The
Christian Scriptures instruct Christians to obey laws and respect those who
adopt and enforce them. Jesus orders His
followers to “render unto Caesar” what is rightfully his. Paul states
government is constituted as an instrument of God’s will for ordering human
life. But there are provisions for
Christian behavior when government fails or perverts its mission. In Acts 4 and 5 Peter and John are ordered by
the Jewish high council to stop speaking in the Name of Jesus. They reply that the council must do what it
will, but they will obey God rather than men in cases of conflicting interests.
Even then the default position is to operate
within and through civil law. Paul
secures his chance to share his faith with the Roman emperor by appealing his
case, not by storming the gates. The
greatest danger – when contemplating resistance to the state – is that we will become self-righteous, step
over the line, and excuse our own bad conduct with a “they made us do it”
attitude.
That
said, I believe the Church has reached the uncomfortable position of Peter and
John. California laws SB 1172, AB 777,
and SB 48 forbid psychotherapists to help gender confused youth on the one hand
and compel teachers to declare homosexuality is good on the other – regardless
of professional judgment or religious conviction. Authorities in several states punish
businesses for declining same-sex marriages albeit referring people to houses
that will service them. The Obama Administration
penalizes refusals on faith to purchase abortions for employees. I am not even mentioning cases of citizens
forbidden to name or discuss God in public settings from shopping malls to city
councils. These violate First Amendment
rights and the numbers keep rising. Many
are too intimidated to seek legal assistance, although it is readily available.
Some
law abiding citizens have had their guns confiscated and many laws are being
adopted or proposed that clearly trash Second Amendment rights.
It
is not all about constitutionality. AB
1266 – the Bathroom Bill – expects school children to tolerate opposite sex
members using their bathrooms if they feel like the gender they are not. This is potentially traumatizing to more than
99% of children and risks access for sexual predators – they come in all
ages. This law may not violate the
constitution, but it certainly begs the right of children to be safe at school
and should be intolerable to any parent.
It is not unconstitutional to charge landowners a tax labeled a fire fee
and refuse to refund fees already collected when a court orders the state to do
so – it is just plain illegal – and another example of government operating
outside its own parameters. But it is
not acceptable, and should not be accepted.
We
won’t even start with murder in Benghazi, mobilizing the IRS to harass
political enemies, or spying on law abiding citizens because government has the
means to do it. We’ll just ask what a
law-abiding citizen who serves God should be doing about the situation. There are at least two things that pass
Biblical muster and promise positive results.
First,
enter a process of identificational and personal repentance. We are not talking about wearing a hair shirt
or beating ourselves up. Of course
repentance includes – usually begins – with a no-holds-barred self
examination. Repenting on behalf of
lawless government officials means asking what issues of pride, self
centrality, and the arrogance of playing God might motivate outrageous abuse of
power. But we had better turn that same
unblinking eye on ourselves because none of us is any better than the people we
choose to lead us. Jesus says as much in
Luke 13:1-5. But repentance is useless
if we do not use the opportunity re-focus on God, to seek a clearer vision of
Who He is and the persons He would create us to be. That’s the good and the lifegiving part.
Second,
we enter a process of providing positive alternatives to the status quo we
deplore. To use the Bathroom bill as
just one example, what would happen if churches trained a large number of
parents and grandparents to volunteer on campuses to patrol restrooms and –
gently and lovingly – tell the boy who wants to use the girls’ room he will
have to wait until the girl inside comes out.
Would the schools benefit across the board with a host of new volunteers
seeking only to bless as they protect?
Reality is that it is time for Christians to stand together to say,
“No.” But remember the One to Whom we
say, “Yes,” is far more important than the ones to whom we say no.
James A. Wilson is the author of Living
As Ambassadors of Relationships and The
Holy Spirit and the End Times – available at local bookstores or by
e-mailing him at
praynorthstate@charter.net
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