“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2
“May God bless and keep the tsar…far away from us.” Fiddler on the Roof
The rabbi’s prayer in Fiddler on the Roof has something in common with Paul’s instruction to Timothy. Pray for those with authority over us so that we may live a quiet and peaceable life.
Call it Church and State, Church and Society, Religious and Civic Responsibilities…I choose to call this section the Church in the World. As ekklesia the Church is assembled into a new community. This is a new nation among the peoples of the earth. The Church is a people who are not known by their geographical boundaries or common ethnicity. We are resident aliens and ambassadors of the Kingdom journeying through foreign lands. As kuriakon (the Lord’s people) the visible Church resides among various political jurisdictions and engages diverse cultures. We must involve ourselves with the prevailing culture, join in commerce, interact with the judiciary, and occasionally we are asked to participate in the adoption of laws.
God seems to think that a faithful Christian can be a good citizen of either Babylon or Jerusalem, the Empire of Diocletian or Constatine, Beijing or Vatican City. The most patriotic act Christians may perform for a country is to devoutly live out our faith…peaceably, with all godliness and honesty. The political and cultural powers about us will not always see it this way, and we will find ourselves in unsolicited conflicts. We can benefit from clear articulation of universally applicable Biblical principles to guide us through such conflicts. These fundamentals will not be a road map for navigating the particulars of every situation in every land, but they can serve as a compass for laity, overseers, and councils to direct us on a faithful course.
Our tradition has had trouble articulating both the civic responsibilities of Christians and the limits of civil authorities in Christian life. Church and State have a mutual interest in preserving an orderly society, but the Church has the testimony of martyrs that there are times when one must disrupt that order. Confessional statements that address the Church in the World should speak honestly to both principles.
The last section of the Articles of Religion speaks to the visible Church in the World.
Numbering indicates the place in the original Thirty-Nine.
XXXVII. Of the Power of the Civil Magistrates.
<The Power of the Civil Magistrate extendeth to all men, as well Clergy as Laity, in all things temporal; but hath no authority in things purely spiritual. And we hold it to be the duty of all men who are professors of the Gospel, to pay respectful obedience to the Civil Authority, regularly and legitimately constituted.>
Article XXXVII exists in two versions in the Book of Common Prayer. It has been received in three different versions from the UMC into the Transitional Doctrine and Discipline (TDD) of the Global Methodist Church. The version printed here is the 1801 amendment to the BCP by the Protestant Church in America. It replaces the original version affirming loyalty to the crown which I do not reprint in this document.
This 1801 version of Article XXXVII makes a distinction between temporal things and spiritual things. Governments have authority over all temporal matters. God has not decreed maximum speed limits, minimum mandatory sentences, or top marginal tax rates. Governments are established to decide these things and maintain civil order. The Christian has a duty to be respectful of that authority and maintain the order. We do not expect exemption, and we do not go looking for a fight.
Governments have no authority over things purely spiritually. They may have the power to impose themselves on the spiritual concerns of the Church, but they have not the moral authority to do so. The Christian has no duty to surrender authority on spiritual matters to the State even if that means civil consequences.
Of the Duty of Christians to the Civil Authority
<It is the duty of all Christians, and especially of all Christian ministers, to observe and obey the laws and commands of the governing or supreme authority of the country of which are citizens or subjects or in which they reside, and to use all laudable means to encourage and enjoin obedience to the powers that be.>
The TDD receives three versions of this Article through the UMC. One version, identified as article 23 in the TDD, is an early addition by Methodists in the United States. It effectively replaces loyalty to the crown with “The Rulers of the United States of America.” It is not universal in application. It is not a proper Article Religion. It is not reproduced here. It ought not be reproduced in the TDD.
This second version, “Of the Duty of Christians to the Civil Authority”, comes to us from the 1939 merger of the Methodists. It is an unnumbered addition to the Articles. It is an improvement:
It is similar to the1801 amended version of the original Article XXXVII. The difference is it makes no distinction between things temporal and things spiritual. It is akin to editing Matthew 22:21 to read, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s,’ while omitting “and unto God the things that are God’s.” That omission is substantial enough to disqualify it as an Article of Religion.
Article 16 – Civil Government from the Confession of Faith
<We believe civil government derives its just powers from the sovereign God. As Christians we recognize the governments under whose protection we reside and believe such governments should be based on, and be responsible for, the recognition of human rights under God. We believe war and bloodshed are contrary to the gospel and spirit of Christ. We believe it is the duty of Christian citizens to give moral strength and purpose to their respective governments through sober, righteous and godly living.>
This third version is found in Article 16 of the Confession of Faith. We have not mentioned the Confession of Faith in this series for reasons that we will address momentarily. It was produced by EUB Church in 1946 and comes to us through the 1968 merger.
