Join us as Tim Kimberley, J.J. Seid and Sam Storms as they discuss if Christians can resist government authority.
Join us as Tim Kimberley, J.J. Seid and Sam Storms as they discuss if Christians can resist government authority.
2 replies to "Theology Unplugged: Can Christians Rise up Against the Government?"
How do you figure that Bonhoeffer “got what he deserved”?
If he deserved death for trying to violently upset Hitler, then wouldn’t all the military men also trying to violently upset Hitler be “getting what they deserved” when they are killed by the enemy?
Surely not.
One might say:
Well, Bonhoeffer had the duty to submit to his government, and opposing armies have the duty to submit to their own governments.
But this could not be true! This would give someone under a government a higher threshold of injustice, and someone outside a government a lower threshold of injustice, before intervening violently. This is obviously backwards.
So, my question is:
Can you please clarify what you mean by Bonhoeffer getting what he deserved?
Why does he deserve death, while we honor our troops for their service?
“The good ruler is a terror to the bad not the good!” Great point. Hitler, the Caesars that led 10 martyrdoms, Obama (just kidding), are not part of the class “Good Rulers”.
But when we ask why would God honor non-Christian rulers, we find that anarchy eliminates safety. When someone is without the lower levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy (I.e. Food, shelter, security,) do they even consider the questions: where did I come from; where am I going when I die; how do I get meaning out of life; how do I live my life morally? Anarchy eliminates freedom. Good rulers increase freedom of good citizens. Freedom to ask the four questions listed above. Romans produced roads, safety, language, economic trade that facilitated the gospel, even while presiding over horrible purges of Christians.
Another great program.