Christians and Civil Disobedience

A Response to “Civil Disobedience”
Rev. Bill Hofer

Dear Jim,
If they are still archived on our website I have preached on this topic in general, and Romans 13 in particular, a couple of times.  If you want you can check, “The Light Still Shines” (Dec. 2009); “The Conflict of the Incarnation” (Dec. 9, 2012); and “Righteousness Applied to Our Relationship Under Government” (Rom. 13:1-7, April 22, 2012).

A couple of additional notes on Romans 13 follow.  Though much is made of Paul’s failure to counsel rebellion while he was living under the despot Nero, the fact is Romans 13 does not mention the Roman Empire or Nero at all.  Paul is making general statements that are true of all human governments for all time since God instituted them in Gen. 9.  The careful use of the pronoun “it” in verses 1-7 is another evidence of the general nature of the text.  Paul doesn’t say, “he” (Nero in context or the King widely) is the authority but “it” and the real authority behind the ruler is not the government but God Himself. By extension Christians are to submit to the government, not the ruler per se.  Further, the government is the “minister” of God… when it punishes evil.  If it begins to punish good it no longer serves as the “minister” of God.

From my sermon on Rom. 13:1-7
·         Righteous government is ordained by God
·         Righteous government represents God on earth
·         Righteous government must be obeyed when operating for good
·         Righteous government must not be feared
·         Righteous government is based on Scripture (first) and the Constitution (second).
·         Righteous government is to protect the righteous and punish the wicked
·   Good citizens should practice the principles of Rom. 12:1-13:14 before they legitimately criticize the government

While I reject anarchy I reserve the right to resist an evil empire and even actively overthrow it if necessary and possible.  I believe this is consistent with Christian orthodoxy and Scripture for the following reasons:

Absolute submission to government is not historical.  Good Christian men have always recognized the evil of tyranny and despotism.  In our nation’s history grievances were specified by letter and representatives to King George III of England such as the “Fairfax Resolves,” the “Olive Branch Letter,” and finally the Declaration of Independence.  He ignored them all.  I must ask those who believe Rom. 13 is teaching absolute submission, “Was our rebellion against the King justified?”  To be consistent such a person must answer in the negative.  I believe it was justified, as is all rebellion against godless tyranny.  We just observed Patriot’s Day on April 19th when the “shot heard ‘round the world” was fired at Lexington Green.  The British were intent on capturing a cache of weapons stored near there.  Pastor Jonas Clark and 70 men from his Church stopped them and the Brits had to retreat.  I believe this armed resistance was justified because all men have a God-given right (not just Constitutional or Royal Decree) to “keep and bear arms.”

Absolute submission to government is not practical.  If you interpret Rom. 13 universally then all governments are from God and all laws are righteous.  It is easy to demonstrate otherwise.  If I must submit to government, w/o question, then that means all governments.  I must submit to Hitler, Stalin, and Kim Yung Il today.  If one of those governments invades my country to overthrow my government, I cannot resist the aggressor or that would be non-submission.  When laws from various nations conflict I am rebelling (sinning) no matter what I do.  Under the “Divine Right of Kings” His Majesty had the right of Prime Nolte… the first night.  If one of his subjects married, the King could claim the right to sleep with the Bride the first night.  Do you believe God wants us submitting to such debauchery? 

Absolute submission to government is not biblical.  The article you forwarded me catalogued numerous examples where Godly men disobeyed government when necessary so I won’t belabor the point.  I will add, however, something that is frequently overlooked. In John 10:22 there is a reference to the “Feast of Dedication.”  This, as you know, was instituted in 165 BC by Judas Maccabeus in commemoration of the “cleansing of the Temple.” Jesus is taking his disciples to participate in that feast in John 10. Not to protest it, not to use it as a teachable moment, but to participate in it.  Why is this important?  Because this is the first example in the Bible of a war fought over religious freedom. Antiochus Epiphanes ordered the Jews to stop circumcising their sons, stop observing Kosher diets, stop sacrificing to Jehovah, and start worshiping him while desecrating the Temple.  Maccabee was selected to sacrifice a pig on the Temple altar but instead killed Epiphanes’ representative and started a successful revolt that would last over 100 years! Jesus followed Maccabee’s example, to some degree, when he twice cleansed the Temple Himself.  There was no resistance so it ended there.  

