[Cultural Jihad]

The Apostle Paul didn't waste his time decrying the tax collectors and other functionaries of Roman government. Indeed, he even calmly bared his neck when asked to. Not quite what this screed has in mind, eh?

[roughrider]

If you are to properly apply ROMANS:13 to the government of the United States of America, then the admonishment to Christians to obey the authority, as the authority is ordained by God, is applicable to the CONSTITUTION, the Supreme Law of this land. This is why public servants swear an oath to "support, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, both foreign and domestic so help me God." In this nation, as opposed to the ancient Roman world, it is the LAW, in the form of the Constitution that occupies the position of the authority in ROMANS:13.

You should also recall that the admonishment of Jesus to the Pharisees regarding the tax made an important distinction for the Christian to remember in considering the relationship between the Christian and the government. Jesus did not merely say, "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's." Jesus said: "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and to God that which is God's." There is a hierarchy that the Christian must obey, and the Christian's first object of obedience must be God, even if that brings the Christian into conflict with the government. The Emperors demanded that the ancient Christians worship them. They refused, yet ROMANS:13 could be interpreted as requiring them to obey. St. Paul did not obey that governmental command, either, yet Paul was the transcriber of the Divinely-inspired ROMANS:13.