Pondering American Independence
I raised the question at a recent men’s group in my church of whether or not the American revolution was a Godly revolution. In a church full of many military members and their families, it is no surprise that this kicked off a bit of a storm of disbelief, confusion, and even anger. Thankfully, the men of my church, while heated, are Godly pursuers of the truth, so we were able to have the conversation without too much consternation after the initial shock. The premise of my question was essentially, is it ever right to seek the overthrow of a sovereign if, as the Scripture says, “…there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1b)?
Now many might argue that doesn’t seem to apply to godless governments, but context here helps us. Historically, Paul’s letter to the Romans is most likely written to them during the reign of the Emperor Nero. While ranking wickedness may not be all that productive, Nero certainly is no slouch in that department. He would have Christians burned as torches in his garden, fed to wild beasts in the coliseum, and imprisoned indefinitely. Compared to this, taxation without representation seems a bit… trivial.
Of course, I would not expect for non-believers to consider whether or not something is godly before doing it, but for a portion of the founding fathers, and colonials, who were indeed Christians, I am curious what questions of conscience might have arisen. One of the men in my group said essentially, “well it wasn’t an overthrow attempt, we were breaking away, so it isn’t the same.” I didn’t have the wherewithal at the time to answer well, but the very next verse in Romans seems to undermine that thought. “Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment” (Romans 13:2). It doesn’t say attempts to overthrow, but rather “resists.” To resist the given authorities is to resist God.
How do we defend resisting the taxes of a distant king then? I am not sure we can. I am not sure we have the Biblical basis to say that what was commanded by King George was somehow directly in contradiction to the will of God, which would put us at odds fundamentally. Certainly there was resistance, after all, in the time of the Roman Emperors when people would not bow to worship the Emperors rather than God. This is clear enough, but did we reach such a level in the American revolution? If we did, please, enlighten me. I recognize that I am oversimplifying a multi-variable problem of causes, consequences, and contributing factors to the American revolutions, but when was the last time you legitimately tried to defend the revolution with a Biblical rather than secular argument? I have yet to see it even attempted.
I am no historian or expert on the American Revolution, so I will not venture to answer whether the revolution was Godly or not on the celebration of our independence. I will only say that the more I study the Word, the more dubious the revolution seems in my eyes. I raise the question today because it is one that we as believers, and believing men, need to fearfully consider in our modern moment. We have no shortage of ungodly laws being passed, and no shortage of opportunities to disagree with the running of the nation, but it takes God-given courage, conscience, and discernment to recognize when the lines have been crossed in truth– where what is asked or commanded of us by our society is actually in direct conflict with God’s Word. It takes further courage and wisdom to consider what then to do when those conflicts arise.
It may seem mad for me to raise such a question today and not give an answer, but the question, and the ensuing conversation, is, for now, more important than the answer because without asking the question we may dangerously assume that what occurred was righteous (or wicked) without reassessing our assumptions. We are now in a kingdom that God did establish, so it is owed honor as an authority established by Him. Still, there is value in considering whether it was established by men of God for His purposes, or rather by wicked men who God has guided to His purposes. In truth there is likely some of both. No nation rises without His leave, nor falls without His judgment. Were we risen up to be a light on the hill or an example of His judgement? Likely both here as well. For we who serve the True King and a higher kingdom, how do we serve that Kingdom faithfully within this one in which we currently live? That is a question we desperately need answers to, and it is my prayer that this difficult question, raised on a day of remembering independence, will drive some independence of thought that will guide us to righteous action for the glory of our God.
Rusty
July 5, 2023 - 1:39 pm ·The original English immigrants to America were the Puritans. They left England due to religious persecution by the Church of England who continued to embrace many of the erroneous teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Additionally, the Church of England held considerable sway with the English Monarchy. The Puritans were really some of the most ardent adherents to the tenets of the Reformation and this led them to establish a new colony in America where they were able to pursue their religious convictions more freely. While I’m not saying that the actions of the Puritans ultimately justified the American Revolution that would begin some 140+ years later, I do think it is important to recognize the reason behind the existence of the colonies in the first place.
JD Wolfwrath
July 7, 2023 - 5:14 pm ·The movement of the Puritans out of the English reformation is a really interesting contextual point to the rise of the US for sure. I would have to think more about how that might mitigate (or exacerbate) the problem of resistance to authorities. Thinking back to Romans, under the reign of Nero (as well as many of the Roman emperors) persecution of Christians was deadly and destructive similar to, and perhaps worse than, in England. What is interesting about the persecutions during the English reformation is also the source – not just the Anglican Church, but also the vacillations between Anglican and Catholic Monarchs (thinking of Henry the Eighth and then Bloody Mary for instance). There is a lot to unpack in the English Reformation, so now I want to go back and study it further.
To address your point more directly though, the reason for the existence of the colonies as a place with the hope of religious freedom is simultaneously a good and bad thing. Good in the sense that it laid out the establishment of rights to worship to Christians and generalized defense on the basis of justice to all others, but bad in the sense that it implicitly (and explicitly) legitimized faith systems that are explicitly anti-Christian and anti-God. In other words, the Puritan desire to worship God truly in a place where they had a right to in response to derelictions of justice in England, may have pendulum swung our nation to not put enough restrictions on faith and practice which created derelictions in worship. Governing authorities and church authorities both exist Biblically, and have their spheres. And, despite what our own political position of separation of church and state may indicate or aspire to – those spheres are never wholly separate.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment! I need to go read more and think more on the English Reformation and possible Puritan influence on the American Revolution.
A Man Under Authority
July 7, 2023 - 7:06 pm ·It may also be worth looking at the difference between the Puritans and the settlers in Jamestown, Virginia. Those were the first two big groups, and had pretty different motivations, if I recall correctly. Still, it doesn’t show what was in the heart of the Founding Fathers, just some sense of culture and values.
One other thing that gives weight to your post is that the pamphlet, “Common Sense,” was written by a devout atheist, and was very influential at a key moment early in the revolution. I’m not saying God can’t use an atheist, but when you look at the source of an idea, it can be revealing.
JD Wolfwrath
July 8, 2023 - 10:25 am ·That’s a great inclusion, thank you! Though I am laughing at the beautiful irony of the phrase “devout atheist” not because it is wrong, but rather because it is so true and telling in and of itself.