{"id":4970,"date":"2009-12-09T05:43:56","date_gmt":"2009-12-09T05:43:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/jesuscreed\/2009\/12\/law-at-the-jesus-creed-david-o-2.html"},"modified":"2009-12-09T05:43:56","modified_gmt":"2009-12-09T05:43:56","slug":"law-at-the-jesus-creed-david-o-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2009\/12\/law-at-the-jesus-creed-david-o-2.html","title":{"rendered":"Law at the Jesus Creed: David Opderbeck"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Lawbook.jpg\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Law, Church, Mission, Eschatology and the Powers<\/p>\n

We recently had a lively discussion here on Jesus Creed about the Manhattan Declaration<\/a>.  <\/span>In the Summary Statement<\/a> accompanying the Declaration, the drafters assert that the sanctity of life, the dignity of marriage, and the freedoms of conscience and religion “are increasingly under assault from powerful forces in our culture,” and that Christians are obligated to respond with civil disobedience.  <\/span>In addition, in the Declaration itself, the drafters argue that Christians are obligated to support legislative and other political efforts to curtail abortion and gay marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

What eschatological vision do these documents reflect?  <\/span>What theology of the Church’s mission in the world flows from that vision?  <\/span>When faced with laws we believe are immoral or unjust, how should Christians respond?  <\/span>How do law, church, mission, and eschatology relate?<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

The MD Summary Statement’s reference to “powerful forces in our culture” strikes me as an obviously eschatological statement.  <\/span>On its face, this refers to the various political lobbying groups that are promoting the socially “liberal” agenda of abortion rights and gay marriage.  <\/span>The drafters of this document, however, are highly theologically astute, and also are echoing the New Testament’s vision of conflict prior to the return of Christ:    <\/span>“<\/i><\/span>For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”<\/i>  <\/span>(Eph. 6:12)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n


\n<\/p>\n

The MD’s drafters are
\nnot interested in sensationalist “Left Behind” eschatology.  <\/span>I perceive – partly based on the MD
\nitself and partly on some of the drafter’s other writings – that they espouse
\nversions of Reformed and Catholic eschatology in which the “Kingdom of God” is
\na present (though as yet unfulfilled) reality and in which part of the Church’s
\nmission involves preserving and strengthening civil legal institutions, including, if necessary, through the means
\nof forceful resistance.  <\/span><\/i>They
\nare not “theonomists” – people who believe the Biblical Old Testament civil law
\nshould apply essentially unmodified today – but they do believe that the Church
\nshould play an active role in calibrating the civil law with moral law.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This “political theology” of the MD drafters runs deep in the
\nChristian tradition. Consider, for example, St. Augustine’s treatise “<\/span>On the Correction of the Donatists<\/span><\/a>,” written around 417 A.D.  <\/span>The Donatists were a group that
\nthreatened to separate from the Roman Church over the question whether people
\nwho renounced Christ during persecutions should be readmitted to the
\nChurch.  <\/span>The Donatists believed
\nthose who had apostatized during persecution should be forever barred from the
\nChurch, in contrast to the Church’s practice.  <\/span>The Donatists thereby challenged the authority and
\nlegitimacy of the Roman Church..  <\/span>The
\nRoman government, at the behest of Church officials, persecuted the Donatists
\nas schismatics, resulting in violent military conflict and the confiscation of
\nDonatist property.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Augustine provided a theological rationale for this persecution:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

If, therefore, we wish either to declare or to
\nrecognize the truth, there is a persecution of unrighteousness, which the
\nimpious inflict upon the Church of Christ; and
\nthere is a righteous persecution, which the Church of Christ inflicts upon the
\nimpious<\/i>.  She therefore is blessed in suffering persecution for
\nrighteousness’ sake; but they are miserable, suffering persecution for
\nunrighteousness.  Moreover, she
\npersecutes in the spirit of love<\/i>, they in the spirit of wrath; she that she
\nmay correct, they that they may overthrow:  she that she may recall from
\nerror, they that they may drive headlong into error.   <\/span>(Emphasis added.)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Compare this to the following statement in the
\nManhattan Declaration:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And so it is out of love <\/i>(not “animus”) and
\nprudent concern for the common good <\/i>(not “prejudice”), that we pledge to
\nlabor ceaselessly to preserve the legal definition of marriage as the union of
\none man and one woman and to rebuild the marriage culture. (Emphasis in
\noriginal.)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

The MD
\ndrafters are not advocating military or physical persecution against advocates
\nof gay marriage.  <\/span>Nevertheless,
\nthey are making the very Augustinian argument that the Church can and should participate
\nin efforts to wield the power of the civil law in order to establish a
\nrighteous community, and to resist forcefully if the civil law goes astray.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

There is
\nanother strain of political theology in the Christian tradition that rejects
\nsuch cooperation with the state.  <\/span>Writing
\nin around 205 A.D., for example, <\/span>Tertullian<\/span><\/a> said <\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Shall it
\nbe held lawful to make an occupation of the sword, when the Lord proclaims that
\nhe who uses the sword shall perish by the sword? And shall the son of peace
\ntake part in the battle when it does not become him even to sue at law? And
\nshall he apply the chain, and the prison, and the torture, and the punishment,
\nwho is not the avenger even of his own wrongs?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Tertullian is writing here specifically about
\nmilitary service, but his argument in <\/span>The Chaplet<\/span><\/a> arguably applies equally to all participation by
\nChristians in state violence.  <\/span>Even
\nmore importantly, we have the Apostle Paul’s instructions about how Christians
\nshould live in a pagan society:<\/span><\/p>\n

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the
\neyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at
\npeace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s
\nwrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord.
\nOn the contrary:<\/span><\/p>\n

“If your enemy is hungry, feed
\nhim;<\/span><\/p>\n

if he is thirsty, give him
\nsomething to drink.<\/span><\/p>\n

In doing this, you will heap
\nburning coals on his head.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Do not be overcome by evil, but
\novercome evil with good.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Romans  <\/span>12:17-21.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/span><\/p>\n

Are there alternatives to the political theology inherent in the
\nManhattan Declaration?  <\/span>What other
\napproaches could a faithful Christian take?<\/b><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Law, Church, Mission, Eschatology and the Powers We recently had a lively discussion here on Jesus Creed about the Manhattan Declaration.  In the Summary Statement accompanying the Declaration, the drafters assert that the sanctity of life, the dignity of marriage, and the freedoms of conscience and religion “are increasingly under assault from powerful forces in our culture,” and that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-law"],"yoast_head":"\nLaw at the Jesus Creed: David Opderbeck - Jesus Creed<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2009\/12\/law-at-the-jesus-creed-david-o-2.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Law at the Jesus Creed: David Opderbeck - 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