Well, you folks didn’t give me much to analyze for this follow-up to my previous blog about whether a Christian in 1776 should have been a patriot or a British loyalist. Two of you responded with some thoughts, so I’d like to summarize those first. Timothy pointed out the fact that the passage in Romans 13 is used by various groups, like pacifists, to bolster their own agendas. Elisabeth noted there are many other passages that demonstrate godly people disobeying the law in their service to God. This is not a simple topic for those of us who are serious about our desire to live the kinds of lives God wants us to live.
I previously pointed out that Thomas Jefferson, the writer of the Declaration of Independence and spokesman for the other leaders of the Revolution, justified the rebellion by appealing to the argument that God created humans to be equal with one another. Therefore, any power that systematically denies people those “unalienable” rights is not a power established by God. I recently sat down and read Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. His argument for throwing off the British government was similar. “Society…promotes our happiness…and government restrain[s] our vices.” When government goes beyond that, it is no longer legitimate. He makes the argument, from the history of Israel, that God has never approved a despotic government. He made it clear to the Israelites that they did not need a king, but they went ahead and established one anyway.
A search of the internet produces many different explanations of Romans 13. Some are compelling arguments, some not. It is obvious that neither Old Testament nor New Testament servants of God obeyed everything they were told by their governments. There are cases where God commanded his servants to disobey. I actually have no problem justifying specific acts of civil disobedience in order to follow God’s law. Biblical examples of this abound. Even Jesus refused to obey the civil authorities during his so-called trials. He openly opposed and ridiculed the religious authorities throughout his ministry. So, the question is, “Under what circumstances is it more righteous to disobey an authority?” That one is not easy to answer.
In the case of the founding of our country the grievances were numerous and the attempted remedies many. But did they justify the overthrow of the government? My friend Tim is right when he points out that it is difficult, if not impossible, to know if our thought processes would have been the same in 1776 as they are now. I submit they would not have been. They could not have been. So, the answer to the question of whether or not I would have participated in the Revolution or not is truly not answerable.
The more important question, then, is whether or not I would participate in one today? In the quest for this answer I do see some similarities with our founding fathers. They were feeling oppressed, disenfranchised and unrepresented. They felt the ruling authorities were misusing their powers to further their own comfort at the expense of the basic rights of the common people. Today there are a growing number of issues in our society that are making an increasing number of people feel that same way. Christians are repulsed at the killing of millions of babies, done so with the blessing of the government. There is a growing disconnect between the common people and what has become a sort of modern day aristocracy in our state capitals and in Washington, D.C. The moral foundation upon which the founding fathers built this country is eroding at an increased rate. Evil people are often given more rights than those who are trying to maintain a moral code in this country.
Will this generation have to answer the question, “Revolt or be loyal?” as our forefathers did? If you can’t answer the question concerning 1776, you might want to examine yourself in light of 2011, because you might be forced to make that decision.
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