Lots of false dictomities here on Twitter between “Jesus said lay down your rights” and religious liberty. But the Bible is more complicated than slogans. So here’s a thread 1/7

Yes, Christians should be characterized by self sacrifice and love of neighbor, of a willingness to forgo comfort for the sake of others. And we should care for the most vulnerable among us. Christians often fail that test, as many of you eagerly point out on this site 2/7

Yes, the shutdowns, for the most part were broad-based across society, not just targeted toward churches and didn’t restrict worship and preaching, just gathering. 3/7

But it’s not unbiblical to advocate for our rights and religious liberty. Paul does this multiple times in Acts, standing up for his fair treatment as a Roman citizen. What’s more he advocates Timothy to pray for religious freedom in 1 Timothy 2. 4/7

We can also apply Romans 13 to religious liberty in our context in that a self governed people share the accountability of power and have a stewardship for how it is used. 5/7

And Jesus did make a religious liberty argument: Render to Caesar is not just about paying taxes, but about only giving to the state what the state is owed: authority designated by God. The state has no right to the human conscience 6/7

The restriction on houses of worship under COVID are a more complicated case. It’s about public health. But it’s both biblical and Christlike to advocate for fair treatment from civil authorities, to ensure that public health and religious liberty are both respected. 7/7

Bonus tweet: I flesh out more about the intersection of human dignity and religious liberty in my book: The Dignity Revolution: https://www.amazon.com/Dignity-Revolution-Reclaiming-Vision-Humanity/dp/1784982830