Thanks to our Inside-the-Beltway (THE Beltway!) correspondent comes this recent piece from Martin Marty. Below is an excerpt but the entire article is available here.
A Gentile (as in Russell P. Gentile) is the most recent, perhaps most earnest, certainly the boldest claimant, on the government and religion news front in the winter just past. While others have protested along the line of “separation of church and state” when government is interpreted as having crossed that line, Gentile goes further. The Florida businessman pleaded that he should not be punished (as he will be punished) for not having paid owed taxes which he argues that he does not owe. While the public is familiar with Catholic bishops being critical on the issue of having to pay taxes, even indirectly, or even “indirectly indirectly” when a government policy apparently conflicts with conscientious and doctrinal issues, Gentile will not pay taxes for anything. We are familiar with Baptists and others who hold the line on “separation,” Gentile poses a transcendent issue.
In short, he says he is not subject to human laws but is an American national who “resided in the Kingdom of Heaven.” He has been “as polite and patient” as he could be, but threatens to sue if the Feds come after him. (Thy have come.) He would not report his income, and faces substantial federal prison time and fines. He broke numbers of laws and set out to obstruct justice. The legal cases continue, and outcomes are uncertain as we write. Why waste readers’ time on a case that can be described as comical and trivial?
Old Life 
Now that’s some old school anabaptist, for ya. Free in Christ indeed.
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Hoo-rah for the Gentile! Boo-rah for Marty squared conclusion.
Just think of what a couple hundred million people refusing to pay their taxes would do. We could stop fascism (from both the left and the right). Alas, there is not even a remnant of men with that mettle, it would appear.
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Interesting. If he refuses to pay “any taxes” he almost literally could not move. There are sales taxes, gasoline taxes, taxes too numerous to mention on your phone service, taxes on the cab fare you pay, a tax when you are born and another tax when you are buried. And on and on and on ad nauseum. So rather than make a big spectacle over fed income tax, he should somehow show the rest of us how we could exist without without really paying any taxes.
And by the way (might as well throw a gasoline rag on the fire for those who insist upon literal tithes), the average U.S. citizen spends somewhere close to 50% of his annual income on total tax. The Israelites were only required to give 10% in support of general welfare of the nation. Let’s raise further hew and cry that the government is interfering with our ability to channel our resources through the church, according to our beliefs, by overtaxation.
Now, “what” those bureaucrats and politicians are spending that tax money on is the real argument, isn’t it?
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That’s right, GAS, it appears most people are following the Bible’s prescription for citizenship. Maybe you guys are right and Christianity has made cultural impact.
And just think what could be accomplished if everybody refused to participate in the sham called medical insurance. But it has to happen all at once: everybody jump on three.
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As citizens of heaven, we are to pay our taxes so as not to give offense to those in authority.
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Zrim- Scripture tells us to struggle against principalities and authorities. Why do you lack the courage to be obedient to Scripture?
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GAS,
What in the world are you talking about, doesn’t that passage have to do with wrestling not with flesh and blood? I have never seen a more over-realized eschatology with respect to Ephesians 6. Could it be that we simply need spiritual armor in order to live the lives Paul describes in Chs. 4-6, you know striving for unity in the body, being the spouses, parents/children, employees, and employers that God calls us to, since Satan is out to thwart the believer from faithfulness in these most basic callings? Isn’t courage the most difficult with those nearest us, most intimately aware of our faults, as opposed to some far off government that any Tom, Dick, or Harry can express dissent to, with a bumper sticker or two no less?
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GAS, unless you live in Zrim’s neighborhood or go to his church, how would have any idea of whether he’s obedient to Scripture (let alone courageous)?
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GAS, what I struggle against are the neo-Calvinist powers and principalities of Little Geneva where the 2k peso has a terrible exchange rate. I know it sounds courageous to stop fascism and bemoan the larger balance of men not having the chutzpah, but obedience is the rule of holy writ. So why do you esteem disobedience?
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Jed- I wouldn’t have expected a near gnostic interpretation of the text from you. That’s Zrim’s territory. Is the anti neo-calvinist bias so great that we just ignore the Zeitgeist around us and live with our head in the heavenly hole? Couldn’t those closest to us be affected by the world system? The text is referring to something.
