Was Martin Luther King Jr. wrong in 1963 when he disobeyed the law and was put in prison in Alabama? When some religious leaders disagreed with his activism, King penned a letter from jail:
“…One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘”an unjust law is no law at all.”‘ “Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God…”
Are there any guidelines for when a Christian is allowed or even required to oppose an unjust law or ruler?
It should be emphasized that being faithful to the Bible and living by its standards might require us to endure civil punishment, as Kentucky clerk Kim Davis recently learned. Please know that we are absolutely not comparing her to Martin Luther King Jr. The reason however, for their refusal to obey what they considered an unjust law was and is a moral reason.
Tuesday’s guest on Stand Up for the Truth (9 AM – 10 AM CST, Monday – Friday) is Robert Meyer, a columnist for RenewAmerica.
Meyer writes:
Kim Davis, the county clerk from Kentucky who was jailed for refusing to process marriage license applications for same-sex couples, offers a poignant segue into the issue of whether civil disobedience is an appropriate response for professing Christians.
Some folks would rather sojourn down the rabbit trails of peripheral issues, such as pointing out that Davis is hypocritical in her stance because she has had several divorces. While her past may not make her the perfect poster child for one “standing on principle,” it would matter to me whether the improprieties occurred before or after her Christian conversion – an important distinction that would make little difference to her critics.
Recently a secularist quoted a familiar biblical passage (Romans 13: 1-3) as “proof” that resistance against the civil authority is hypocritical.
I find it interesting that Mr. Meyer does not refer to Daniel's disobedience, nor the disobedience of the mid-wives with Pharoah in Exodus where clear direction was given to suborn, commit, or allow sin in a direct manner.
Although having the spiritual guts could be difficult, depending on the calculated amount of loss the world would see one possibly lose if they chose to follow God over the law of the land, it is not a difficult study to conclude where the Bible clearly teaches concerning what laws to obey and when disobedience is required.
May I suggest Mr. Meyer review the Exodus, Joshua, and Daniel to understand where believers should reside when it comes to this subject matter, then we can revisit. To know my position on all this, one only needs to read my comments back over on the Davis article a few weeks ago.
Amen Manny. We must ALWAYS remember in our walk of faith in Christ alone for salvation….that Jesus, our LORD and Savior, and His disciples and Apostles NEVER declared themselves either liberal nor conservative, nor affiliated themselves with any political party active during their time here on this earth. While people were playing/active in politics in their perspective countries, they were busy at work declaring the eternal life saving Gospel to the lost and encouraging born again Christian in their faith. They were busy DOING the LORD'S work -and BEING the ekklesia to the people in need and no where in my Scriptures do I read that these men of great faith EVER rebelled against the Roman government.
Please show me the Scriptures where those great men of faith rebelled/participated in anti-government activities to draw attention to themselves. In my short time here on earth, there has NEVER BEEN A TIME when those active in politics have EVER encouraged me in my faith in JESUS, THE CHRIST. It has always been confrontation, confrontation, and more confrontation in public, at so called fellowship meals, and over the telephone where politics is concerned. There is NEVER any peace with those involved in politics….in my neck of the woods anyway!
May God grant us His peace when approaching the throne of politics here in this country, especially as our churches proudly display their American flags. Have mercy on us O LORD.
I went to the Renew America site, it's a political site, so much danger in mixing Christianity with politics. There's a false belief that if we pick and vote for the "right" politician somehow the ills that plague this society will somehow disappear, folks it's not. First the demographics in this country are skewed to the left, the independent vote has shifted to the left , as Obama proved after two wins, someone can be politically on the right and be an unbeliever, I know many. Both sides are done for. We are not saving the culture, but we can reach individuals for Jesus.
My question is, would she still be supported if she was:
Muslim
JW
Mormon
Atheist moralist
Jewish