Free Republic

Author's note: The contemporary situation is perhaps the first time since the Civil War that talk of literal revolution is getting serious. It has been intensifying for the last four years. In 2018 I reflected on Romans 13. I Include some of those thoughts in the current column. America in this desperate hour does not need bloody, anarchic chaos from left or right, but a constitutional, biblically grounded revolution.Chaos kills the patient it claims to heal.America’s founders, steeped in biblical knowledge and principles, and fresh from the chaos of the Revolutionary War, sought revolution that would be carried out with...

The political drama in Michigan reveals how essential it is in a republic that the citizens defy unconstitutional and illegal orders of their government. The news broke late on Oct. 2 that the Michigan Supreme Court had invalidated Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s authority to issue executive orders related to Covid-19 after April 30. This was a victory for the rule of law, for the separation of powers, and for the liberties of the American people (okay, maybe just the people of Michigan).Whitmer had declared a state of emergency on March 10 and extended it through a series of executive orders, on...

As the United States readies to celebrate its independence on July 4, a thorny question arises: Does the Bible really grant nations—especially those once labeled "Christian"—the right of revolution, or do the Scriptures forbid it?Romans 13, now much in focus because of Attorney General Jeff Sessions' appeal to the passage (affirmed by White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders) to support current federal immigration policy and practice, would seem, according to some interpreters, to demand unquestioning submission to "authority."As already noted in the Christian Post, this passage has been too often used as the proof-text for all kinds of tyrannies. Yet its...

Submission to Governing Authorities Romans 13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. 4 For...

Why I am not a socialist Some reasons why I am not helping to build the kingdom of the Beast By Julio Severo Socialism is a fashion among atheists since Karl Marx. In its essence, socialism enthrones the State in the center of everything, as if the State had some kind of divine vocation or permission to replace God and meet all human needs: education, health, housing, employment, etc. Intending or not, every government promising such total provision is socialistic. The socialist fashion has imposed on the collective mindset the strange “normalcy” of viewing government as responsible for taking care...

1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.

According to European "anti-war" protesters, the United States is a new Rome, seeking to dominate the world through sheer military power, bent on conquest of the oil-rich Middle East and making it part of the new American Empire. If President Bush is a new Caesar, some comparisons are in order. American war-planners fretted about Saddam Hussein's plans to withdraw his troops into the cities, forcing U.S. troops into urban warfare that would mean a heavy toll in civilian casualties. The deaths of innocent Iraqi civilians would be a terrible thing, and the U.S. military is making every effort to minimize...

Was the War for Independence Biblical? Dear Doug, Recently some of the men in our congregation were studying the scriptures regarding submitting to the governing authorities, recognizing that God had put them there (e.g. Rom 13, 1 Pet 2, Tit. 3). We were somewhat impressed that every single one of the cases, as well as all the examples we could think of, indicated that this was an attitude we should have even if the ruler was not good. The question came up as to whether we were justified in presenting the efforts of Christian leaders of the American Revolution as...