From ancient times, philosophers have noted something which still seems to startle folks who didn’t think of it: If you don’t cooperate with the government, it’s no longer the government. While we recognize the power of the sword, that power is not absolute. There comes a point when the task of execution is too large for the resources. Enforcement won’t happen when some significant portion of the governed refuse to recognize their government. So any government which rests on the sword is always ripe for toppling. Any government which rests on love and respect is stronger than the sum of it’s resources.
Knowing these things philosophically is nice, but it really helps to see concrete examples. My friend Robin points out just such an example in the Polish Solidarity revolt, which got the momentum rolling for the collapse of the Soviet Empire. The method was so simple, yet so profound:
I learned during my 1986 visit that five years after the regime’s harsh crackdown, Poles were dodging and weaving around the Jaruzelski regime in ways that almost defied imagination. Shortages of basic foodstuffs, double-digit inflation, and a powerful secret police did not deter them from creating thriving black markets and flourishing private institutions, from radio to theaters to publishing houses and schools. Solidarity’s Wiktor Kulerski had sketched the outlines of Polish resistance a few years before when he wrote, “This movement should create a situation in which authorities will control empty stores, but not the market; the employment of workers, but not their livelihood; the official media, but not the circulation of information; printing plants, but not the publishing movement; the mail and telephones, but not communications; and the school system, but not education.”
Some of this is reflected in my Biblical Rebellion series. The fundamental lesson is an illegitimate government should be treated as illegitimate. You may have no practical means to actively fight back, and the New Testament warns it’s pointless in the first place. Rather, simply live as God intended and He’ll support it according to His own plans. His plans are generally supportive, while specifics of timing and particular movements of history may leave us unable to see it in our specific situations. That’s the somewhat mystical viewpoint of Scripture itself, which does not wait for evidence of the rational sort to back up an eternal declaration from God. When things have gone wrong for such a very long time, as they have here in the U.S., turning to righteousness is at first a desperate act of revolution. We see with spiritual eyes the goal is not for our immediate existence. Rather, we immerse ourselves in something far bigger than ourselves.
Yet, we also find reliable reports God does support these kinds of revolts. You may not see your children walk in proper liberty, nor necessarily they their own children. At the same time, God responds almost immediately in small ways if you look for them. He always grants enough to match the needs of your faith.
Today is the day. When any political force promotes evil, you don’t really have to attack. Just refuse to cooperate; do what you know you must to have peace in your own conscience. It surely helps if you have taken the time to examine your convictions, so you have a good idea what it is you must do to have peace. Now is a good time to start.
