July Forth

We had an interesting discussion at our evening Bible Study last week. Having read together and expounded Paul’s teachings in Romans 13 about the Christian’s obedience to the state and the honouring of secular rulers, I spoke about how corrupt and wicked the Roman government could be. Ther emperor at that time, Nero Caesar, offered a particular poor example of how to govern. Worse, in fact, for he was a persecutor of Christians and possibly the killer of Paul himself. Governments sometimes design evil laws and occasionally forbid that which is good. Indeed, Peter informed the Sanhedrin after their prohibition of preaching in the name of Jesus that he would sooner obey God than men. When is it ever godly and appropriate to not only disobey wicked laws, but to seek the overthrow of bad government? If the answer is never, which the apostle in that chapter implies, must we always vote for the government of the day, never supporting an opposition party? Furthermore, my well documented relationship to Oliver Cromwell was inevitably mentioned, a man who oversaw the ending of royal government and the beheading of a king. A not dissimilar rebellion occured in the following century, across the Atlantic.

At the Men’s Breakfast held a few days later, American-themed serviettes were positioned on the tables, a timely reference to the previous day's American independence commemoration. As a United Empire Loyalist, I prefer to call the beloved ‘July Fourth’ celebrations ‘Rebellion Day’, after King George’s disloyal subjects threw perfectly good tea (the shame of it!) in the sea rather than pay their fair share of taxation. But my! What a success those rebellious colonists made of it. The United States was the world’s biggest economic and military power within 160 years and became a bastion of evangelical Christianity surpassing even that of Mother England. Today, Great Britain is the spiritually sick man of the English-speaking world, but America remains a global instrument in the hand of the Lord, many of its churches remaining faithful, its great preachers internationally famous, much of its missionary endeavour courageous and comprehensive. As a loyal Briton, I do not have to approve of those North American rebels heroes, but I do salute the glorious consequences of their breaking free of Britannia's yoke. Curiously, July is named after Julius Caesar, dictator of Rome who was killed by colleagues afraid of his increased powers. A fitting month to take one's leave of the British empire, no?

May God bless America. May God give British Christians the courage and wisdom they increasingly need to know when and how to oppose, reject and disobey godless laws and wicked powers in high places, the boldness of which appears increasingly brazen. 

O Lord our God arise,
Scatter our enemies,
And make them fall!
Confound their politics,
Frustrate their knavish tricks,
On Thee our hopes we fix,
God save us all!