Robin Willilams, as part of his standup routine, occasionally offered his own definition of politics.
“Politics,” he explained, “comes from the Latin word ‘poly,’ which means ‘many,’ and ‘ticks,’ which means ‘blood-sucking creatures.’”
In his new book Age of Revolutions, Fareed Zakaria notes that Williams’ quip always got a big laugh.
But the relationship of Christians to ruling authorities these days is no laughing matter, especially during the current American election season. Rancor, personal attacks, and conspiracy theories have become part and parcel of our daily political news cycle, typically outweighing reasoned conversation concerning national policies.
For followers of Jesus, a particular point of tension is the seeming contradiction that appears on the pages of the New Testament.
On the one hand, disciples are called to obey the government – no matter what kind of government happens to be in power. The apostle Paul writes:
“Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God. . . .Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Pay to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; respect to whom respect; honor to whom honor.” (excerpts from Romans 13:1-7)
Things don’t get much clearer than that.
The big picture gets muddled, however, when Peter and other leaders of the early church refuse to comply with the direct command of the Jerusalem authorities to stop preaching in the name of Jesus.
“We must obey God rather than human beings!” declares Peter (Acts 5:29). He and his companions are cast as spiritual heroes for defying the Sanhedrin.
So here’s the rub: Obey or not obey?
If we happen to be opposed to a current governmental policy, does God require us to grit our teeth and play along? Or are there grounds for followers of Jesus to Just Say No? How do we reconcile what look like furious opposites?
Apologist Robin Schumacher points out that Christians need to avoid two extremes.
Anarchy – “we don’t have to obey any rules at all” – is the cliff we need to avoid on the Left. Blind patriotism – “my country, right or wrong” – is the cliff that looms on the Right. Veering in either direction will take us to places well beyond the vision of Scripture, which we might describe as “a Spirit-discerned obedience to government.”
Let’s consider some specifics.
Paul’s command to be “subject to the governing authorities” is not conditional on who happens to be in power. Looking back over the past half century of American politics, it’s likely you can identify at least one president you cherished, and at least one president you were glad to see hit the road.
The amazing thing is that we’ve had such a variety of leaders at all, and that Christians, as voters, are granted the chance every four years to help steer the direction of their own country.
The earliest followers of Jesus had no such power or influence. Paul did his writing during a time when the entire Mediterranean world was under the thumb of Roman imperial autocrats, a number of whom were decadent, sadistic, and genocidal.
We may chafe at our obligation to pay taxes, especially if we suspect that that check we mail on April 15 is being used to support foolish or wasteful programs. But that’s nothing compared to taxes in the ancient world. The money that filled Rome’s coffers directly financed slavery, the over-the-top opulence of the emperor’s household, and a vast network of pagan temples, including sacred sites dedicated to Caesar himself.
Keep in mind that Jesus endorsed the payment of taxes, telling his followers to “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar” – even though tax rates in Judea may have soared as high as 60% of personal income, and were typically collected by extortionists backed by the muscle of Roman soldiers.
By contrast, obeying the governing authorities in 21st century America seems like a minor responsibility that comes with the privilege of living in a democracy.
That doesn’t mean, however, that we cannot imagine situations in which we would need to say No to a particular government in order to say Yes to God.
Schumacher describes what has been a general principle throughout church history: “We disobey the government when it commands evil. When the government commands what God condemns or condemns what God commands, Christians obey God rather than government.”
When Nazi SS officers pounded on the doors of those suspected of hiding Jews during World War II, residents were under no moral obligation to betray the ones they were sheltering.
It’s one thing for abortion to be permitted in various states. But if abortion or infanticide was mandated – as was the case during China’s disastrous one-child-per-family policy in recent years – followers of Jesus would have to declare, “We must obey God rather than human authorities.”
Ancient examples of both those cases can be found in Scripture. Obadiah hid 100 prophets from Queen Jezebel, who had ordered the execution of anyone who spoke on God’s behalf (I Kings 18:4, 13-15). And the Hebrew midwives in Egypt refused to murder newborn males despite Pharaoh’s explicit command (Exodus 1:15-21).
If, as a matter of conscience, we choose to challenge or disobey our government, what are our options?
Classically, we can follow one of three paths.
First, we can roll up our sleeves and peacefully work to change the laws. William Wilberforce spent 20 years as a member of the House of Lords bringing about the abolition of Britain’s slave trade. It almost always takes a long time to change the world from within the system, and positive results are never guaranteed.
Second, we can flee an abusive state. That option is exercised by individuals in both Old and New Testaments (including Jesus’ parents), and at any given moment it’s being embraced by people of faith around the world.
Third, we can accept whatever punishment the government decides to impose.
Nobody, including Jesus, ever said it would be easy to follow Jesus.
In the end, how do we reconcile the Bible’s call to obey the government even while keeping the option of disobedience on the table?
We don’t.
In the words of G.K. Chesterton, “Christianity got over the difficulty of combining furious opposites, by keeping them both, and keeping them both furious.”
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