3. Civil Disobedience vs. Uncivil Disobedience
If one spends any time in the Word of God, one walks away knowing that most of the time, and for most purposes we are to obey not only God's law (even under grace, they are the commands which Jesus said we would keep if we love him), but man's law as well. Most of the time, Man's law is not that oppressive, and is based upon principles in the Word of God. The Book of Romans, Chapter 13 clearly teaches that we are to obey the 'higher powers', as civil authorities, even when they may not be the best of people, are "ordained of God". God appointed the 'office' of those who keep the law: it has changed over the centuries who exactly that is, but we are to respect and obey the law, and law makers and enforcers. In Jesus' time, Roman soldiers and the temple guard kept the peace, though they were brutal. In feudal times, Princes hired small armies who kept peace in their region and remanded criminals to judgment, and in Europe, a form of 'sherriff' appeared. Later, modern nations, based upon the former small armies model which had degenerated into occasional thuggery, began to hire mercenaries for protection, a concept that led to modern police departments. There have always been those who keep civil order, and who remand criminals to a justice system in societies of any size or nature. This keeps order in God's universe and human society. Most of the time, that is not very hard for a true Christian to do, for they willingly obey the law, would never think of stealing, killing or destroying property, and I have actually met a few that really do drive the speed limit!
The Christian then, for the most part, is admonished in the Scriptures to obey civil law, and most true believing Christians, trying to obey the Lord, try also to be model citizens, not only obeying the law, but contributing to the peace and welfare of the community. What do we do then, as Christians, when the laws become either grossly unjust, or when there is a violation of conscience or the Word of God in a civil law? Two principles apply: 1)the keeping vs. not keeping of the law, and 2)Obedience to the Lord and his Word.
One might argue that keeping vs. not keeping the law is analogous to the second, but there is a point of clarification: the law of man, is ordained, appointed of God, even when mankind does not see it. That means that when a law is passed, and a law enforcer enforces the law, the process is ORDAINED. It means that the transgression of the law has an effect. It means, that the transgression of any particular law set by an ordained system, brings judgment when disobeyed.
The natural and quick argument to that scenario, is 'What about when it violates God's law or ways?' The answer is not as either-or as many people think: we are to obey the law because it is ordained, but if it is against God's law or requires us to do something which would break our covenant with God, then a choice has to be made. A simplistic view is that if man's law is unjust, then all we have to do is disobey and then we are scott -free with God. In a way, there is an element of truth to that: we obey the 'higher' law of God, as when the apostle Paul asks in Galatians, "Who should I obey then, God or Man?" Paul was clearly putting God first as God is sovereign over all. God will eventually vindicate us, and the 'final appeal' will be on our side.
Sometimes, though, we are faced with brutal and unrealistic circumstances, such as being asked to disrobe by an officer, when it is neither legal nor necessary, or asked to do an unspeakable thing : do we obey? Well, the answer is no, of course not, but this is where the ordination of power comes to play: for the moment, the disobedience, if we are truly righteous in our assessment of the situation, results in a consequence. If a person, knowing he is legally preaching the gospel in a park, continues after asking to stop by a police officer, is he doing right or wrong? In God's eyes, one never does wrong to preach the gospel, but what if one does it in the middle of a crowded symphony hall or if one blocks the entrance to a building while doing it? Is it preaching, or disturbing the peace?
Every situation is different. If an unstable person jumps up in the middle of a movie and starts telling people they are all going to hell, they really are disturbing the peace, and not leaving many with a desire for salvation. On the other hand, I recall a minister who went down to the City Center Mall in Columbus, preached at the bottom of 20 or 30 stairsteps that led up to 8 glass doors, and he was charged with obstruction of the entrance to a public place: clearly an unjust charge. We can not give perfect rules for every situation, but our conscience is an internalization of God's loving laws and commandments. We are under grace without doubt, but we do not use it as a license to sin. If we choose to disobey an unjust law, we will have peace and not negate the presence of God in our lives, but we may also suffer unpleasant consequences. We decide each incident ourselves, but should never take the decision lightly.