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Gnostic? If by gnostic you mean contextual call me guilty all day long. But I’ll tell you what, show me some Reformed scholarship or any for that matter that uses the spiritual warfare language of Ephesians 6 as a pretext to oppose goverments and we might have a debate. But in my reading of Ephesians scholarship I can comfortably say your take here seems highly idiosynchratic.
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Jed, that’s why they put “neo” before Calvinism.
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And GAS,
In Pauline lit “the spirit of the age” and other similar labels used to describe the world system are not equated with human governments. Paul calls the government a minister of good, and we are talking about Rome here. Paul doesnt use any Satanic influence that might lie behind the state as pretext for insurrection, as the Christian is given spiritual armor in order to walk obediently in the present age.
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Sure reminds me of the pseudo-sciency creationist Kent Hovind’s anti-tax arguments that have now landed him in prison.
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Jed- I have appreciated how you have, for the most part, generally avoid the simplistic reductionism that is the modus operandi around here. So if there is such a thing as a spirit of the age then it’s manifestation is going to be complex. So while it cannot be equated with a particular thing, neither should a particular thing be excluded in that manifestation. So isn’t the point of the text that we should struggle against a prevailing way of thinking, that is actually manifested in many ways, but that these prevailing ideas need to be judged separately from the individual?
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Jed, I’ve appreciated it as well. ” Don’t go changin’ to try to please me, I never want you to work that hard, oooh, ooooh, ooooh, oooh oooh a oooh.” This reductionism is so catchy.
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GAS,
So while it cannot be equated with a particular thing, neither should a particular thing be excluded in that manifestation. So isn’t the point of the text that we should struggle against a prevailing way of thinking, that is actually manifested in many ways, but that these prevailing ideas need to be judged separately from the individual?
First, thanks for the compliment, I promise I won’t let it go to my head. I guess I could see where you are coming from here, but until we get into defining these “particular things” or “prevailing ways of thinking” there’s no way to judge if they are in the purview of Ephesians. As I understand it Paul begins with the grand and cosmic, such as the believer’s union with Christ, justification by grace alone through faith alone. From one cosmic reality to the next, it moves into how God manifests the supremacy of his power and wisdom to these spiritual principalities and power structures in making one people for himself comprised of both Jew and Gentile through the church, whose existence beforehand had been a mystery. Paul then moves to the practical by urging believers, in light of their future glory to live lives that reflect the cosmic-altering power that God has made known in the gospel, and this is reflected in the most basic institutions such as marriage, family, and the workplace. It seems like the elaboration on the spiritual armor of the believer were provided to help enable them to live the implications of their faith as it transected their everyday lives in these common institutions in which we all exist.
What I don’t see in Ephesians, even with some of the loftiest language of the NT in terms of the cosmic implications of the gospel is a call to believers to take on social institutions, such as human governments for the sake of transformation. At best, and this isn’t to diminish the point in any way, I see the call to Christians being to live their lives as if the gospel is true in whatever station they find themselves in. I am not inclined to call this a program for social transformation and change, simply the basic call to the believer to be salt and light, both individually and corporately.
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Jed, it could be that the reason you don’t find this in Paul’s epistles or the NT more generally is because it would be a case of hypocrisy if you did. Everyone knows that Christ and the apostles did not transform society even though that society practiced slavery and infanticide. I guess they were antinomians.
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“to live lives that reflect the cosmic-altering power that God has made known in the gospel”
Jed- a fine summary but be careful with some of that language like the above or Hart will think you’ve joined a gospel coalition church and will be on you like stink on …
BTW, didn’t those initial gentile christians take on the social institutions at the time by refusing to bow to ceasar as god? And some think refusing to pay taxes is radical.
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GAS,
BTW, didn’t those initial gentile christians take on the social institutions at the time by refusing to bow to ceasar as god?
They didn’t submit because to do so would have been in direct violation of the clear commands of Scripture. I am not sure this was to “take on social institutions” as much as it was an effort to hold fast to one’s confession of faith. Nothing that 2kers wouldn’t affirm here. When Caesar says “sin”, we say (politely) “Sorry sir I cannot.”
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Jed- I hate to think it but I’m afraid if we were put in the same situation we would see some 2kers here rationalizing that the bowing is being obedient to biblical commands based on 2k thinking.
What I find fascinating is that while there is loud wailing and gnashing of teeth regarding liberty of conscience as it relates to “christian day schooling” these same characters become tyrants in respect to obedience to secular authorities. Apparently Christians have no liberty of conscience in discerning whether or not governing authorities are engaged in murder, theft, or idolatry. Just obey the governing authority like a god. The Church is but a mere lapdog of the State.
