Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Our central, national celebration is upon us. I am thankful to God for the stout-hearted Americans who signed their own death warrants by affixing their names to the Declaration of Independence. In the intervening years, some confusion has grown up over what they asserted, and whether it was moral. I hope to offer some biblical light on the political phenomenon we call, “Secession.”
First of all, though, let’s clear up some language issues. We probably shouldn’t call the American War of Independence a “revolution.” A revolution, as pointed out by 20th Century political theorist, R. J. Rushdoony, is an attempt to topple a sitting government and replace it with one chosen by the rebels. This is not what the American colonies sought. Americans fought for their right to secede, unlike the properly labeled French Revolution, which sought a wholesale change in government.
Now, secession can be boiled down to the idea that when two parties are related by contract or covenant, there may come a time in which it is right for one of the parties to walk away from that relationship, in response to the other party having violated the agreement. This is common sense, and we see it all the time in business dealings, where one side in a contract fails to hold up its end of the bargain, and the other side is forced to take legal, but peaceful, steps to minimize its own injury in the situation. Also, the dissolution of a marriage is a form of secession, which may be biblically justified in certain instances.
In the Bible, we see many examples of secession. Maybe it would surprise you to hear that some of those were initiated by God himself.
One iconic event is the separation of Israel from Egypt in the book of Exodus. The exodus was secession, not revolution, and God initiated it. Remember, the repeated demand to Pharaoh was not, “Surrender your throne,” but, “Let my people go.” Indeed, it could have been entirely peaceful except that the politically dominant party decided to use military force to prevent the weaker from walking away. (Some things never change.)
Generations later, the ten northern tribes seceded, or walked away, from their former close bond with the other two tribes, Judah and Benjamin. The political reason was that the king, Solomon’s son, promised to enslave them and work them like dogs, as part of the world’s worst inaugural address. We are informed, however, that this split, which wound up being peaceful, was orchestrated by God. (Read the story in 1 Kings 12 and 2 Chronicles 10.)
These dual witnesses from the Bible confirm the concept that political secession may be the morally appropriate action, especially when one side has become tyrannical.
Enjoy this Fourth of July. Remember the courage of a generation that was willing to say to a powerful king, in my own words here, “You have violated our agreements. We are walking away, hopefully in peace. But if you choose something other than peace, we will defend ourselves, so help us God.”
I’ll also be thinking about whether peaceful secession might just be the best answer to many internal conflicts America faces today.
Gordan Runyan is the pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Tucumcari. Contact him at: