NASHVILLE (BP) — In early July, Americans lit up the night sky with fireworks and festivities as they marked the 250th anniversary of the United States. As the celebrations fade like the summer sun, how should American Christians exercise their freedoms as they move toward the next milestone?
Perhaps the best way to look ahead is to look behind.
In a sermon preached July 5 at Capitol Hill Baptist Church, just blocks from the halls of Congress and the White House, Senior Pastor Mark Dever pointed to George Washington’s reflection on the assistance Baptists provided during the American Revolution.
Washington wrote to Virginia Baptists in the first weeks of his presidency, Dever shared, calling them “firm friends of civil liberty and the persevering promoters of our glorious revolution.”
A June New York Times article highlights the work of famed Baptist preacher John Leland as he pursued religious liberty. But, even more, it speaks of those who linked arms to push back against a state-run church as they longed for religious liberty.
“The evangelicals flooded the (Virginia) Assembly with petitions calling for the disestablishment of the official church,” the article says.
On the hot Sunday morning in the city that bears the first American president’s name, Dever drew from 1 Samuel 23 and Romans 13 to remind hearers that, “Authority well used and exercised blesses those underneath it.”
The newly-elected president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) agrees.
“Government is one of the core institutions that God has ordained for the flourishing of society,” Evan Lenow told Baptist Press.
“Because of that, we are commanded in Scripture to submit to the governing authorities and to pray for those in leadership over our civil societies,” said Lenow.
Lenow and Dever both acknowledge, however, that there are times when Christians must push back against policy and government.
Pointing to the Old Testament accounts of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Dever said there are times when God’s people have to make a stand against governmental authority, going so far as to say that sometimes, “Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God.”
The idea, while not preferred, should not be foreign to anyone who knows how God delivered Daniel from the lion’s den and the other three aforementioned from Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace.
And the idea is not just an Old Testament concept.
When commanded not to preach the gospel in Acts 4:19-20, Peter and John said, “Whether it’s right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide; for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (CSB)
“Christians must remember that even though God ordained the government to exercise authority over society, such authority is not absolute,” Lenow said. “There are instances where faithful Christians and the government can find themselves at odds with one another. In those situations, Christians have grounds to resist laws and rulers that make demands antithetical to God’s will.”
In Kentucky, Richard Nelson leads the Commonwealth Policy Center, a nonprofit aiming to “educate the general public on critical issues of the day, protect our freedoms, and work for policies that grow the Commonwealth.” The group focuses on life, marriage, religious liberty and fiscal responsibility.
Nelson is a member of Buck Run Baptist Church in Frankfort.
He says believers should make their stand when public policy presses Christians to lay aside their convictions.
“Clearly, when the government violates conscience or compels wrongful activity, then it’s our duty to say ‘No, we can’t do that. That doesn’t honor God.’
“Believers must be careful and respectful,” he added, when they oppose government leaders. Praying for civic leaders also includes praying for those with whom the Christian might disagree.
Both leaders agree that today’s culture is filled with a wide variety of contentious avenues.
“Many of the issues that Southern Baptists care most about have the potential to be flashpoints for civil disobedience,” Lenow said.
“Christian doctors and pharmacists may be faced with the decision to refuse prescribing chemical abortion pills despite the expectation of their state governments or employers. Believers who have the authority to perform wedding ceremonies or issue marriage licenses may be pressured by governing authorities to perform or sanction same-sex marriages. Public school teachers and coaches may be asked to allow biological males who identify as female to play on a girls’ sports team or use a girls’ locker room,” he told Baptist Press.
And Lenow acknowledges there may be a price to pay.
“These individuals may lose their jobs or face persecution, but that is preferable to sacrificing their biblical convictions,” he said.
The ERLC works with a number of coalition partners to protect the rights of Christians. Lenow offered some specific ways Christians should stand against policies that conflict with their convictions:
- Remember the First Amendment gives rights to free speech, free exercise of religion and conscience protections.
- Speak clearly to elected officials and encourage them to uphold Constitutionally protected rights.
- When necessary, pursue legal action against the violating government authority.
- Trust in God’s divine providence for deliverance against unjust punishments from governing authorities.
In the end, Dever, Lenow and Nelson agree that a Christian’s witness for the gospel must be the preeminent focus even in times of political disagreement.
“When we engage in an honorable and respectful way, it opens the door to changed hearts,” Nelson told Baptist Press.
“In fact, we should be leading when it comes to engaging the public arena well,” he said. “When we do that, it honors God. And the world will take notice.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE — Brandon Porter serves as vice president for communications at the SBC Executive Committee.)
