CJUS 400 Criminal Law Christian Worldview
Paper By Anthony T. Washington
Liberty University, L27905432, Fall 2018 CJUS 400-
B10 October 29th, 2018
A person’s worldview is greatly affected by the things that they witness throughout their
life. The things they see, hear, and learn shape the worldview that a person possesses. A
worldview is a set of beliefs or principles used to gain a holistic understanding of the world and a
framework from which we view reality and make sense of life and the world. ¨According to
Barna Research, about half of all adults (54%) claim that they make their moral choices on the
basis of specific principles or standards in which they believe¨ (Slick 2008). When you combine
your worldview that with a biblical foundation you can live a life that is acceptable to God. You
act according to what you believe in, not what you don’t believe it. In the law enforcement
realm, I can imagine that it is difficult in today’s world to integrate a biblical worldview into that
line of profession.
I researched law enforcement personnel that incorporate a Christian backing into their
profession and stumbled across Officer Johnathan Fontenot. Officer Fontenot is a law enforcer
that works for the Thibodaux Police Department in Thibodaux, Louisiana. He began his pathway
to become a Christian law enforcer in 2009. He stated that “The challenges of being a Christian
or a police officer are in and of themselves diverse, but being both at the same time has proved
to be more challenging than I could have ever imagined” (Fontenot 2013). Fontenot knew that he
needed to depend on God completely if he was to be successful as an officer. He believed that
being a police officer is also very difficult because the amount of responsibility.
Officer Fontenot stated two main reasons why being a Christian and working as a law
enforcement officer is difficult. First reason he stated was that, most of the people you deal with
is not Christian and they come from different backgrounds. Secondly, he struggles with the issue
of evangelism. As much as he would like to, he can’t stand on the corner and preach the Gospel
to everyone he comes in contact with. Officer Fontenot says, “I can’t run around teaching about
Jesus, and condemning citizens for their sinful acts” (Fontenot 2013). This I definitely
understand this, as we see a society straying further away from God, it is harder and harder to do
the work of God but God still requires us to perform His works.
References
Slick, M. (2008). What are some Christian Worldview Essentials? Retrieved October 23, 2018,
from https://carm.org/what-are-some-christian-worldview-essentials
Tackett, D. (2006). What's a Christian Worldview? Retrieved October 23, 2018, from
https://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/christian-worldview/whats-a-christian-
worldview/whats-a-worldview-anyway
