A.
BACKGROUND
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When pop culture uses religion, faith, the Bible it catches people's attention and creates discussion. Broadway's "Jesus Christ, Superstar" or "The Book of Mormon"; movies like "Noah" and "Passion of the Christ"; DaVinci's painting of Jesus that just sold for $450 million; Tim Tebow kneeling to pray. Whenever religion pops up we can use it to think. Last week it was Attorney General Jeff Sessions using today's scripture to defend the separation of children from parents when they enter the United States for asylum. Game on!
B. TODAY, ... Romans 13:1-10.
C. SUMMARY ... St. Paul, as the prime architect of the Christian Church, established churches and spread Christianity. His letters ("epistles") strengthened those churches through teaching, doctrine, and leadership. Paul wrote this letter to the Christians in Rome around 60AD, telling Christians to obey government authorities because God has put them in power. Opposition to such leaders is equal to opposing God. Do good, pay taxes, then you have nothing to fear from the authorities. In verses 8-10 Paul prioritizes LOVE, telling church people that "love does no harm (and is) the complete fulfillment of the law." (verse 10).
D. KEY POINTS:
1A. WRONG. Sorry, Paul was mostly wrong. That's why I call myself a Christian who pursues Christlikeness; not a Paulist pursuing Paul-like-ness. Even Paul didn't want folks claiming to follow Paul! You know the expression "it doesn't pass the smell test" or "it doesn't add up". Paul's blanket statements that "everyone must submit to the government authorities... the authorities that exist have been established by God" (verse 1) don't add up. Where to begin? Putin, Castro, Venezuela's Chavez, the always useful Hitler/Mussolini/Stalin, decadent monarchs of days gone by, military coups, Idi Amin, Qaddafi, Saddam Hussein, Ayatollah Khomeini ... and every US President you didn't vote for?! Oh, and King George, whom we overthrew!! God put all those in power? Some believe if God didn't stop something God must have wanted it. Really? Plane crashes, cancer, terrorism, striking out with the bases loaded, lousy leaders?
Islam teaches that everything happens as God wills (inshallah) good, bad, or indifferent. Do we believe that? How come God is unhappy in the Bible at so much that happens if God let/wanted it to happen? No, you don't believe that.
PLUS
1B. It didn't work! Scholars think Paul was hoping to convince the Roman government that Christianity was not a threat to the government. The Jews of Paul's time were always rebelling, "but don't worry about us", he seems to be saying, "We'll obey, pay taxes, be good." Two years later Paul is imprisoned by Rome, and the last we hear of him he's awaiting a life or death trial. Legend is that he was executed by the Roman government. As for protecting Christians from persecution, the next 250 years produced horror after horror for early Christians, death and torture of every kind. Currying favor with despots doesn't work. Hiding your head in the sand doesn't work. Blaming God, well, you fill in the blank.
2. Paul's RIGHT. After his surprising defense of Emperor Nero (Google him!) Paul gets back to Jesus 101: Love. For years I've described myself as a "Jesus Only" person, emphasizing
Christlikeness
. I recently joined "Red Letter Christians", a group led by a friend who prioritizes the words of Jesus (often printed in red in some Bibles). The rest of the Bible I look at through the prism of Jesus; or, as was popular a few years ago, asking "What would Jesus do?" In the rest of the Bible look for echoes of Jesus. Paul understood God' love, he benefited from it. In 1 Corinthians 13 he says, "faith, hope, and love abide but the greatest of these is love." And in Romans 13 he could not be clearer: "LOVE DOES NO HARM to it's neighbor. Love is the FULFILLMENT of the Law." I don't mind the Attorney General looking to his Bible. But as I said last Sunday, when we decide to speak FOR GOD or TO GOD we better be IN TUNE WITH GOD. Paul's verse about being submissive to tyrants is not in tune with the Bible as a whole. What the Attorney General did is called "proof-texting", picking up isolated verses to back up what we already have decided. That's how we've had: slave ownership is okay, women be silent in church, rebellious sons can be stoned, no baptism of babies, no intermarriage, etc. Truth is, we all proof-text, having verses we prefer, avoid, or reject. But when we select our verses, choose the ones that are in tune with Jesus. An old hymn says, "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand."
3. Church/State. "You make a mess on my desk, it's my business." As a boss (my Habitat days) and a pastor I always give people great freedom to do their job. But if their work creates a mess on my desk I get involved. When the Attorney General brings up the Bible to support his policy he has put his mess on our desk. Even on the matter of separation of church and state, he is the one who crossed from state into church. He has used my Bible, my New Testament, my Christianity to push for a policy that is contradicted by all three. But the beauty of Protestantism and New England Congregationalism and Greenfield Hill Churchism is, don't take my word for it (or his). Our church empowers you to search the scriptures, wrestle for their truth, apply them to today, exercise your citizenship, vote (or write, petition, advocate) as you are led by God's spirit alive in you.
