Government, God, Both or Neither

In recent years, the Hindu nationalist government in India made the establishment of Hinduism in India the central agenda for its electoral success. This is fine, except that it comes with the caveat that other religions should be suppressed and, if possible, banished from India. This is an interesting proposition, since Christianity has been in India since the 1st century AD, Islam since the 8th century AD, Buddhism since the 6th–5th century BC, Jainism since at least the middle of the 1st millennium BC, and Sikhism since the late 15th century AD, and all these faiths have long, deeply rooted histories on the subcontinent.

From a Christian standpoint, what is a believer supposed to do? Obedience to government and commitment to God are both important in the Bible. It would be ideal if both could be done simultaneously. But what happens if there is a conflict between the two? The Bible provides some clarifying details. First, we will examine what the Bible says about obedience to government, then consider unfavorable governments, and then return to the Bible to see whether there are any examples of conflict with government. Finally, we will consider whether obedience to God and to government are mutually exclusive and, if not, how to choose between them when forced to choose.

Outline

1.0 The Biblical Mandate to Obey the Government

2.0 When Secular Governments Oppose the Christian Faith

3.0 Biblical Precedents to Obeying God or the Government

4.0 Balancing Obedience to the Government and to God

1.0 The Biblical Mandate to Obey the Government

The Bible is clear about a Christian’s duty toward civil authority. Rather than treating the government as a necessary evil, the Bible presents submission to governing authorities as an expression of obedience to God. This is stated in several scriptures, which we will examine.

Romans 13:1–7

This passage, by the apostle Paul, is considered to be the foundational text on the topic of government authority

"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment." (Romans 13:1–2, ESV)

Paul's language is emphatic. The Greek word for “be subject” is a hierarchical term denoting voluntary submission to authority (1). The basis of his command is not merely practical but also theological, because all governing authority derives from God's sovereign will. God has appointed governments and entrusted them with maintaining societal order. They are "God's servant for your good" (v. 4) and, according to Paul, instruct believers to pay taxes, give respect, and render honor where it is due (vv. 6–7).

Importantly, Paul wrote Romans between AD 55 and 58, during the early reign of Emperor Nero. Unlike the latter part of Nero’s reign, this period is known for relative justice, social reform, and tolerance of Christianity, which was then considered a sect of Judaism and thus a religio licita (a permitted religion).(3) This passage, "when properly interpreted in its historical context…is not a strict prohibition against disobeying the government, but that when possible it is desirable to maintain good relations with governmental authorities."(4)

1 Peter 2:13–17

"Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people." (1 Peter 2:13–15, ESV)

Peter reinforces Paul's teaching and intentionally emphasizes missionary witness. His rationale for missionaries highlights good civic behavior as a form of witness. When Christians live as law-abiding citizens, they silence false accusations and commend the gospel.(5) Submission to civil authorities in this passage, rather than trying to get God to influence every governmental decree, demonstrates that the Christian faith is not a threat to the social order.(6)

Titus 3:1–2

Paul writes to Titus with a similar instruction:

"Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people" (Titus 3:1–2, ESV).

The tone here is both pastoral and practical. Christians should be model citizens whose good conduct opens doors for the gospel rather than closing them.(7)

Matthew 22:21

Jesus Himself established the principle when Pharisees tried to trap Him with a question about paying Roman taxes.

"Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (Matthew 22:21, ESV).

Jesus here distinguishes between two forms of governance, the church and the state. Neither should negate the other (8). There are legitimate obligations owed to the earthly government, and the faithful Christian honors them.

The cumulative teaching of Romans 13, 1 Peter 2, Titus 3, and Jesus' own words forms a robust case that Christians are to be among the best citizens in any society. This is not blind nationalism but theological conviction. God has ordained governmental structures for human flourishing, and submission to them reflects trust in His sovereignty.

