knowledge that God will indeed judge the guilty. Furthermore, they must be taught that there is only one hope to avoid God’s righteous wrath, and that is in the completed work of Jesus Christ.

If churches preach systemic oppression activism, they preach a false gospel that deludes people into believing there is an excuse for sin. If they preach that criminal justice reform is needed to release the guilty because of past perceived slights, they mislead people into believing God might grade on a curve. Both are utterly false and will lead to eternal disaster. Churches must preach the pure, unadulterated gospel message that God is coming to judge the wicked and that the only hope of salvation is Jesus Christ. This is the only message that brings true and genuine heart change because through it, God invades the hearts of unbelievers and transforms them into new creations. It is by this miraculous transformation that the wicked are made good who then desire to obey Christ of their own accord. Christians who hear the gospel preached and the Lord magnified then turn in love to preach this same message to unbelieving family, friends, coworkers, and many more.

Conclusion

Christians who see the evil landscape before them can rightly mourn as we see victims like Iryna Zarutska lose their lives due to the injustice of our nation. Yet rather than lament as if there is nothing we can do, Christians can engage the culture itself. We can become part of the political process, electing just rulers and advocating for God honoring laws. But, more importantly, we can preach the gospel of Jesus Christ that evil hearts might be transformed, becoming obedient children of God. When we see evil occur in our midst, may it be the driving force that causes us to engage in just this manner.

Note: This article was also published on X.com.