5/23/61

Scripture: Romans 13.

Many Christians are disturbed by the discrepancies and tensions between Christian insight and civil life --- between Sunday religion and weekday work. Some are particularly conscious of tensions between political life and church membership. It may be that the practical politician, the office holder and the office seeker, are less disturbed than the non-participant in political life.

Be that as it may, the question comes up frequently and it deserves a thoughtful answer and an orderly reply. And the role of responsible Christian citizenship is a concern, not only to the professional politician, but to voters and taxpayers.

Someone has observed that there is not too much scriptural guidance for the Christian in his role as citizen. The gospels contain only passing comments by Jesus suggesting the nature of the Christian position. You are familiar, of course, with the discussion in which a lawyer asked Jesus about paying the tribute money. Jesus’ reply to the lawyer’s inquiry took the form of a question: “Whose is the image and superscription” on this coin? When the lawyer replied that it was Caesar’s, Jesus simply said: “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.” [Luke 20: 21-25].

Ever since then, Christians have recognized that they are citizens both of the civil state wherein they reside and of the kingdom of God wherein, as “born again,” they belong. This is consistent with Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom and with his own attitude toward it and toward the state. He recognized the right of taxation. It may be well to remember even that he was born in Bethlehem because Joseph and Mary had gone there to enroll for the census and the tax.

When Jesus was asked to name which is the Great Commandment, he identified all of the Jewish law and the prophets as being summarized in, and based upon, two great fundamental principles: first, love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind; and the second, he said is like it, love your neighbor as yourself. [Matthew 22: 34-40].

Certainly our Christian concern for our fellow man is made explicit by this teaching. In Luke’s account of it, the lawyer who asked about it and received Jesus’ answer, the asked a further question: “And who is my neighbor?” It was in response to this question that Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan to point out that the world “neighbor” in this sense, transcends religious, cultural, racial and national boundaries. [Luke 10: 30-37].

It might have been illuminating had the lawyer persisted further by asking: “And how shall I love myself?” It would seem helpful to know Jesus’ own exposition of the true Christian meaning of self love. For it is this standard that we are asked to apply in our love for neighbor. “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

We apparently have to assume from other Christian teachings what Jesus’ reply might have been to such a third question. Apart from these brief questions and answers, we find very little in Scripture about the sayings of Christ which are relevant to Christian citizenship.

Paul, a lawyer who was sensitive to legal concepts, was more explicit. When writing to the Romans who had a highly developed legal sense, he is especially perceptive on this point.

In the 12th chapter of his letter to the Romans, Paul spells out some responsibilities of Christian citizenship within the spiritual realm, along with the general principles of neighborliness. His readers are to be thoroughly dedicated, transformed in spirit; serving according to ability; abhorring what is evil and sticking to what is good; kindly affectioned to one another; sharing according to necessity; living, as far as possible, peaceably with all men; even supplying food and drink to one’s enemy if these be really needed; overcoming evil with good.

Then, in chapter 13, Paul turns more precisely to the responsibilities of Christian citizenship in the temporal realm. He even reminds his readers that rulers are to be ministers of God for good. And “for this cause pay ye tribute also.” He stresses that law is a deterrent to evil, not a deterrent to good works. He says, “Render therefore to all their dues; tribute to whom tribute is due, custom to whom custom, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.”

He restates certain commandments of Moses -- the basis of much of the criminal code in law to this day. He summarizes the law, as Jesus summarized it, by saying, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Thus he restates Christian teaching as embracing two basic elements: to be law-abiding, and to live by the law of love.

Paul appears not to have suggested that this responsibility extended to taking part in law making, or law enforcement, but merely to obedience. One reason for this may be found in verses 11 to 14 of that same 13th chapter: “for our salvation is nearer to us now than when we believed. The night is far spent, and the day is at hand.”

This belief in the immanence of Christ’s second coming supports the doctrine of the early church of withdrawal from active participation in the state. The role of the Christian citizenship then was largely influenced by the principles stated by Paul in the expectation that temporal citizenship would not long endure, anyway. This concept may correlate with their experience of Roman rule. The Roman Empire seemed to envelop most of the world that the early Christians knew anything about -- Italy, Greece, Asia Minor and the Eastern Mediterranean lands. Later, Christendom moved into the whole of Europe; the Roman Empire dissolved; and there developed during the Middle Ages, temporal rulers who at least preserved the appearance of obeisance to the spiritual ruler who was recognized as head of the Christian Church. Christian citizenship was reinforced by the philosophy that the states themselves were under divine control through the superior power of the church. Still later there appeared the theory of the “Divine Right of Kings.”

But with that break represented by the Protestant effort to Re Form the true church, and with the gradual development of secular states removed from spiritual supervision of the church, it became necessary to develop a new dimension in responsible Christian citizenship.

A premise of the Protestant Reformation was the recognition that every person is a child of God and is directly responsible to God for every aspect of his life and action. Here in this new land in America, it became evident that the state itself is a creation of responsible Christians, acting as responsible citizens, in an effort to create a tool of their common will.

The natural rights of man were set forth in the Declaration of Independence, and were restated in the United States Constitution. Its preamble reads: “We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the United States of America.”