Conclusion
One of the men hiding from the British in the home of the aforementioned Pastor Clark was Samuel Adams, the man called “The Father of the American Revolution.”  I will end with a quote from him.  This is not aimed at you, Jim, in any way, but I just think it is a killer quote from a Christian to the “spiritual wimps” among us today.

“If you value wealth more than liberty
and tranquility more than the
animated contest of freedom,
then go home from us in peace;
We seek neither your counsel
nor your arms.
Crouch down and lick the hands
that feed you.
And may your chains lay lightly on
your back, and posterity forget that
you were ever our countryman.”

A review of human governments:

  • Lk. 4:1-8 Satan claims that the kingdoms of this world are his and he can give them to whomever he wants.
  • I Cor. 2:6-8 Paul claims that the rulers (same word as Rom. 13:3) of this age are passing away and they are without wisdom.
  • I Cor. 6:1-7 Paul further claims that we should avoid worldly judges and the court system if at all possible. (cp. Jesus and Mt. 5:25)
  • Eph. 6:12 Paul cautions us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the worldly rulers in spiritual places. 
The Christian minister and Politics:

  • The Johnson Amendment (1954) to the IRS code claims the power to muzzle preachers who speak on political content with the threat of losing their church’s non-profit tax-exempt status under their 501(3)(c) incorporation. I am not aware of this being enforced but it seems to dampen free speech.
  • If we accept the premise that Christians can speak primarily on spiritual things, but not on what is deemed by some as political, are we not close to losing both?  Where is the supposed dividing line between what is spiritual and what is political? People leaving our Church occasionally accuse me of being “too political.”  When afforded the opportunity to ask, “Where would you draw the line?” or, “What are some examples of me being ‘too political’?” not a single person has been able, or willing, to respond.
  • What about Pope Pius’ sermon to a joint meeting of Senate and House in September 2015 where in full papal garb he lectured the US on our greedy capitalism and his “superior” view of socialism.  Where was the “separation of church and state” that day?
  • If we accept the premise that Christians can be politically involved Monday – Saturday but not on Sundays, are we not forfeiting our citizenship to a godless society that is becoming more so?
  • If we accept the premise that Christians in general can speak on political matters but an ordained minister loses that right when he steps behind the pulpit, are we not guilty of discrimination at its worst?
Originally Published May 1, 2015

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“Hiroshima and the War Powers Act” Rev. Bill Hofer      December 7 th marks the 76 th anniversary of that “day that will live in infamy.” The US ended that war successfully, if success is measured by 416,800 US dead compared to 60 million for the rest of the world.  An incredible 3% of the 2.3 billion alive in 1940!  In what, six years?  The end came when “little boy” incinerated 80,000 people in Hiroshima, another bomb killed 70,000 three days later in Nagasaki, with over 250,000 total counting the radiation aftermath.  Seven decades later the debate still rages whether it was necessary. My own position has changed over the years.      Last week I commented on the increasing interest among Americans in general, and Republican Christians in particular, of another Hiroshima type attack on our perceived “enemies.” This essay, however, is about the little remembered date of December 8 th .  That was the day that Co...
Read more

God as Moral Monster

“Butler Rebuttal” Is God a Moral Monster? A few years ago a Mr. Butler wrote a guest column in the Siskiyou Daily News (2/20/12) that was brought to my attention from a parishioner.  He laid the blame for centuries of warfare at the feet of religion.  He saved his biggest shots for the Bible as a “manual of wanton bloodshed” and accused the God of the Bible to be monstrous. I responded with the following letter to the editor. It is unfortunate that Mr. Butler ascribes a moral equivalency to all religions illustrated in the history of warfare.  He has every right to his own opinion, but he does not have the right to his own facts.  Throughout America’s history she has fought many wars against nations but not a single war has ever been to spread Christianity.  Recent wars in Kosovo and Bosnia were actually fought to protect Muslim minorities from ethnic cleansing.    Butler tries to bolster his case with stories from the Old Testament and “sugges...
Read more
“The Sequence of Coming Events” Rev. Bill Hofer In 2 Thess. 2:1-5 Paul reminds his readers that he had already taught them much of the sequence regarding the coming of the Lord.  He in fact has mentioned Christ’s coming in almost every chapter of his letters to the Thessalonians.  Here he writes,                 “Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the Day of the Lord has come.  Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposed and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying hims...
Read more