Civil Disobedience for Christians
In the 1960s, in the southern states in the US, churches regularly boycotted, protested, and even disobeyed court orders which were unconstitutional and illegal, though they were violently locally enforced. Should they have done that? Some will say they should have worked within the system, but the truth is, they did, and they continued to try, though they were often stonewalled. Are a group of Christians guilty of unlawful assembly, if every time they apply for a legal permit they are turned down because they are Christians? These are hard decisions, but one thing is sure, the choice to defy injustice, is often met with persecution and violence. One has to consider that factor.
Does this mean that we should always 'obey the higher powers' even if they ask an unconscionable wrong? Many persons faced this problem in Hitler's Germany: to aid and abet Jewish people leaving the country could result in imprisonment or death, yet at least a few, put their lives on the line, and some were killed and imprisoned. Bonhoeffer rightly calls it the 'cost of discipleship': to have looked the other way would have meant the death of a line of people who are called chosen and who figure greatly in the end time. To be succinct, there are times when we have to choose to disobey civil authority.
'Rules of Engagement' in Civil Disobedience
That being said, we are still to maintain our highest calling of preaching the Gospel and being peaceable people who 'work quietly with our own hands'. It is not wrong ever to stand up for goodness and justice: that is a good thing: but it is the second highest. When we entertain Civil disobedience then, in a good and holy cause, such as freedom of speech, protection of life, or such golden issues, we are to conduct ourselves in an irreproachable way. A fine example is the young woman who climbed the flag post in South Carolina and took down the Confederate flag. A sign of slavery, particularly for black citizens, it had no business flying in front of a capitol that was to represent and make laws for all of its citizens. The incident got a lot of press, but most did not pay attention to what she was saying as she climbed down with the flag and was arrested: she was reciting Psalm 23. This was a point of conscience for the young woman: she knew she would probably be arrested if caught, but she was willing. Her reaction though was a fine example of civil disobedience: she was doing a righteous act, she employed prayer and the Word, and she willfully submitted to a legal but unjust arrest: she did not verbally assault the police, or fight back, or send them to hell in a handbasket. If we choose a point of civil disobedience based upon our faith, we are still servants of God: we represent him on earth, and must conduct ourselves in love.
The following are a few suggestions in obedient disobedience:
1. Like before, try not to go it alone
2. Know the law before you go: know every statute that applies
3. Know what the Word of God says about your actions.
4. Speak softly and civilly to police officers, even if they are acting unjustly. The great movements of the 20th century for freedom were very careful to do this, even to their own hurt.
5. Be in prayer, without ceasing. Remember to PRAISE the Lord.
6. Singing often quells wrath.
7. If arrested, do not resist, but go quietly, with a pre-determined contact, e.g. a pastor or attorney
8. Keep the area where a protest or vigil occurs clean: leave it cleaner than when you came.
9. Think of ways beforehand to 'go the extra mile'.
10. Make them marvel at your lack of hatred or verbose assault.
Numbers impress people, but not if they get violent or are not orderly: then they only look at your cause as criminal. When you act in love, then any arrest is an unjust one if you are obeying God's Word. God will honor that: the bars will crumble. Make sure you are first obedient to him: it is possible to get sidetracked into too many societal causes to the neglect of obedience and faith. Last, count the cost: many civil rights leaders in the US or South Africa were killed trying to bring about a less oppressive society, and judicial equality. Some were maimed and injured. With the blessing of God and in his grace, hopefully this will not occur, but one has to maintain a realistic attitude: they see you as violating the law. These days, though we know we are a peaceful people, bent on faith and good works, authorities do not see it that way. They see potential religious extremists who might riot, and some equate fervent faith in Christ with other religious systems such as radical Islam: we know we are not like that: they do not. We use and walk in the wisdom of Christ.
