Preface

What follows, in a number of installments, is in effect an extended essay on the question, ‘How should an American view government?’ Special attention is given to certain trends and ideologies that I am convinced are founded in a skewed way – askew from the clear teachings of Scripture – of answering this question. 

Since almost everything that is said during these times seems to have some reference to the coronavirus pandemic, I may as well say something about its relation to my essay. In one sense, my essay has nothing to do with the pandemic. You will not find it mentioned once. The thoughts I have wished to express have been incrementally forming in my mind for the better part of the last 20 years (I started having an interest in politics during the Bush-Gore election of 2000). Indeed, the principles involved, being of a biblical nature, are timeless. However, in another sense, the pandemic served as the occasion for my putting my thoughts to words. Before the pandemic, what may have been deemed hairline errors, have propagated themselves into glaring faults in light of current events. When American Christians had an unmatched opportunity to model Christlike, faith-filled, patience in suffering, some (let us each examine ourselves) have wasted that witness in favor of political fervor. 

The tenor of my words so far could be easily misconstrued. A careful reading of my essay will reveal that I am not advocating that Christians may never protest government overreach, the kind that the news offers ample examples of on a daily basis. Nor am I advocating that unconstitutional laws may not be legally challenged by Christians; they ought, especially in regard to religious liberty. I even believe, in extreme cases, that Christians have the obligation to disobey laws when they directly prohibit the accurate preaching of the gospel. However, what I fear is all too apparent is that our attitude (I speak as a conservative Christian) has more basis in our political traditions than in the Bible. And if our attitudes have strayed from Biblical teaching, it is likely because our beliefs have strayed. What I hope to accomplish with my essay is to point my fellow conservative Christians back to biblically compatible political beliefs where I believe they have begun to accept biblically incompatible political beliefs.

I. Introduction: Framing the Question

How should American Christians view government? Of course, I am referring to civil government as opposed to family or church or any other type of government. Without doubt, as Americans and as Christians, we are uniquely privileged in history. Arguably, none of our brothers and sisters in past ages or in any other country today enjoys the liberties that we do. With these rights comes the responsibility to safeguard them, not only for our own good, but also for our neighbor, so that this responsibility is even tied to loving our neighbor as ourselves. However, does the uniqueness of our situation as Americans hand us a set of obligations towards government fundamentally different than the set given to our brethren in past ages and in different countries? 

Certainly, how our Christian obligations towards government manifest themselves may vary from time and place, but the founding principles of those obligations must be founded on the timeless dictates of Scripture. No time and place can override the import of these dictates because we are firstly citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20, Heb 11:13) before we are American citizens. Where God has spoken, our peculiar circumstances cannot contradict. As it happens, God in His word has spoken clearly about government with regard to its authority, its power to tax, the respect it is owed, and when it is legitimate to challenge its authority. Unfortunately, in many Christian circles, it seems that the uniqueness of our American situation has led us to ignore or twist the meaning of those passages that speak clearly of government but that do not seem to fit with our view of our own government. Perhaps the mistake is that we have been asking the wrong question. The original question posed has one superfluous word. The question should be, or at least our first question should be, ‘How should Christians view government?’ So, the main thesis I wish to state is this: American Christians should view government as Christians should view government.

II. Conservative Credentials 

Since I will be criticizing some aspects of the political thought of American Christian conservatives, I want to clear myself of any left-leaning bias. I grew up as both religiously and politically conservative and I gladly admit that I still am. Furthermore, I grew up loving America and I count as one of the highest honors of my life that I was able to serve in the United States Marine Corps for a little more than four years. However, far above these identities of being staunchly conservative or proudly American, is my identity in Christ. I am willing to count my Americanism and my conservativism “… as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Phil. 3:8). I assume I am addressing fellow Christians, so you probably agree with this sentiment wholeheartedly. Yet I warn you that what I argue later on, may put this sentiment to the test. 

Before getting to this argument, let me specify just how politically conservative I am. I am a limited government, low taxes, Reagan conservative. In economics, I believe Capitalism is the best way. More specifically, I adhere to the Austrian School of Economics which is about as anti-socialist as conceivable. My favorite purely political book is F. A. Hayek’sThe Road to Serfdom (the basic thesis is that Socialism in all its forms is the road to serfdom/slavery). When it comes to jurisprudence, I am a strict Constitutionalist. I own more firearms than I ‘need,’ and I think the 2^nd Amendment is not just about hunting. I believe the number one political and moral issue of our day is putting an end to the genocide of the unborn. Lastly, lest it be thought that I am only critical of fellow Christian conservatives, I am saddened by how many of my more progressive leaning Christian brothers and sisters have allowed their biblical judgement to be clouded by political ideologies like Intersectionality and Social Justice.

Part of my being a conservative Christian is that I consider the Word of God the sole authority in matters of conscience. What if this principle of being a conservative Christian requires that I reconsider my principles of being a conservative American? My experience has, on more than one occasion, answered this question in the affirmative. I will argue that many American Christian conservatives today, need to answer yes to this question as well with regards to four specific ideas. These four ideas seem to be trending in conservative Christian circles today. The first is that more and more radical libertarianism is somehow compatible with a Biblical understanding of the world. The second is that taxation is theft. The third is less an idea than an attitude and it is that our being American allows us to have an un-submissive attitude towards the ruling authorities. The fourth is that we as Christians can disobey or even rebel against the government if we deem it sufficiently corrupt or unjust. 

In what follows, I will present the antitheses to all four of these ideas and give biblical justification for them. To be concrete, I will list these four antitheses as 

1. Libertarianism, if not seriously limited, is incompatible with a biblical understanding of the world.
2. Taxation is not theft.
3. The privilege of living in a free society like we have in America, does not justify an un-submissive attitude towards the ruling authorities.
4. Unjust and/or corrupt rulers alone are insufficient grounds for civil disobedience or rebellion