Justice as Honoring Those in Government
An excerpt cut from To Live Well: Practical Wisdom for Moving Through Chaotic Times
Tomorrow is the release of my fourth book, To Live Well: Practical Wisdom for Moving Through Chaotic Times. I know I’ve talked about it a lot, but I am proud of the book. Tomorrow I’m going to publish a special post talking about the book and why I think you should read it. But for today, I want to share another excerpt cut from the book during the editing process. Each chapter contains several practical examples of how to exercise the virtues. Under the virtue of justice, I had a section on how to practice justice in relation to the “government,” which is not always easy for Americans. I hope you find it helpful and challenging.
Justice demands that we submit to the governing authorities (Rom 13:1), but also that we show them respect and honor. This is particularly difficult in liberal democracies like America where rebelling, criticizing, and condemning the government is not only seen as permissible but as responsible. There is a balance here between respecting governing authorities, recognizing their legitimate authority, and holding government leaders accountable to the people. For most of us, the challenge is not to defer to the government’s authority too much, it’s to see ourselves as superior to government leaders.