more the next time.
ekbest
If one spends any time in the Word of God, one walks away knowing that most of the time, and for most purposes we are to obey not only God's law (even under grace, they are the commands which Jesus said we would keep if we love him), but man's law as well. Most of the time, Man's law is not that oppressive, and is based upon principles in the Word of God. The Book of Romans, Chapter 13 clearly teaches that we are to obey the 'higher powers', as civil authorities, even when they may not be the best of people, are "ordained of God". God appointed the 'office' of those who keep the law: it has changed over the centuries who exactly that is, but we are to respect and obey the law, and law makers and enforcers. In Jesus' time, Roman soldiers and the temple guard kept the peace, though they were brutal. In feudal times, Princes hired small armies who kept peace in their region and remanded criminals to judgment, and in Europe, a form of 'sherriff' appeared. Later, modern nations, based upon the former small armies model which had degenerated into occasional thuggery, began to hire mercenaries for protection, a concept that led to modern police departments. There have always been those who keep civil order, and who remand criminals to a justice system in societies of any size or nature. This keeps order in God's universe and human society. Most of the time, that is not very hard for a true Christian to do, for they willingly obey the law, would never think of stealing, killing or destroying property, and I have actually met a few that really do drive the speed limit!
The Christian then, for the most part, is admonished in the Scriptures to obey civil law, and most true believing Christians, trying to obey the Lord, try also to be model citizens, not only obeying the law, but contributing to the peace and welfare of the community. What do we do then, as Christians, when the laws become either grossly unjust, or when there is a violation of conscience or the Word of God in a civil law? Two principles apply: 1)the keeping vs. not keeping of the law, and 2)Obedience to the Lord and his Word.
One might argue that keeping vs. not keeping the law is analogous to the second, but there is a point of clarification: the law of man, is ordained, appointed of God, even when mankind does not see it. That means that when a law is passed, and a law enforcer enforces the law, the process is ORDAINED. It means that the transgression of the law has an effect. It means, that the transgression of any particular law set by an ordained system, brings judgment when disobeyed.
The natural and quick argument to that scenario, is 'What about when it violates God's law or ways?' The answer is not as either-or as many people think: we are to obey the law because it is ordained, but if it is against God's law or requires us to do something which would break our covenant with God, then a choice has to be made. A simplistic view is that if man's law is unjust, then all we have to do is disobey and then we are scott -free with God. In a way, there is an element of truth to that: we obey the 'higher' law of God, as when the apostle Paul asks in Galatians, "Who should I obey then, God or Man?" Paul was clearly putting God first as God is sovereign over all. God will eventually vindicate us, and the 'final appeal' will be on our side.
Sometimes, though, we are faced with brutal and unrealistic circumstances, such as being asked to disrobe by an officer, when it is neither legal nor necessary, or asked to do an unspeakable thing : do we obey? Well, the answer is no, of course not, but this is where the ordination of power comes to play: for the moment, the disobedience, if we are truly righteous in our assessment of the situation, results in a consequence. If a person, knowing he is legally preaching the gospel in a park, continues after asking to stop by a police officer, is he doing right or wrong? In God's eyes, one never does wrong to preach the gospel, but what if one does it in the middle of a crowded symphony hall or if one blocks the entrance to a building while doing it? Is it preaching, or disturbing the peace?
Every situation is different. If an unstable person jumps up in the middle of a movie and starts telling people they are all going to hell, they really are disturbing the peace, and not leaving many with a desire for salvation. On the other hand, I recall a minister who went down to the City Center Mall in Columbus, preached at the bottom of 20 or 30 stairsteps that led up to 8 glass doors, and he was charged with obstruction of the entrance to a public place: clearly an unjust charge. We can not give perfect rules for every situation, but our conscience is an internalization of God's loving laws and commandments. We are under grace without doubt, but we do not use it as a license to sin. If we choose to disobey an unjust law, we will have peace and not negate the presence of God in our lives, but we may also suffer unpleasant consequences. We decide each incident ourselves, but should never take the decision lightly.
