Obedience Quote by A.A. Hodge
![“The Limit of this obligation to obedience [to the civil government] will be found only when we are commanded to do something contrary to the to the superior authority of God (Acts iv. 19; v. 29); or when the civil government has become so radically and incurably corrupt that it has ceased to…” quote by A.A. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/26c/a-a-hodge-79801_politics_the-limit-of-this-obligation-to-obedienc_2170575.jpg)
““The Limit of this obligation to obedience [to the civil government] will be found only when we are commanded to do something contrary to the to the superior authority of God (Acts iv. 19; v. 29); or when the civil government has become so radically and incurably corrupt that it has ceased to accomplish the ends for which it was established. When that point has unquestionably been reached, when all means of redress have been exhausted without avail, when there appears no prospect of securing reform in the government itself, and some good prospect of securing it by revolution, then it is the privilege and duty of a Christian people to change their government - peacefully if they may, forcibly if they must.””
About This Quote
Source Treatise: Political Theology, 19th century
Christians should obey government unless it forces sin or becomes irredeemably corrupt, then change it responsibly.
In simple terms: Obey unless government is immoral or corrupt; then act.
Key Takeaway
Stand for justice, seek peaceful change first.
Themes
politics
ethics
civil disobedience
Mood
serious
thoughtful
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- voting
- peaceful protest
- community organizing
Key Concepts
social contract
revolutionary theory
Questions to Reflect On
- When is rebellion justified?
- How to balance faith and civic duty?
![“History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes [Letter to von Humboldt, 1813].” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cba/thomas-jefferson-43_atheism_history-i-believe-furnishes-no-example-o_491860.jpg)
![“In 1914... [German] history, poetry, dream and the individual moment were all combined in one exhilarating sensation...The nation was a creation of one's imagination, a poetic truth, an ethical, not a social, construct... blind obedience was the true value... the stronger a person is... the more…” quote by The Rites of Spring Modris Eksteins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9a2/the-rites-of-spring-modris-eks_blind-obedience_in-1914-german-history-poetry-dream-and_16799.jpg)
