Nobility and Knowability Truth Ministries

The Christian and Civil Disobedience

A Biblical and Theological Overview by David Mappes

Introduction
   This article discusses the theological and Biblical basis for the legitimacy of Christian civil disobedience. The paper reviews early church and state relationships and then examines crucial theological components such as God’s sovereign rule through civil authorities, the nature and delegated authority of government, along with the role and authority of the church. The article posits that individual Christians, local churches, and Christian institutions may at times be required to practice limited acts of nonviolent civil disobedience if a governing authority creates laws that require Christians to disobey the normative mandates in God’s Word. The article is limited to civil disobedience for the sake of Christian conscience and does not address the question of large-scale civil disobedience for political reasons.

   Prior to the fourth century, early Christian leaders did not formulate a theory of church and state relationship, since Rome did not recognize Christianity as a religion. In some respect, being a Christian itself was an act of civil disobedience. As Christian leaders sought to validate Christianity as a just, recognized religion, they rigorously argued that the state of Rome was violating its own laws in the unjust persecution of Christians. After the Diocletian persecutions failed in the early fourth century with the death of the Roman emperor Diocletian (who asserted his right of semi-divine status and consequently emperor worship), the edict of Milan in AD 313 legalized Christianity; hence,