We’ve visited the Lesser Magistrate Doctrine history over this multi-part series, Making Lesser Magistrates Great Again. While this is not an appeal for authority to be placed on any group of people, this stroll through history is intended to show the past Christians have of resistance to tyranny. Christian Americans have a recent issue of bowing to Authority, rather than their Reformation or Revolutionary roots, as the Church has become more and more entwined to the State.
As with the phrase “Make America Great Again,” that we’ve satirically hijacked and so many cling to with star spangled eyes, Nationalism and State obedience seems placed as a salvific merit to the American Christian. While we may prefer to not have a governing authority, at least an appeal to “lesser magistrates” would be an enormous step in the right direction for the Christian.
Appealing to Lesser Magistrates is very similar to today’s libertarian appeals to States. While we can extol the individual as primary, we live in a governmental system that allows for local and state representation. We also have the instruction from Paul, in Romans 13, to “be subject to the governing authorities.” As Christians navigate being “subject” while also practicing civil disobedience by obeying God’s laws rather than man’s, petitioning those charged with administrating the law becomes a just action, no matter the political party or professed faith of any “supreme magistrate.”
For AnarchoChristian’s stance on magistrates in general, please visit our post Israel Demands A King, or Tolkien‘s allusion to the corruption from power in Gandalf’s words, “I would want to use this Ring from a desire to do good, but through me, it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine.”
The French Connection: MLMGA Part 1
Confessing Resistance: MLMGA Part 2
A Wee Dram of Thunder: MLMGA Part 3
Reform and Resist: MLMGA Part 4
_______________________
Find it on 
