I read the news today, oh boy. Woke up, got out of bed, washed up, and got on the internet only to read what happened on Saturday night: the Trump Administration ramped up its attacks against law and order calling the California National Guard and potentially the Marines into Los Angeles to help ICE in Trump’s campaign to take (abduct) migrants (and American citizens!) and immediately “deport” them (or send them to cruel third-world prisons, paid for by American money). They are going after women, children, workers at Home Depot, those following official legal proceedings at immigration courts, and other non-violent offenders (many who are not even here “illegally”), despite saying all they are after are violent criminals. They have sent American citizens outside of the United States. They have kicked children getting necessary medical treatment out of the country, making it that they will likely die. They care about quotas, and they will do what they can, even if it means ignoring due process, knowing that if they are caught violating due process, nothing will happen to them – it will all be too late. What is absurd is how many of those ICE takes in are claimed to be involved in human trafficking, when it is the Trump Administration making deals with other nations, giving them money to take in those Trump does not want to live in the United States. It sure looks like the Trump Administration is the one involved in human trafficking.
Nonetheless, it appears to me that that Trump, and those behind him, like Stephen Miller, are wanting to ramp things up. They are ready to see what they can do. It is as if they want violence because it seems they want it to be used as an excuse to consolidate power. They believe they must use force to make people comply to their wishes. They think it will make them appear strong if they use the military to back their ploys (though of course, it shows their true weakness, and the weakness of their authority, if they must bully people to have people obey them). This has happened soon after Trump brought in countless tanks into the DC area, and even if the two are unconnected, he can use those tanks for defense, that is, as a buffer zone for any potential resistance which might come about if things turn deadly in California. And let’s not forget, under the guise of law and order, the law and the Constitution are being ignored by Trump – there is no legal right for Trump to use the military for law enforcement, as per the Posse Comitatus Act.
It seems to me violence is what they want. Violence is what they are doing already, as they are violating the free speech rights of Californians going to peaceful protests. Sure, some videos might not look so peaceful, but that is because ICE and various other law enforcement actions are violent, not because the protesters were there causing violence. The protestors are being told their free speech rights are unlawful, when it is the actions against them which is unlawful.
Christians must stand for the dignity of each and every person, especially for migrants who are being unjustly attacked, whose basic rights are being ignored. For years, I have heard Christians talk about how everyone has God-given rights, but now many say such rights are only given by the Constitution, and they are only for American citizens. Not true. There are human rights, the rights which were the basis for the Constitution (and the Declaration of Independence), rights which cannot be violated, and are being violated by Trump and his administration. Due process is one of them. It is not the only one, but it is a vital one, because it is one clearly being violated by the Trump Administration.
Christians must defend human life, like the life of the children who are undergoing medical treatments when ICE comes and kicks them out of the country. Christians must stand for the foundational principles which lie behind rule of law, even as they must not confuse the will of Trump and the Trump Administration as the law. Trump and the Trump Administration have consistently ignored court orders, showing how they are the ones violating the law, and that is because they do not really care about the rule of law themselves. As such, we must understand that resisting Trump is often what is required if we are to support the basic rule of law (and of course, the greater law of God, which says if a state has an unjust law in the books, it is in reality no law, and not to be obeyed). How many times have ICE come in without warrants, and say they do not need them, and told anyone who demands them to be hindering their authority? Why must those involved in ICE raids hide their faces? They are not being transparent with their actions because they know they are violating the rule of law.
It always amazes me how many Christians invoke the Book of Romans to defend the indefensible, to suggest Christians must support brutal laws which violate human rights and do nothing to promote and support the common good, indeed, laws which violate Christian teaching in regards the dignity of every human being. How many of them, invoking it today in support of Trump, did so during Biden’s Administration? How many of them told Christians they must obey orders during COVID? My own experience is that those saying this today are among those who disobeyed COVID orders; they congregated during the lockdown, did not wear masks when they were told to do so, and rejected vaccine mandates. Of course, Paul did not want us to think we should obey every whim of those who are in position of authority, nor did he think we should obey every law which has been promulgated. His point is to say the government is meant for the common good, and in general, Christians are to support the government so long as it does as it is meant to do. But we know Paul was constantly jailed for violating the rule of law, and he did not stop violating the law until his death. This shows those who would use Paul’s words misunderstand them. Let’s not forget Christianity was often declared illegal, and Christians were told to apostatize, to denounce Christ and sacrifice to Caesar. Christians would not do so then, and they knew they were not violating what Paul wrote, because Paul did not say every law was good, and Christian should obey every law, no matter how immoral it was. If the law is used to violate the common good, or to promote absolute abuse on people, the law violates what it is meant to do and so does not hold sway over Christians.
Today, Christians are being told to violate Christian standards, to sacrifice the lives of many people to Trump. Christians are being tested as to see if they will follow Christ and Christ’s ways (the way of love, the way of helping, not undermining, those who are being actively persecuted and oppressed by authorities, the way of loving one’s neighbor and defending them and their lives) or the way of an authoritarian regime with its “rule of law” which violates both the official rule of law and the greater natural law.
Christians, of course, need to see how Jesus promoted resistance, as he certainly promoted resistance to the injustices around him, which is why many zealots turned to him and put their hope in him. He suggested resistance must be non-violent, and must be creative in its non-violent resistance. Sometimes, that meant, Christians should cause problems by going along with what the authorities want, but doing so in such a way that shames them (“going the extra mile”), so long as what was asked was not a violation of their conscience. Sometimes, as he himself demonstrated, the response is simply to flee, to know when it is time to go and resist promote resistance somewhere else. Sometimes it is to speak truth to power. Sometimes it is to help the victims of government oppression. We can find these, and many more examples of non-violent resistance being done by Jesus and his early disciples, and all of them are tools which we Christians must put into place and use once again.
Violence is not the answer. Resistance, however, is a must. Christians must not let fellow Christian confuse them by their abuse of the book of Romans. They need to remember, Christians have always been known for violating the law for the sake of Christ, especially for the sake of Christ in the oppressed (as he said they would be judged based upon how they dealt with those in such need). Christianity spread by violating the law of many lands, as missionaries went to countries they were not wanted, and they were executed as a result. If Christians had to obey every law, there would be no Christianity left.
It is time to test the Christians of the United States and see if they will step up and resist, or if they will fall back and let things happen in the United States as they did in Germany. Yes, Christians now remember the noble resistors who fought against Hitler, but in their day, they were often told their resistance went against what Paul told them to do. All those who said they would have joined the resistance are now giving the chance to prove it. Sadly, I expect it will be the same as it ever was, and too many Christians will get with the program and support Trump, not because they agree with him, but because, like Christians under Hitler, they are too afraid to do anything else.
* This Is Part LXIV Of My Personal (Informal) Reflections And Speculations Series
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