A tragedy is not a license to tear down the system.
Thirty-six hours after a fatal ICE encounter in Biddeford, Maine, a community is grieving — and rightly so. But alongside the vigils came something else: upside-down flags, and calls to defund and dismantle the very institutions God has ordained. In this episode of The Pastor’s Office, Pastor Travis sits down with Pastor Rosaire Veilleux to ask a fair question: does God’s Word speak into a moment like this?
We think it does. The loss of life is a genuine tragedy, and we want a real investigation and true justice. This conversation isn’t about the tragedy itself — it’s about the response, and how grief, which is legitimate and human, can drift toward a familiar pattern of rebellion we’ve seen before. It’s a discussion about mourning well, thinking biblically, and holding two things at once: compassion for those who are hurting, and clarity that tearing down God-ordained institutions is the wrong answer.
We also talk honestly about the temptation for pastors to stay silent — and why confronting the culture with truth, and grace, has always been part of the calling.
In this episode:
– Why the Biddeford tragedy calls for lament — and what a biblical response actually looks like
– “Casting off restraint” (Proverbs) and the difference between justice and vengeance
– BLM, Antifa, and weighing what a movement says against what it stands for
– Rebellion against God’s established order — marriage, family, government, and the church
– Romans 13 and why God ordains governing authorities
– Can you preach Jesus and still address the issues of your day?
– Salt and light, and seeking the peace of the city (Jeremiah 29)
Scripture referenced: 2 Corinthians 10 · 1 Peter 5:8 · Ephesians 2 & 6 · John 8, 12 & 15 · Genesis 9:6 · Romans 12 & 13 · Isaiah 14 · 2 Timothy 3 · Jude · 1 Samuel 15 · Jeremiah 29:5–7 · Proverbs 29:18 · Matthew 5 (salt & light)
Whether you agree or disagree, we’d value your thoughts in the comments. Like, subscribe, and share to help these conversations reach more people. Grace and peace to you.
Church attendance in 2026 is less than half what it was in 1800 so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that we are seeing so much rebellion against authority, all of which is ordained by God according to Romans 13:1. Of the 30 percent of those who do attend church today I wonder how many are hearing an accurate presentation of the gospel. The New Testament is full of warnings to the Church about false teachers. When I see BLM and rainbow banners hanging on the sides of many churches I see churches who have departed from the truth. I am thankful beyond expression that my church is lead by a pastor and elders who are faithful to the gospel. Our pastor teaches through one book of the Bible at a time, verse by verse without skipping any verses. He says that method protects us from him because his tendency might be to preach on pet doctrines and it also protects us from ourselves because our tendency is to skip over passages that we don’t like. I would encourage everyone to find a church where you can hear the gospel preached by a qualified, gifted and trained man of God and where the Lord Jesus Christ is lifted high because He alone is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.