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This article is directed toward those who are inclined to call themselves "Christian Anarchists," but advise others that Christians are not morally obligated to pay taxes. If you are not a Christian Anarchist, I would advise you to become one, perhaps by checking out one or all of our websites:
In a nutshell, Jesus prohibits human beings from being "archists" (Mark 10:42-45). An "archist" is someone who believes he has the right to take vengeance, or to impose his own will on others by force or threats of violence -- by stealing, kidnapping, or killing. [More about the "archist"] We are not to be archists, Jesus says, which is the definition of an "an-archist."
"The State" or "The Government" is made up of "archists." It should not exist. "Rulers" should repent and stop "governing," "ruling," and dominating. God never commanded human beings to form "governments." [ proof ] God is the only Governor we need. [ proof ]
The almost-instinctive, knee-jerk reaction to "Christian Anarchism" is "But what about Romans 13?"
This website completely concedes the claim that Romans 13 commands us to "be subject" to the State and pay its extortionate demands ("tribute").
But Romans 13 does not disprove the anarchist claim that the State is evil and should be abolished.
Yes, being invaded by the Roman Empire, subjugated, and put under tribute, is evil, harsh, tyrannical, but also, says Paul in Romans 13, "for our good." God works all things together -- even evil things that people should repent of -- for our good (Romans 8:28).
Even if you're not a self-described "anarchist," you can still agree that under some circumstances we have to obey government laws which are an inconvenience, and give archists money when they demand it.
We haven't forgotten Acts 5:29, "We must obey God rather than man." If government commands you to take up a sword and kill, Christians should follow Jesus ("Put away your sword," Matthew 26:52) and not kill (Exodus 20:13; Romans 13:8-10), even if that means "breaking the law" or disobeying some civil authority. We must not sin against God's Law. But if the government commands you to wear a purple polka-dotted shirt to work on Thursdays, Christians should obey, every Thursday. God has made no law against wearing purple polka-dotted shirts to work on Thursdays. The government has no right to make such a law, and punish violations of that law with fines, prison, torture, execution, or armed military invasion, but we are clearly (in the Bible) obligated to "be subject" and "obey" all of man's laws which do not force us to sin against any of God's Laws.
It is a sin to levy taxes, but not a sin to pay taxes. So we pay.
In case you're not familiar with the many and obvious Biblical commands to "be subject" to civil governments, we've listed them below. Romans 13 is always at the top of these kinds of lists.
So the question is, why should we obey those who have no right to command? That's the question we're going to try to answer on this website.
And it's a long answer.
Actually, it's a short answer to grasp, but it will take some time to truly internalize the answer.
We are subject to governments because we are pacifists, because the Bible commands Christians to love and pray for enemies and prohibits violence and vengeance. Pacifism is one reason why Christians are commanded to "be subject" to the State and its laws, all of which are unjust and contrary to Christ. "The State" is institutionalized violence, and as pacifists we respond to violence peacefully. We are Theonomic Pacifists.
When "the powers that be" command us to do something that God prohibits us from doing, or prohibits us from doing something God commands us to do, it's likely that the civil command is based on "national security" or some "state interest." It's not necessarily based on a self-conscious rebellion against the God of the Bible. It's just a "practical" or "utilitarian" step in ensuring the peace and prosperity of the empire. No offense intended. It's purely secular statecraft.
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We shouldn't buy into this civil neutrality. We should turn this into an evangelistic opportunity. When a thief breaks into our home -- whether it's a government SWAT-team, the IRS, or some teenage thug who lives down the street and wants money for drugs -- we should ask, "Do you know why the Lord Jesus Christ made you come here today?" They will be offended that you've impugned their "free will." But there is a reason why Jesus sent them to your house. Their life is messed up, or they wouldn't be stealing from you. They wouldn't voluntarily or happily be a person that good and virtuous people look down on. You have the answer to their problems. You have the Gospel. You have salvation. Your armed intruder needs to "obey the Gospel" Your intruder is not just "doing my job." Your potential executioner is not "just following orders" -- neutral, pragmatic, utilitarian civil regulations. This encounter and conversation is about your intruder's relationship to his real God. The God of the Bible, not the false god (idol) we call "the government."
If God is gracious, your word will not return void (Isaiah 55:11). Your intruder/attacker will ask for the light you have.
If God has other plans, you will be shot.
But you left a witness. You planted a seed. The Greek word for a
"witness" is martys - μάρτυς. The verb "to witness" is martyromai -
μαρτύρομαι . The Greek word for "testimony" is martyrion - μαρτύριον. You can see the relationship to
the English word "martyr." Some will say, "I'm not going to evangelize an intruder; I'm going to exercise my Second Amendment rights and splatter his brains all over my flatscreen TV." That's really good.
If you're not willing to be a "martyr,"
you've pretty much decided not to be a follower of Jesus.
You've pretty much rejected the moral authority of the New Testament.
The Christian anarcho-pacifist gives the intruder the money, but also gives the Gospel.
The non-pacifist gives neither; he gives death.
