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Romans 13
when paul says, "Let every person submit to the governing authorities..."
"ejxousivai uJperecouvsai"—gover ning authorities -
i have always been taught that this means civil authorities, the government.
but did paul really mean church authorities? this was after all, a letter to church people about church matters.
some people think its an interpolation (meaning that paul didnt really write that but it was added in later)
some say that paul’s directions are for jewish christians to refrain from nationalistic agitations, it is not a universal manifesto on church-state relations
a mennonite response to romans 13:1-7 might be to claim that obedience to God, concern for the unity of the church, and love for other people -which were the concerns that led paul to direct the christians in rome to submit to imperial rulers in the first place—take precedence over being subject to governing authorities.
thoughts anybody?
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