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All right, GAS, hold up. No 2ker has ever suggested that worshiping Caesar is warranted. What some have tried to say is that there is a difference between showing due obedience and undue worship. One seriously wonders what you do with the likes of Joseph and Daniel, who demonstrated amongst other things the kind of obedience that earned them second in command. Could a 2k critic who esteems disobedience and the right to oppose God’s civil ministers ever hope to find himself in the esteemed company of Joseph or Daniel? Or were they just lap dogs?
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GAS,
If you would like I could cite any of the 2kers in question here, demonstrating that when the magistrate commands sin, we are to obey God. Even Zrim, who is against civil disobedience entirely does draw this distinction, so does Hart. They may not make it a point to oppose governments that allow for sinful activities, but that’s different than a situation where a government is demanding a Christian to directly participate in sinful activity. All they are claiming, as I would as well (even though I tend to leave the door open for certain expressions of civil disobedience) is that it is ordinarily the duty of the Christian to honor and obey the magistrate as Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2. But as Revelation consistently demonstrates, there comes a point when a believer must be willing to be parted with his head when it comes to the empire’s demands to bow before it – we hold fast to the testimony of Jesus, not our necks in those instances.
I think you are dealing with some misconceptions with regard to 2k here. I don’t think 2k ever calls for acquiesence to the state, just separation between it and the church.
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Jed, I’ve appreciated it as well. ” Don’t go changin’ to try to please me, I never want you to work that hard, oooh, ooooh, ooooh, oooh oooh a oooh.” This reductionism is so catchy.
Sean, soft rock? You’re killing my street cred man!
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Like we always said in my hood growing up, in the words of OPP (modified):
You ain’t ever been to Esco
Don’t ever come to Esco
‘Cause you wouldn’t understand Esco
Growing up on the mean suburban streets of the Oak Hill neighborhood makes a man hard, developing an iron gut from a steady diet of tacos al pastor from Jilbertos, and carne asada tortas from El Escondido only makes him harder. Add a steady stream of Escondido’s theology and you become harder than cold tempered steel.
Peace Out.
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“Sean, soft rock? You’re killing my street cred man!”
BoYYYYYYY, they just hand that out to anyone these days. Alright, alright try some of this on;
Jesus at the back door
Everything is all right
All we need is some direction
Every time the wind blows
Everything you don’t know
Turns into a revelation
And it all adds up inside your head
Time is wasting
Set it OFF
Set it Off now children
Set it right…………………
WORD!!!!
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Jed,
I bet you have much more street cred than you are implying here- I have met lots of Maitre D types and their underlings in places that I have been at. The Restuarant industry is notorious for its street smarts-especially the 5-star ones where waiters can easily take home 500-700 a night. They can BS about anything and everything. And do it in a sophisticated manner.
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Sean,
I never did get into Audioslave much, but I have always enjoyed what Tom Morello has to say. I can’t say that I agree with his Leftist politics, but his concerns and critiques of the perils of globalism aren’t altogether different from those of paleo-conservatives and some libertarians. He’s an interesting dude for sure. He strikes me as a guy who would seriously dig Wendell Berry, if he doesn’t already, which makes him pretty cool in my book.
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John,
If by BS’ing about the virtues of the advances in Australian winemaking techniques, and their superior Shiraz’s to a dude who can drop $150 on a bottle, and nod understandingly as his guest thinks that we should drop the label Chilean Seabass since they went extinct in the 80’s and just call it Patagonian Toothfish because that’s what it really is, then yes I have acquired the skill. I can even tolerate his wife’s insistence that the Free Range Chicken was good, but could’ve been better if the kitchen had creamed the sundried tomato pesto on it with a bechemel sauce – so long as they take care of me at the end of the meal – I’m their huckleberry.
You learn a whole lot about people when you are being paid to be nice to them and cater to their desires, tastes, and the odd whim every once in a while. The chef and the rest of the back of the house get to forgo that dance, but in my opinion they miss out on a lot of fun. But, on the upside they miss a lot of the headaches, or at least have to deal with different ones – like moody servers.
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Jed,
You’re a lot more thoughtful about it than I am. I just dig Cornell’s voice. Tortas!? you’re all Cali’d up on your mexican food. Down here in south texas if it’s not rolled up in lard, and flour or masa, it ain’t food.
