Christ Above Culture personal response to Niebuhr s Chrsit and Culture
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Christ Above Culture
In Niebuhr's section Christ Above Culture, the topic of abiding to the law is brought up in churches all of the time. When and where does the line have to be drawn in obeying what the authorities of the land have inducted as laws? Paul writes, "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established by God" (Romans 13:1). At the time Christians were reluctant to obey the governing laws because all of the civil rulers were pagans. Paul, in Romans 13:1, was reminding Christians that even though their allegiance to Christ was important they still needed to obey their governed authorities. Paul later on in chapter 13 reassures the people that Christ is still the higher authority. When it came to a situation where the law was against God's will they needed to choose God's law and not the law of the land.
"For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you" (Romans 13:3)...