The
Christian anarcho-pacifist gives the government obedient subjection, but when possible, turns the oppression into an evangelistic opportunity, and makes a "witness."
Persuasion is therefore the other reason we "submit" to the State. This is the big reason, the one we're going to try to unpack.
Our goal as Christians is to persuade statists to repent of their idolatrous worship of "the government" and disavow their allegiance to this dangerous and authoritarian cult, and to give their full allegiance to Christ as new citizens of His Kingdom.
Persuasion requires two things: love and wisdom. You must have love for your "prospect," and you must have wisdom to know how to communicate without offense. Not just "communicate" in a neutral dispassionate sense, but to enchant. To sweep them off their feet.
This requires a personal relationship, not impersonal confrontation. "Personalism" has a long tradition in Christianity.
Most anarchists radically de-personalize archists. They treat archists as abstractions, as slogans, as forces of nature. Only in this context do strikes, marches, protests, seem appropriate.
But the first step in building a personal relationship is simply to avoid offending them.
Romans 13:5 says, "Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath [they will hate you, imprison you, or kill you] but also for conscience sake."
Whose conscience? Yours or theirs?
I say "theirs."
conscience, I say, not thine own, but of the other: for why is my liberty judged of another man's conscience?
1 Corinthians 10:29 - More verses here
A person who is a brainwashed victim of an authoritarian cult becomes defensive if you approach their cult with a confrontational and resistant posture. As a result of years of propaganda in statist schools, statist churches, and statist media, cult members have been deceived (and have deceived themselves) into believing that "the government" is society's source of order, peace, welfare, and prosperity. These are all components of the Biblical concept of "salvation" (and sometimes the Hebrew word is even translated using terms like those). "The State" is the statist's savior, and despite their worship of power, and their advocacy of armed violence, sado-masochist vengeance, and mass death and destruction through military aggression, and despite their criticism of Christians and other anarcho-pacifists (using macho tough-talk and bravado),
statists are internally fragile, weak, and fearful people.
Nothing causes them fear like suggesting the abolition of their god. Nothing offends their conscience more than disloyalty to "authority." The Bible says we are to be outwardly subject to their idol so as to avoid hurting their conscience and to pave the way for a personal relationship which will lead to their conversion.
2 Kings 5:18-19
But let the Lord pardon me for this: When my master goes into the temple of Rimmon [a pagan deity] to worship, he leans on my arm. Then I must bow in that temple. May the Lord pardon me when I do that.
[The prophet] Elisha said to him, Go in peace.
Jesus says His followers are not to be archists, but we are to be servants. We are to serve archists by witnessing to them. "Serving" is an act of love. Our relationships with evil archists must be motivated by compassionate, loving service, which puts the other person first.
If you have an idol in your home, you should smash it.
If your neighbor has an idol, the strategy
is different.
Suppose your mother, or a dear friend, or your next-door neighbor, worships an idol. Bows down before a statue or image.
It's clearly a violation of the first two of the Ten Commandments.
What should you do?
Obviously you should not join in and commit idolatry yourself.
Your desire should be to see your friend repent of idolatry, and replace idolatry with worship of the True God.
How do you do this?
Grab your friend's statue and throw it to the ground, smashing it into a thousand pieces?
Yelling
at your friend, with wagging finger and elevated blood pressure, "YOU EVIL IDOLATER YOU! REPENT!"
Will that persuade your friend?
I doubt it.
Your friend, on the other hand, is definitely commanded to smash the idol.
But that's your friend's responsibility.
Your responsibility is to be persuasive, and help your friend end his idolatry, and replace it with intelligent faith in the True God.
The Body of Christ has this responsibility toward all "the kingdoms of this world" (Revelation 11:15).
Evangelism and conversion depend upon relationships. We need our prospective converts to know, like, and trust us.
This is why Christ commands His followers to pay taxes to false gods.
Our argument depends upon the proposition that the State is a false god, a substitute for the True God.
God is our Governor (Isaiah 33:22). The Kingdom of God is our Government.
The desire for an earthly "civil
government" is the rejection of God (1 Samuel 8).
The belief in the goodness (non-evil) of an institution rooted in violence, theft, murder, conquest, and vengeance is insane. It is massive delusion. It is brainwashing. It is simultaneously sad and pathetic on the one hand, and outrageous and brazen on the other. This is why Jesus can be both grieved and angered at the same time (Mark 3:5). The cure for "statism" or "statolatry" comes only with the power of the Holy Spirit working through intensely personal self-examination, which the Bible calls "repentance." Alcoholics Anonymous calls it an "intervention." The Bible calls it "evangelism." The statist must come in a compassionate and personal contact with an Ambassador for a rival kingdom. The statist must repudiate his allegiance to "civil government" and swear allegiance to the Government ("Kingdom") of God.
This rejection of the True God is a false faith of self-deception.
At this point I would like to begin plagiarizing from a book called THE MOST DANGEROUS SUPERSTITION, by Larken Rose. Buy his book here. It's very good.
I'm calling the plagiarized book "The Most Dangerous Idolatry."
