Robert Jeffress Trumps the Bible

A pastor from Texas, Robert Jeffress, recently said that he believes that the Bible, particularly Romans 13, gives Donald Trump the moral God-given authority to wipe out evil using whatever means necessary whether that be by assassination or war to topple evil dictators like Kim Jong-un.  He goes on to say that the only time we are to love our enemies and forgive is in interpersonal relationships, but he says the government is never told to turn the other cheek.  Here is a link to hear the segment in full (Robert Jeffress on Fox & Friends). 

First let me say this, if all of Jesus’ talk about not resisting an evildoer and not retaliating against aggressors and being forced to walk a mile with someone and praying for those who persecute you was solely for interpersonal relationships, then they had odd interpersonal social lives (Matt 5:38-45).  Call me crazy but this almost had to have been directly related to Jewish life under Roman occupation.  They were the ones doing most of the forcing and persecuting.

Second, Jeffress clearly needs some refreshing on the world surrounding Romans 13.  Aside from the fact that there is an inherent contradiction in thinking one can still be a good, loving Christian and stand behind state sponsored destruction of people, there is a bigger flaw. By Jeffress’ logic Christians of Rome should have championed Nero and the rest of the Roman government while they wielded the sword against those who they deemed evil.  By the way they deemed Jews and Christians as troublesome and evil.  Nero’s reign was the political-climate Paul was speaking into, and so my point is whatever Paul meant here it could not have meant what Jeffress thinks it does.

What I think Paul does here is continues his discourse from 12 in 13 about never vengefully repaying evil for evil. The Roman Christians could do that by refusing to act like the rest of the world who bought into the myth of redemptive violence especially against their own citizen-killing government.  It would have been plausible for Christians to want vindication and attempt assassinating someone like Nero themselves, but Paul is telling them to continue doing good no matter who is in authority over them. 

Paul’s point seems to be that the Church is distinct from the Government because the Church is to exist as an alternative community within the patterns of the world, namely sword wielding governments.  The only thing Paul does say about government is that God ordered and uses them to create some order (and I don’t mean "use" in a way that violates their freedom to make decisions, namely terrible ones).  God merely ordered them in as much as He allows the governments to keep having a place within the created order of the universe.  We also cannot forget that God says that world rulers were an entity working against His will (see 1 Sam. 8), so while governments will not be the means by which God sets things right, He isn't going to stop them from bringing what order they do manage either.

Unfortunately I believe Jeffress represents the voice of our larger Christian culture that has rejected the way of Christ to follow the way of the nation. That my friends will always find false-security in things like “fire and fury” and using threats to control others.