You need to study up on your endocrinology, and set up a diabetes clinic down here. We’re setting records and the endocrinologists and insulin reps are killin’ it. Between the exploited illegals down here and our Type II diabetes food pyramid, I’m not sure Ol Wendell could get much of a hearing. Maybe Austin, they try real hard to pretend they aren’t from here, but we know their families, they’re as gun-racked and “whoop” as the rest of us.
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Exactly Jed, you hit the nail right on the head.
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GAS, where did Paul or Peter take on social institutions? Yes, the refused to obey Caesar. Taking on and refusing are different activities.
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Hart- is refusing to pay taxes taking on social institutions or refusing? Yikes!
Zrim- re: Joseph and Daniel. A fine example of simplistic reductionism that really doesn’t advance the discussion. Should the fact that Joe and Dan were both slaves in their respective positions but we live in a Constitution Republic have any impact on how we apply their example? Besides, haven’t you argued before that you don’t believe in hermenuetical bridge but that Scripture is merely about justification?
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GAS, reductionist, expand thyself.
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Just following the motif. Are you taking on or refusing the answer?
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GAS, there’s daring to be a Daniel and then there’s reducing Scripture to mere glorified moralism. It’s against the latter that Jesus’ own hermeneutic is employed. But that by no means eliminates his types and shadows from being worthy examples for us. And I don’t see how differences in kingdoms and republics diminishes any of that. And so if Joe and Dan could loyally serve men who thought they were deity and trampled God’s own people, I don’t see how there is any room for us to esteem disobedience against men to know they are mere creatures and leave God’s people alone. In fact, Joe and Dan make 2k critics look like whiny wusses. Which is ironic given their blustering about manliness, chutzpah and mettle.
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GAS, you didn’t answer this, question ducker: “GAS, where did Paul or Peter take on social institutions? Yes, the refused to obey Caesar. Taking on and refusing are different activities.” And since Jesus taught that people should pay taxes, I have no idea what you’re trying to say. The confusion may come from your reductionist comments.
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Zrim- The whole OT is a storyline on how Israel resisted the tyranny of Pharaoh and Egypt, ya know, how deception was used against the governing authorities to keep first born babies alive, how Moses and Aaron were involved in a complete transformation of Egyptian society, that whole silly concept of freedom from slavery, and yet despite this overwhelming motif you think we should concentrate on the benefits of masochism under tyranny. Wow! I know Romanists have a masochistic complex but I think you just took the cake!
Hart- It seems redundant to answer a question you answered yourself. But here you go… Peter and Paul and the Christians refused to obey Caesar. There… better? What I would like to know is the fine nuances between taking on and refusing? Were those early neo-calvinists like Beza, Brutus, Althusius, Knox, Vermelli, et. al., taking on or refusing? Of course the whole mess started with Luther and it didn’t take long for the German peasants to rebel thanks to his writings. So why go through all this brain damage to try and change what has been the storied history of the Reformation… resistance to tyranny? Why not call for and convert to Eastern Orthodoxy?… they have practiced what you are calling for for centuries… caesaropapism. The Russian Orthodox Church’s relation with the old Soviet Union could be the model.
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GAS, have you forgotten how to read? I have advocated FOR CENTURIES no less, caesaropapism. What the!!??!!
Actually, I follow the Confession on Christian duties to the magistrate:
As for the difference between refusing and taking on, are you serious? On the former, all I do is avoid writing a check. On the latter, I don’t join the Baylys picketing at city hall.
Read carefully.
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GAS, mmm, cake. Moses and Aaron completely transformed Egyptian society? I know Keller is naive about Christian impact on NYC, but I think you just had your cake and ate it, too. Maybe Dan could have used your advice after Nebuchadezzar made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and remained in the royal court.
The point isn’t to reap the benefits of a tyrannical state. It’s to wonder how in thee heck does one get to that level civil Babylonian power and favor as a Hebrew(!) with the sort of civil resistance theory you’re promoting? Talk about rrrrradical. And 2kers are tagged with public square antinomianism. But I do love irony as much as I love cake.
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And all along I thought God brought the people out of Egypt. I’ll have to read that part again about how Moses and Aaron refused to pay taxes so they could stick it to the man. Maybe Jesus should have read that bit, too.
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Thomas…pssstt… secondary means man… we’re not muslims.
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