As a recovering fundamentalist, I grew up with lots of emphasis on not being worldly. It was tough as a teen because not being worldly often translated into simply being weird. Instead of resisting injustice, we resisted playing cards (Rook, anyone? Inside joke for former fundamentalists). Instead of bearing in our bodies the suffering of Jesus, we demonstrated our commitment to Jesus by guys not having long hair, our staunch opposition to skirts for women that were more than an inch above the knee. Believe it or not, in the fundamentalist camp, people paid close attention to these things and, in some cases, expelled people from fellowship if they did not comply.
That was a long time ago, and I now understand that the stakes of not being worldly are so much higher. At times, it includes not bowing the knee to the world’s sources of power. There is a name for this type of resistance to worldliness. It’s called civil disobedience.
As long as Christianity has existed, and even before, God’s people have wrestled with the tension between obedience to earthly authorities and adherence to God's calling to a higher standard of righteousness. At key points in history, civil disobedience has emerged as a powerful tool for Christians called to confront injustice. It’s an embodiment of the spirit of prophets like Daniel, or people like Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego, who defied the law as an expression of their devotion to God. Daniel paid the price of being thrown into a lion’s den, and the others were thrown into a furnace for defying the law, and in each case God protected them. The prostitute Rahab lied to authorities as she hid people facing deportation, imprisonment, or more likely death, and she is listed in Hebrews 11 as a hero of the faith. She was also given the honor of being in the ancestral line of Christ.
The Bible provides other compelling examples of civil disobedience. The midwives in Exodus who defied Pharaoh’s orders to kill Hebrew male infants. Peter and John, who boldly proclaimed, "We must obey God rather than human beings" (Acts 5:29). These acts of defiance stemmed not from rebellion for rebellion's sake, but from unwavering allegiance to divine justice.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian and pastor, provides a profound theological foundation for civil disobedience. Bonhoeffer famously declared, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” This statement underscores the moral imperative for Christians to confront injustice actively, rather than passively observing it.
In his resistance to the Nazi regime, Bonhoeffer exemplified the courage required for civil disobedience. He argued, “Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing God’s will.” For Bonhoeffer, civil disobedience was not merely an option but a necessity when faced with systemic evil. His life and writings challenge Christians to take bold action to defend justice, even at great personal cost.
Bonhoeffer also wrote, “Christianity stands or falls with its revolutionary protest against violence, arbitrariness, and pride of power and with its plea for the weak.” This perspective aligns with the broader Christian tradition of advocating for the oppressed and resisting systems that perpetuate inequality and suffering.
Martin Luther King Jr. embraced this biblical mandate in his advocacy for racial equality during the Civil Rights Movement. In his iconic "Letter from Birmingham Jail," King asserted, "A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law." King’s philosophy of nonviolent resistance drew deeply from Christian teachings, emphasizing that civil disobedience is not an attack on authority, but a redemptive act to restore justice. He highlighted the need for Christians to discern and confront laws and systems that perpetuate oppression, even when doing so requires personal sacrifice.
Shane Claiborne, a modern Christian activist and author, underscores the idea that civil disobedience is a prophetic witness. In his book Jesus for President, Claiborne writes, “When the laws of the land conflict with the law of love, our allegiance to God’s reign must supersede that of the nation-state.” Claiborne advocates for grassroots movements and peaceful resistance as ways for Christians to challenge systems of violence and inequality. His community-focused activism reflects the conviction that civil disobedience is not merely about protest, but about embodying the transformative love of Christ in the world.
Claiborne’s emphasis on love aligns with the teachings of Jesus, who called His followers to love their enemies and seek peace. By resisting injustice through nonviolent action, Christians testify to the power of God’s kingdom—a kingdom characterized not by dominance, but by humility, compassion, and reconciliation.
Russell Moore, a theologian and ethicist, contributes to this conversation by focusing on the moral responsibility of Christians to uphold human dignity. Moore has argued that civil disobedience is necessary when laws violate the sanctity of life or the image of God in others. In the context of opposing systemic racism, Moore states, “There are times when Caesar demands things that are not Caesar’s. In such moments, the church must say, ‘Jesus is Lord’—and act accordingly.”
From Moore’s perspective, civil disobedience is not an act of political defiance, but a response to God’s call to defend the vulnerable and marginalized. Christians are compelled by their faith to resist laws and systems that dehumanize others, affirming the intrinsic worth of every person as an image-bearer of God.
While civil disobedience is a powerful expression of faith, it also demands courage and discernment. Christians engaging in this practice must be prepared to face consequences, trusting that their obedience to God is worth the cost. King’s willingness to endure imprisonment, Claiborne’s tireless advocacy for peace, and Moore’s bold defense of life and dignity serve as examples of steadfast faith in the face of adversity.
Moreover, civil disobedience must be rooted in prayer and guided by love. As Claiborne writes, “Our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities, so we use the unconventional weapons of peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Through these "unconventional weapons," Christians can challenge injustice without perpetuating violence or hatred.
Civil disobedience is a Christian practice that reflects profound trust in God’s justice and commitment to the Gospel. Whether confronting racial inequality, systemic poverty, or threats to human dignity, it calls believers to speak truth to power and embody Christ’s love in action.
Shane Claiborne reminds us, “When Christians compromise their allegiance to God’s kingdom in order to maintain the status quo, they betray their prophetic vocation.” Martin Luther King Jr. challenges us to discern and resist unjust laws, while Russell Moore urges us to defend the image of God in every person. Together, their voices form a compelling case for civil disobedience as a faithful response to injustice—a practice that witnesses to the transformative power of God’s kingdom in a broken world.
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