There is a lot to like in this version, but again it omits any distinction between things temporal and things spiritual. This is a fatal flaw. It calls for unqualified obedience.
All the variations of Article XXXVII that we have received seem inadequate. They need to be amended to affirm the principle of limits to State authority over either the Church or the conscience of the Christian.
The 1801 version of the original Article Thirty-Nine is a good model for what that Article would look like.
XXXVIII. Of Christian Men’s Goods, Which Are Not Common Article 24 Abridged Version
<The Riches and Goods of Christians are not common, as touching the right, title, and possession of the same, as certain Anabaptists do falsely boast. Notwithstanding, every man ought, of such things as he possesseth, liberally to give alms to the poor, according to his ability.>
The version received in the TDD replaces Anabaptists with “some”. A wise choice. It is otherwise received intact.
Private property is presumed in both the Old and New Testaments. “Thou shalt not steal,” presumes that someone else has a right to the property. The act of almsgiving presumes that one has rightful ownership of the property being given.
Almsgiving is not limited to money, though that frequently is the most effective means of almsgiving. Alms consists of any material service or goods given to assist the poor. They must be offered freely from what one rightfully possesses. Almsgiving is performed from a heart of Christian Charity.
I own a car. I hold the title. It is God’s car. God lets me use it to move about town and take the family on vacation, but when he has use for it, he expects me to surrender his car to his service. When a late-night call comes, I get in God’s car and go to the person in need. Alms presumes ownership and ownership requires stewardship.
XXXIX. Of A Christian Man’s Oath Article 25 Abridged Version
<As we confess that vain and rash Swearing is forbidden Christian men by our Lord Jesus Christ, and James his Apostle, so we judge, that Christian Religion doth not prohibit, but that a man may swear when the Magistrate requireth, in a cause of faith and charity, so it be done according to the Prophet’s teaching, in justice, judgement, and truth.>
Oaths are not to be offered rashly, insincerely, or in trivial matters.
It ought to be that Christians live a life where no one would doubt their word, but just as the Church exists in the world, so also the world finds its way into the Church. Liars can be found among ministers too. There are times when Christians must involve themselves with the judicial and administrative processes of a secular society. Secular authorities may not be satisfied with the mere assertion that one is a Christian. It is appropriate for Christians to offer the assurance in the form of an oath that our faith requires a yes to mean yes and a no to mean no.
Concerning the Confession of Faith
We have not mentioned the Confession of Faith in this series, but since we invoked it when discussing Article XXXVII, it is appropriate to spend a few words on why it has been absent.
The Confession is a treasure received through the EUB branch of the Methodist family. The Confession and the Articles are two different literary genres representing two different ways of teaching. They cannot be merged or harmonized without losing some of the beauty and nuance that each brings to our doctrine. The Confessions are conversational. The language of the Articles is more technical. The difference in literary form is an obstacle to merging them.
The Articles are concise and systematic addressing one particular at a time. The Confession often treats several related topics and sub-topics in one passage, then addresses them again in another passage. When the Confession is talking about X it might take a few words to discuss some implications for Y and Z. They are written much the same way I write my essays. That makes harmonizing them almost impossible. That is why we have not involved them when discussing the Articles.
You know that junk drawer in your kitchen that is full of disorganized stuff? That is a good metaphor for the doctrinal standards we are importing from the UMC. We have collected some neat doctrinal items over the years without ever organizing them or repairing them and with little intent of using them. Just look at the discussion of Article XXXVII above. We own three versions: one each from the 1780s, 1930s, and 1960s. Each time we acquire a new one we throw it in the drawer with the old ones. It is work enough to sort out what we have done with the Articles. After that is finished, we can look at the Confession, then we can compare the two to see what needs to be reconciled. While the Articles and Confession cannot be merged or harmonized without destroying the beauty and nuance of each, they must be reconciled. For the sake of clarity and consistency, both documents will need some revision.
Paragraph 106 of the Transitional Doctrine and Discipline envision a day when the Articles and Confession will be combined into one document: “Recognizing the complementary streams of the Methodist and the Evangelical United Brethren faith communities, both the Articles of Religion and the Confession of Faith define the doctrinal boundaries of our church, until such time as a combined Articles of Faith may be approved by the church.”
I am curious what that could look like.
We may end up with a completely new Constitutive Standard that draws from each source but is not the same as either of them. In the meantime, I recommend this 2008 work by Jason Vickers:
This concludes the examination of the Thirty-Nine articles. There is only one more essay in the series. That one will look at a few new proposals suggested in public forums and summarize the whole of this work.
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