2.0 When Secular Governments Oppose the Christian Faith

The Inevitability of Conflict

As clear as the biblical mandate for civic obedience is, an equally clear pattern runs throughout Scripture and church history regarding secular governments. These governments will, sooner or later, come into conflict with the Christian faith. Jesus Himself warned His disciples, "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you" (John 15:18, ESV). Paul told Timothy, "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Timothy 3:12, ESV). The apostle John wrote bluntly, "Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you" (1 John 3:13, ESV).

The problem is structural. Secular governments are grounded in humanism. They derive their legitimacy from human consensus, national identity, and human achievement. The Christian faith derives its authority from the living God and His revealed Word. When these two sources of authority align, the believer lives in peace. When they collide, as they inevitably do, the believer faces a dilemma no amount of civic virtue can resolve.

Persecution by the Roman Empire

The earliest example of state opposition to Christianity is the Roman Empire in the first century. Although Christianity initially benefited from Rome's toleration of Judaism, that protection was temporary.(9) According to Tacitus, the first organized persecution occurred under Nero (r. 54–68), who blamed Christians for the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64.(10) John Foxe records that Nero had Christians dipped in tar and set ablaze to serve as torches at his garden parties.(11)

The persecution was not limited to Nero. Subsequent emperors, including Domitian, Marcus Aurelius, Decius, and Valerian, carried out increasingly systematic campaigns against the church. The Great Persecution under Diocletian (303–312) was the most severe. Churches were destroyed, books and writings were burned, and Christians who refused to sacrifice to the gods faced torture, exile, and execution.(12) The books of Acts, many of Paul’s letters, 1 Peter, Hebrews, and Revelation attest to numerous incidents of persecution across most provinces of the Roman Empire.(13) Yet Tertullian's famous observation proved true: "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christians."(14) The church did not merely survive Roman persecution; it thrived under it.

Persecution under Nazi Germany, a “Christian” Nation

In the twentieth century, the Nazi regime posed a distinct challenge. Adolf Hitler did not merely persecute Christians from outside; he co-opted the institutional church from within through the Deutsche Christen (German Christians) movement, which sought to align Christianity with Nazi racial ideology.(15) Dietrich Bonhoeffer recognized the danger early. In his 1933 essay "The Church and the Jewish Question," he argued that the church must (1) question the state's actions, (2) aid victims of state injustice, and (3) if necessary, "jam a spoke in the wheel" of the state itself.(16)

Bonhoeffer went on to run an illegal seminary at Finkenwalde, was banned from public speaking, and ultimately joined the resistance against Hitler. He was arrested in 1943 and executed in April 1945 (17). Meanwhile, the ten Boom family in Holland hid Jews in their home, directly defying Nazi law. Corrie ten Boom's memoir, The Hiding Place, remains one of the most compelling accounts of Christian civil disobedience motivated by obedience to a higher law (18).

Continued Persecution in Countries Today

The pattern continues today. Open Doors' 2026 World Watch List reports that over 380 million Christians worldwide face high levels of persecution or discrimination for their faith, and that 4,849 Christians were killed for their faith in 2025 alone, making it "the deadliest year" for Christians in modern history.(19) North Korea has ranked as the most dangerous country for Christians for twenty-four consecutive years; Christianity there is treated as a political crime punishable by labor camps, torture, and execution.(20)

In China, despite the legal printing of Bibles by Amity Press, the government uses artificial intelligence surveillance, censorship, and economic restrictions to control Christian communities.(21) Underground churches continue to operate at significant personal risk, and those involved in unapproved Bible distribution face imprisonment.(22) Approximately 80 percent of the world's least evangelized people groups live in countries that do not grant missionary visas.(23) Harassment, interrogation, and persecution persist even in republics such as India and Pakistan. The lesson from history and the present day is sobering. The question is not whether a faithful Christian will encounter government opposition to the gospel, but when and how.

