Should you question authority?
You bet.
Generally I avoid words like “should,” “ought,” and “must,” because they are frequently misused to manipulate people into doing things that they don’t want to do, as in,
“You should go to Sunday School.”
“You ought to tithe regularly to your local church.”
“You mustn’t question everything you’re told or people will think that you’re difficult.”
But if a person is questioning human authority in light of divine teaching — which all free-thinking people should, should do — these three dictates won’t influence him, because he’ll stop, consider, and, in the case of a serious, thinking Christian, crack open his Bible and research:
God’s Word, not Man’s
“Is Sunday School even mentioned in Scripture?”
“Isn’t tithing an Old Testament decree?”
“The Bereans of the New Testament — they checked out everything the Apostle Paul said. If they checked out the Apostle Paul, what’s to stop me from questioning the words of my pastor? or Joel Osteen? or Dave Ramsey? or Joyce Meyers, James Dobson, Bev Moore, Rick Warren, Tim LaHaye, Pat Robertson, Billy Graham or Carolyn Henderson?”
(I Declare: I was in the same sentence with famous and notable Christian celebrities!)
Dependent Christians
Many Christians are a mass of conflicting notions, convinced that they are valiantly and independently “living for the Lord” at the same time that they worship all things military (“Yes, Sir!” “No, Ma’am!” — a lifestyle not notably conducive to the freedom of thought and existence that it purports to protect); are convinced that the U.S. was founded on Christian principles when a quick gander through its capitol city shows artwork mighty short on Jesus Christ but excessively tipped toward gods and goddesses that were worshiped when the Apostle Paul dialogued with the Athenians; and unquestioningly accept whatever their church board of elders — with the pastor as its head — hands down as law.
In Matthew 20: 25 -29 Jesus tells his disciples:
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them.
“Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
I’ve never been in a mega church, but I’ve always wondered —
How much are the leaders of these churches paid?
And how, specifically, do they serve — humbly — the people who write the checks?
Yes, Sir. No, Ma’am.
In our church-attending days, we interacted with a number of good, Christian families who were extremely inflexible in the raising of their children: a critical indication of successful parenting was in how readily the progeny obeyed everything they were told to do — with no questions, comments, or editorial opinion allowed.
At some time, however, children turn 18 and are loosed onto the world, at which point one wonders, “How will these children ever say ‘no’ to someone in authority, because they have absolutely no experience of doing so?”
Well, maybe that’s why we have so many submissive Christians, who not only accept everything they are taught about Jesus (“He has a PLAN for your life to be prosperous!” “You show your love for Jesus by giving time and money to His church!” “Listen to the small group leaders when they teach about this Bible passage — if you rely on your own interpretation, you could be wrong”), but inhale the national corporate news (especially the “fair and balanced” stuff) and actually think that democracy consists of marking little boxes, every four years, with x’s, and that the politicians who get into office will listen to, and obey, the voice of the people.
Tyranny — Bit by Bit
“Experience has shown, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.”
Thomas Jefferson said that, and while he’s not an official evangelical Christian sort, he had a fair amount of commonsense, which quite unfortunately does not necessarily correspond with a belief in Jesus.
Christians, I know what Romans 13: 1-7 says, with modern translations interpreting Paul’s words to mean submission, or subjection, to secular governing authorities. Take a look at this link, and free yourself from the belief that you must submit yourself to human institutions with the same obedience that you submit yourself to God.
Scripture calls for us to “Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” (Isaiah 1: 17)
We don’t do that by splitting our worship — giving half to another human being or his institutions, and the other half to God. Render respect to those due respect — so that all may go well with you — but never allow your obedience to any man to supersede your obedience to God.
Thank You
Thank you for joining me at Commonsense Christianity, where I encourage all of us to be submissive to God — we are His children and His servants. We belong to him.
We do not, however, belong to any other human being. Slavery is a man made institution, and it takes many different forms. Let’s not willingly hold our hands out for the shackles.
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Christian Leadership and Ordinary People
The Misfit Christian (all Christians are misfits, but when we join together in a group, we have a tendency to pressure one another to conform. Don’t. I wrote this book to encourage people to grow up and into the strong, confident Christians that they are meant to be. If there are no or few reviews on the book, it’s because I don’t pay, or market, people to write them. Use the Look Inside option to read what’s there, and if you like it, buy the book based upon its merits, not external perceptions.)
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