Authority
Stop.
Close your eyes and breathe. As you breathe in, say “I obey God.” As you breathe out, say “I remain faithful.” Repeat as many times as you need.
Listen.
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God… For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval. – Romans 13:1, 3
Reflect.
The Bible is a collection of books, letters, poems, and histories covering thousands of years. While they all reveal God to us, they also reflect particular times and situations. Sometimes, when we misread these backgrounds, we are tempted to painfully misuse the text. We read what we want to hear into a passage that was meant for a very different situation. It doesn’t mean that the passage doesn’t have something to say to us now. It just means we must consider what’s going on in the passage and what we know about God’s action in the world in order to answer truthfully: am I listening for what God is up to here and now, or am I making God agree with what I already think?
Romans 13 is one such passage. In it, the Apostle Paul encourages the church in Rome to be obedient to its political rulers. Knowing that ancient Rome was not typically kind to Christians, this might be a difficult thing to understand. But Paul is trying to protect this early church. He recognizes that the church would absolutely be destroyed if they fought against the powers of Rome. Instead, he hopes that by being good citizens, the Christians can avoid persecution and perhaps even bear witness to their faithfulness.
You don’t have to look far to understand how this passage can get misused. Tyrants and dictators of all stripes have looked to passages just like this one to confirm what they already believe: that contradicting them means contradicting God. Even the Lutheran church in Nazi Germany mostly capitulated, pointing to texts just like this one to shore up their heresy. Still today, any time someone wants to saint their governing officials, a text like Romans 13 comes up.
A good test is this: when another political party or ideology comes to power, does this passage still feel true? Or are you more likely to point to stories of God’s people overthrowing oppressors or having no lord but God when you disagree with the political persuasion in power? Then it’s possible you’re prooftexting, which is a way of reading scripture that means you find texts that already confirm what you believe, giving textual proof of your already-held position.
As we approach Independence Day, we must always be cautious not to seek out in the Bible what we’re already inclined to believe about our country and its leaders. Challenge yourself to find both promise and reproof, consolation and confrontation, argument and agreement in Biblical texts. As Christians living in a free country, we will always live in the tension of who we obey and why. Together, as a faithful community, we hold each other accountable to hearing the many ways God is at work.
Pray.
God, I confess to you all the times I make your word agree with what I already think. Challenge me, God. Show me things that make me wonder and question. Strengthen me to serve both you and my country with faithfulness, honesty, and compassion, because no matter who is in power, you are God. Amen.
Carry On.
Find someone you can safely have a serious conversation with and discuss where an American Christian’s loyalties should be. How do you explain faithful Christians having differing political opinions?