Civil Disobedience for Christians
In the 1960s, in the southern states in the US, churches regularly boycotted, protested, and even disobeyed court orders which were unconstitutional and illegal, though they were violently locally enforced. Should they have done that? Some will say they should have worked within the system, but the truth is, they did, and they continued to try, though they were often stonewalled. Are a group of Christians guilty of unlawful assembly, if every time they apply for a legal permit they are turned down because they are Christians? These are hard decisions, but one thing is sure, the choice to defy injustice, is often met with persecution and violence. One has to consider that factor.
Does this mean that we should always 'obey the higher powers' even if they ask an unconscionable wrong? Many persons faced this problem in Hitler's Germany: to aid and abet Jewish people leaving the country could result in imprisonment or death, yet at least a few, put their lives on the line, and some were killed and imprisoned. Bonhoeffer rightly calls it the 'cost of discipleship': to have looked the other way would have meant the death of a line of people who are called chosen and who figure greatly in the end time. To be succinct, there are times when we have to choose to disobey civil authority.
'Rules of Engagement' in Civil Disobedience
That being said, we are still to maintain our highest calling of preaching the Gospel and being peaceable people who 'work quietly with our own hands'. It is not wrong ever to stand up for goodness and justice: that is a good thing: but it is the second highest. When we entertain Civil disobedience then, in a good and holy cause, such as freedom of speech, protection of life, or such golden issues, we are to conduct ourselves in an irreproachable way. A fine example is the young woman who climbed the flag post in South Carolina and took down the Confederate flag. A sign of slavery, particularly for black citizens, it had no business flying in front of a capitol that was to represent and make laws for all of its citizens. The incident got a lot of press, but most did not pay attention to what she was saying as she climbed down with the flag and was arrested: she was reciting Psalm 23. This was a point of conscience for the young woman: she knew she would probably be arrested if caught, but she was willing. Her reaction though was a fine example of civil disobedience: she was doing a righteous act, she employed prayer and the Word, and she willfully submitted to a legal but unjust arrest: she did not verbally assault the police, or fight back, or send them to hell in a handbasket. If we choose a point of civil disobedience based upon our faith, we are still servants of God: we represent him on earth, and must conduct ourselves in love.
The following are a few suggestions in obedient disobedience:
1. Like before, try not to go it alone
2. Know the law before you go: know every statute that applies
3. Know what the Word of God says about your actions.
4. Speak softly and civilly to police officers, even if they are acting unjustly. The great movements of the 20th century for freedom were very careful to do this, even to their own hurt.
5. Be in prayer, without ceasing. Remember to PRAISE the Lord.
6. Singing often quells wrath.
7. If arrested, do not resist, but go quietly, with a pre-determined contact, e.g. a pastor or attorney
8. Keep the area where a protest or vigil occurs clean: leave it cleaner than when you came.
9. Think of ways beforehand to 'go the extra mile'.
10. Make them marvel at your lack of hatred or verbose assault.
Numbers impress people, but not if they get violent or are not orderly: then they only look at your cause as criminal. When you act in love, then any arrest is an unjust one if you are obeying God's Word. God will honor that: the bars will crumble. Make sure you are first obedient to him: it is possible to get sidetracked into too many societal causes to the neglect of obedience and faith. Last, count the cost: many civil rights leaders in the US or South Africa were killed trying to bring about a less oppressive society, and judicial equality. Some were maimed and injured. With the blessing of God and in his grace, hopefully this will not occur, but one has to maintain a realistic attitude: they see you as violating the law. These days, though we know we are a peaceful people, bent on faith and good works, authorities do not see it that way. They see potential religious extremists who might riot, and some equate fervent faith in Christ with other religious systems such as radical Islam: we know we are not like that: they do not. We use and walk in the wisdom of Christ.
more the next time.
ekbest
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