I’m always interested in biblical discussions about Christians and government, especially in regard to politics. I’m drawn to political commentary, and I’ve grappeled with how far to go as a political opinion writer. I addressed some of this in a post about Christian bloggers last month.
I ran across an essay by Darrell Dow titled “Christians and Government.” He describes himself as a “misanthropic paleoconservative and Reformed-leaning Southern Baptist.” What grabbed my attention was his concern that some Christians believe they’re biblically prohibited from resisting the government and distinctions between government and the state.
Does Paul’s command to submit to lawful authorities mean we are never to resist the State? Some State-worshipping Evangelicals seem to think so. Prior to the invasion of Iraq, Baptist author and theologian Henry Blackaby said that based on his reading of Romans 13, those opposing George Bush’s Mesopotamian excursion were courting the judgment of God. Similar ravings could be heard crossing the lips of other conservative Evangelicals who shall remain nameless.
Since Scripture is our authority and guide, perhaps the Evangelical statists could explain just a few of the references to civil disobedience in the Bible. In Ex. 1:18-21 we read the account of Pharaoh commanding the Israelite midwives to kill every Jewish boy. They disobeyed and were counted blessed by God. In II Kings we read of the high priest Jehoiada leading a coup against Athaliah. Daniel 3 gives the account of Shadrach, Meschach and Aded-Nego, who defied Nebuchadnezzar. When the disciples were arrested for preaching the Gospel, Peter’s reply recorded in Acts 5:29 was, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Needless to say, they continued to preach (Acts 4:18-31, Acts 5:17-29). What of Daniel’s defiance of King Darius’ decree (Daniel 6:1-17) or Rahab’s deceit in protecting Israel’s spies? In short, there are times when civil disobedience is justified, nay, demanded by Scripture.
(Dow clearly doesn’t support the war in Iraq.) I know that the apostle Paul’s admonition of not conforming to the world doesn’t preclude believers’ involvement in politics. Where I’m less clear is how to be involved in politics. I’ll never run for office, but how do Christian writers/bloggers approach “punditry?” Dow adds:
Once we have declared that civil affairs, too, belong to the Lord, we need a blueprint to follow for activism, and the hard work actually begins. Fortunately, God in His grace has given the Scriptures as an authoritative and infallible guide (II Tim. 3:16) to His people. It is in the Word, rather than reason or natural revelation that we ought to begin when constructing an overarching theory of the State and politics. Having said that, determining when, how, and why to advocate political activism is no easy task. Not only must we define the just ends of civil government, we must ensure that those ends are pursued with Biblical methods….Deriving sound principles for activism from the Scriptures will take much thoughtful exegesis and careful application of Biblical principles and law to contemporary problems.
This is why consistent Bible study is very important. Everything the believer needs to know to live the Christian life is found right there in the pages of God-breathed Scripture.