It's a long book, especially with my commentary on it. But it shows how deeply ingrained and brainwashed non-anarchists are. Externally and confrontationally smashing their idol will not de-program members of this cult.
We Are Commanded to "Be Subject" to evil, including "governments."
These are verses so-called "anarchists" don't like.
The Biblical prohibition against overthrowing tyrants by force and violence is very clear and bold. Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus was in conflict with the Herodians (Jews who collaborated with the Roman military occupation of Israel) and the Zealots (Jews who wanted to resist the occupation using violence if necessary). Jesus did not take the side of the popular uprising, though it was clear He viewed the occupying Empire as ethically illegitimate.
Christ's apostles spoke of the reigning empire as "the powers that be," using a word that everywhere refers to demonic forces. But the teaching of the New Testament is that we are to overcome evil with good. That means overcoming statist tyranny with good, not with violence.
Americans oscillate between statism and revolution. Americans pay homage to a violent overthrow of the British government, ostensibly because King George III was a tyrant, The American Revolution (c. 1776) was a violation of these laws. Let's compare New Testament principles with the American Revolution. Pardon us for taking some liberties with the text, but we think the analogy is fair:
Romans
12-13 {1} I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.1 Peter 2:11-24
Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;Matthew 5:38-48
Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:2
Peter 2:10-12/Jude 8-10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.Proverbs 24:21
My son, fear the LORD and the king; Do not associate with those given to change; for their calamity will rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin those two can bring?Exodus 23:2
Thou shalt not follow a crowd to do evil.Titus 3:1 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. 3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.
Paul tells Titus to remind believers to be subject [same word as Romans 13:1 and 5) to rulers ["archists" - same root word as Mark 10:42-45] and authorities ["powers" - same word as Romans 13:1, Ephesians 6:12, etc.], and to obey them [same word as in Acts 5:29].
Paul tells Titus that at one time Christians were "also" bud guys. "Also" along with whom? Also along with "rulers and authorities?" Or also along with those who resist them and speak evil of them? Regardless, Christians are to be the opposite of both groups: we are to be non-archists (unlike "rulers") and resist the temptation to impose our will on others by force, and we are to be subject to those who indulge the temptation and impose their will on others by force (unlike the Zealots and other armed revolutionaries, who resist archists and the powers). Our "peaceable" and "gentle" ways will get us labeled "pacifists."
We are to "render unto Caesar" the taxes he demands (Matthew 22:15-22; Mark 12:13-17; Luke 20:20-26) and avoid scandal in the eyes of other tax-payers by joining them in paying taxes (Matthew 17:24-27).
Obedience in the Sermon on the Mount
Jesus is particularly clear about obeying evil governments in His "Sermon on the Mount" (Matthew chapters 5-7). Historical context is critical. Before Christ was born, Rome invaded Israel and conquered her. Rome wanted to steal Israel's wealth. Not all at once, but to milk the nation. Regardless of the "school of thought," no serious philosopher or political scientist, whether Christian or secular, will say that Italy had a right to invade Israel and put her under tribute. It violates "natural law," "international law," Biblical law, every conceivable law, except, of course, Roman Law; the invader's law.
In Matthew 5:39ff., Jesus addresses one particular law enacted by the military occupation forces. We should preface this law by noting that (1) all governments are evil, (2) all evil governments parade as "good." No government markets itself as evil. They all say they are good. So they all pass laws every now that then that seem to prove the goodness of the conquering empire. These laws are a kind of "marketing gimmick." Jesus addresses one of these marketing gimmicks: an imperial edict that a Roman soldier could enslave an Israelite and compel him to carry the soldier's provisions, but only for one mile and no more. Other empires are not as progressive, you see, You should be thankful that you have been invaded and conquered by us, because our soldiers only enslave you for one mile, and no more.
Jesus said if the occupation forces order you to carry their backpacks for one mile, go with them a second mile.
This certainly angered the revolutionaries and so-called "anarchists" in the crowd. Was Jesus some kind of "collaborator" with the forces of foreign oppression? Wasn't He willing to put "Israel First"?
Do foreign nations have a divine right to invade, conquer, and enslave? Of course not. Do we obey them anyway? Jesus says yes.
Pacifists are often told that if we just submit to evil, that we will be invaded and enslaved. Anarchists are told that if we abolish the government and the Pentagon and "national defense," the Muslims will take over. Jesus says, "Count on it." <-- That's a substantial link. You might want to check it out.
God never commanded human beings to form "governments."
This is proven by simply going through the Bible, and at the end of each chapter just ask the simple question: "Did I just read anything which commands human beings to form a 'civil government?'" The answer at the end of every chapter in the Bible will be "no."
We've started an illustration of that process here: http://Romans13.com/context.htm We'll get it finished someday.
For a more general, thematic approach (rather than chapter-by-chapter), see our website AnarchistManifesto.com
Forming a "civil government" is a rejection of God. I Samuel 8
God is the only Governor we need
People who grew up under socialism, like Americans, have a hard time accepting this claim. Click here to continue this thought.