To all my Christian friends who are throwing around Romans 13 (a passage on submission to governing authorities) as justification for remaining stone silent in the face of injustice, just a little word of instruction: God’s Word must never be read in isolation; it’s not an exercise in cherry picking! That chapter must be read in the light (and context) of EVERYTHING the Bible says about civil government. The false doctrine of the “divine right of kings” is based on ignoring the numerous Old Testament provisions addressing civil government, and also not reading Romans 13 in its entirety. The passage actually says that the one in authority is God’s servant for y(our) good, and if we are “good” we have no cause to fear them; but if we do “evil” we do have cause to fear them. According to scripture, rulers are not autonomous but are equally under the law, and are accountable to a higher power (God) and the people they serve. Out of this relationship between God, the leader and the people, arises the people’s obligation to protest lawlessness on the part of the leader. If they don’t protest, the people will suffer for going along with the unlawful acts of the leader. Lopsided theology has been the chief perpetrator of so much of the grief and evil that the world has witnessed!