Exodus 1-3

I have had several recent discussions on Christian pacifism. Reflecting again back over this passage, something stuck out to me, the Hebrew midwives.

So goes the discussion… What do we, as Christians, do when we do not agree with our government? One stream of thought has seemed to take off recently… pacifism, especially within Christian conservative circles. Based on Romans chapter 13, we are reminded that every government is established by God. The then natural implication is this: if we do not obey the authorities, then we are not obeying the God who established them. But to what extents are we expected to obey and to what extents are we permitted, if at all, to disobey? Another often cited text is the Sermon on the Mount. Christ tells us to turn the other cheek. If we are cheated, do not retaliate. If we are put upon, go the extra mile. And finally, we are to consider ourselves blessed when we are persecuted for His sake, for in the same way He was persecuted.

I will certainly concede that in most instances we are called to submit. We should not refuse to pay if taxes are raised. I don’t believe we should rebel even if God’s name is strickened from every legal document, monument, or public domain. No where in Scripture are we granted such liberties. But where do we draw the line?

I think the short narrative in the opening chapter of Exodus gives us a positive and constructive case study from which we can “birth” an understanding of a doctrine of pacifism. In fear of rebellion, Pharaoh calls for the death of all male Hebrew babies. He requires the midwives to kill the newborn Israelite immediately upon birth if indeed it comes out a boy. Yet the midwives do not heed the statute. When confronted they even lied to Pharaoh regarding their actions. What is God’s response? Verse 20, “So God was good to the midwives… Because the midwives feared God, He established households for them.”

Does this mean that God approves of lying? No. In other places Scripture is very clear on the issue of lying. But did God approve of the action taken (or better said, not taken) by the midwives? Yes. Why does God bless this disobedience? Here is where I think the line in the sand is drawn.

The killing of innocent children, infanticide, is strictly forbidden in God’s economy. In fact if we remember back to Genesis 9:6, God calls for the death penalty for anyone taking another’s life. (See my blog: Gen 7-9) In following Pharaoh, the midwives would have been in direct antagonism to God’s law. This, therefore, is the line that must be carefully walked.

I believe Scripture shows that we are called to submit to the authorities in every case where Scripture is not directly violated, where the expectations of the believer are not in contradiction to the revealed will of God. This power given to our government encompasses many rules and regulations with which I am not comfortable, but with which I can not truly justify rebellion. There will be things the government will do with which I will disagree, even on moral principle. But I feel like these exist in a gray area where we as Christians must choose to submit to persecution enduring tough times, rather than engaging in revolt.

However, consider the following. The sanctity of life must be preserved. If we are ever asked as Christians to kill our children we must object. Worship must never be compromised. If we are ever asked to worship another deity, we must not give in. The Church mission must stand. If we are ever asked to stop evangelizing, we must not concede (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 4:19-20).

But what about abortion? What about adultery? What about homosexuality? What about divorce? Our government permits many things. This stems partly from our freedom of religion. But in each of these cases Christians are not expected to engage in any of them. We are not called to personally abort our children. We are not personally required to engage in an adulterous or homosexual lifestyle.But where does war fit in? Should we have acquiesced to Hitler? What about Saddam? It is not an easy matter. We must prayerfully consider each case. What about legislation? I have said that Christians should be passive to rules that do not directly require us to personally contract Scripture, but what do we do in all the gray areas?

I think we must lobby against abortion and against every other law we do not feel conforms to God’s moral character. We are the light of the world, and it is through the church that we serve as ambassadors of a higher calling. We must make our voice known through any and every available venue. We must vote according to morality, especially in a government as inviting as our own.

We must individually, as followers of Christ, think through every expectation placed upon us. Only in those things which we are expected personally to walk in contradiction to Scripture are we obligated to take a stand. These will be few and far between, especially in the States. Pacifism until direct personal contradiction of conviction. What do you think?