Our forebears in this nation appear to have felt it as their responsible Christian duty as citizens, to modify the structure of the state for these purposes. And in their statement, they translated the obligation to “love your neighbor” into such terms as “promote the general welfare.”

It is possible to conclude that the responsibilities of a Christian citizen may vary from age to age, and even from place to place. It may very well be that the doctrine of withdrawal is applicable not only to citizenship in Caesar’s autocratic Roman Empire but also to Christian living in autocratic and dictatorial lands today. Many have felt that this is necessary, in order to preserve Christian integrity in Soviet lands under communist rule. This is brilliantly illustrated in the motion picture which I mentioned among the announcements today. A Lutheran pastor and his family live under conditions in Eastern Germany that are almost intolerable, trying to withdraw from the positions and maneuverings of the state, while the state there is equally resolved to sweep all its people into the required mold. Most of us sympathized with the portrayal of the pastor. And this appears to be a necessary solution so long as the hope of freedom remains remote.

On the other hand, it seems apparent that we Christians in the United States have inherited a structure of government which was designed by God-worshipping statesmen to be a “Minister of God for good.” Under this assumption, we must examine our hearts and minds to see whether or not we are acting, in our time and place, as responsible Christian citizens.

Do we accept it as fact that, under our system of government, the actions of our government are in a sense our actions? -- That we are responsible for their nature and course? Do we think that God, in His righteous judgment, will hold us responsible for the sins of commission and the sins of omission of our various levels of government? Or do we suppose that we are blameless for these sins?

Does it not appear that a Christian’s citizenship responsibility in 20th century USA requires personal accountability for our collective behavior? We in this nation can not assume that government is something other than ourselves. Our government is our common instrument. Its decisions are in a responsible sense, our decisions; its choices our choices. If it needs redirection, we must do the redirecting. Its accomplishments are our accomplishments, its failures our failures.

Jesus reminded us very forcefully, on several occasions, that we are held to accountability. We have such a reminder in his description of the Last Judgment. We are accountable in terms of our talents, our privileges and our opportunities. We, in this nation, can not hide behind the doctrine of withdrawal, even if it may appear right for some of those caught in adverse circumstances elsewhere in the world. Our proper Christian response is recognition of our responsibility, or our guilt, or our right opportunity.

Each one of us has responsibility for the candidates nominated in the party of our choice. The election of officers is our responsibility; the decision of our government at various levels is our responsibility.

The strengthening of justice within the framework of law and order is our responsibility. The promotion of the general welfare is your responsibility and mine -- both as citizens under our government, and as participants in our jobs.

The church should not enter politics as church. But churchmen should fully accept responsibility and accountability in politics and state craft as well as in business and social life. The church through its members, should minister to the whole community, and should preserve its capacity to serve in that role.

We have chosen men to serve in the legislature of our state and the congress of our nation. Many of them have a sober regard for the awful majesty of US government power, and a wholesome desire to keep that power directed for the general welfare. They are transient trustees of that power, for we may send others to take up governmental responsibility at later elections.

All of us, legislators and voters alike, must recognize a solemn duty to exercise our power prudently, soberly, wisely, creatively, within the full dimensions of responsible Christian stewardship.

But we are reminded that the duties of responsible Christian citizenship are duties of us all -- not merely on election day, or in party or precinct caucuses, but every day, at home, in our community, at our jobs.

When each of us realizes that the general welfare and the common good of all is our business as a part of God’s plan for the conduct of human life, and when we recognize our obligation to cooperate with that plan, then we shall all begin to appreciate the larger dimensions and solemn duties of responsible Christian citizenship.

My own feeling is that the common good is going to be promoted better by responsible, informed, voluntary cooperation than by the fragmenting operations of various groups that stress a negative kind of citizenship. I think, further, that less government by pressure groups and more by the sober measurement of concern for the common good would be a big advance.

In the churches of a couple of generations ago, there used to be services, often in the middle of the week, in which members would bear witness to God before one another. It was often personal testimony at prayer meeting. That type of religious gathering is uncommon now. But we are mistaken if we think that “witnessing” has gone from our midst. What we say and do is our testimony. Our every word, and each of our deeds, witness our faith before friends, neighbors, or enemies. We need to check ourselves on the nature of our witness.

It is a tragedy that much of the secular element in the US sees the Christian role in citizenship in negative terms. Christians are believed to be so busily set against certain well known social evils, such as gambling and misuse of liquor and so on, that they seem to neglect the larger issues of justice in society and common responsibility. Have we forgotten Micah’s brilliant reminder: “What does the Lord require of thee but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

Surely our view of responsible Christian citizenship and Christian action must be built on the basic commandment to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. This is not simply negative abhorrence of particular evils. It is a great affirmation.

We do well to remember that we are citizens both of a nation and of a Kingdom of God. And the spiritual kingdom remains when all temporal kingdoms crumble. In accounting for our stewardship, are we willing to be tested by our love for neighbor? Do we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick, even the least of these, our neighbors, the children of God -- and not just in our own land? Do we love our enemies? Have we been peace makers? Are we committed to a gospel of reconciliation and brotherliness?

The Christian statesman and the Christian citizen recognize that we are called to be more than Christian Americans. We are called to be American Christians.

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Delivered at Wisconsin Rapids, May 23, 1961