3.0 Biblical Precedents to Obeying God or the Government

The Governing Principle: Acts 5:29

When the Sanhedrin ordered the apostles to stop preaching in the name of Jesus, Peter declared what has guided Christian conscience for two millennia: "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29, ESV). This was not an impulsive outburst but a reasoned theological conviction. As the narrative in Acts makes clear, the apostles had received a direct command from Christ Himself to "be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). When the Sanhedrin's order directly contradicted Christ's command, the apostles had no choice but to follow the higher authority (24).

The principle that divine commands supersede human laws when they conflict is not limited to the New Testament. It runs through the entire biblical narrative. Let us look at some examples.

The Hebrew Midwives (Exodus 1:15–21)

When Pharaoh ordered the Hebrew midwives Shiphrah and Puah to kill all newborn Hebrew boys, "the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them but let the male children live" (Exodus 1:17, ESV). Their defiance was rewarded: "God dealt well with the midwives. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families" (vv. 20–21). In this example, "the saving of innocent lives is a higher obligation than obedience to government. When the government commands us to murder innocent victims, we should not obey" (25).

Rahab and the Spies (Joshua 2)

The king of Jericho ordered Rahab to surrender the Israelite spies. Instead, she hid them and sent the king's men on a false trail (Joshua 2:1–7). Far from being condemned, Rahab is honored in the "hall of faith" in Hebrews 11. "By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies" (Hebrews 11:31, ESV). James likewise commends her: "Was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?" (James 2:25, ESV).(26)

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3)

When Nebuchadnezzar ordered everyone to worship a golden image on pain of death, three Jewish exiles refused. "Be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up" (Daniel 3:18, ESV). Their defiance was absolute. It was not contingent on God's rescue. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to participate in religious activities blasphemous to their faith and accepted the full consequences of their decision. (27) God delivered them, but their obedience was not dependent on deliverance.

Daniel in the Lions' Den (Daniel 6)

When King Darius issued a law forbidding prayer to any god or man except himself for thirty days, did Daniel stop worshipping Yahweh? No. Instead, Daniel "went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously" (Daniel 6:10, ESV). Daniel did not organize a protest. He did not hide his disobedience. He simply continued to do what God required, trusting in God's sovereignty and accepting the consequences (28).

The Apostles Before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:18–20)

Before Peter's declaration in Acts 5, Peter and John had already been commanded "not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus." Their response: "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:19–20, ESV). The apostles regarded gospel proclamation not as optional but as a divine compulsion that no human authority could override.

Martin Luther King Jr.

The tradition of theologically grounded civil disobedience did not end with the Bible. Martin Luther King Jr. explicitly drew on these biblical examples in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (1963):

"Of course, there is nothing new about this kind of civil disobedience. It was seen sublimely in the refusal of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to obey the laws of Nebuchadnezzar."(29)

King articulated the principle that "an unjust law is no law at all," drawing on Augustine and Thomas Aquinas (30). His nonviolent resistance was rooted in the same suffering-servant theology that animated the early church.

How Should A Christian Act When the Government Contradicts the Bible?

In every biblical case of justified disobedience, several features are common:

• The government’s command directly contradicted a clear command of God (to preserve life, to worship God alone, to pray, to preach the gospel).

• The believers accepted the consequences of their disobedience rather than flee or revolt.

• The disobedience was nonviolent and respectful in tone, even though it was absolute in substance.

• God was glorified through the faithfulness of His people, often in extraordinary ways.

Francis Schaeffer summarized the principle, "God has ordained the state as a delegated authority; it is not autonomous. The state is to be an agent of justice, to restrain evil by punishing the wrongdoer, and to protect the good in society. When it does the reverse, it has no proper authority."(31)

4.0 Balancing Obedience to the Government and to God

The tension between civic obedience and gospel obedience is not a problem to be solved so much as a reality to be navigated. Samuel Waldron makes a critical distinction between subjection and obedience. Paul's command in Romans 13 is to hypotassō (be subordinate), not to hypakouō (obey in every particular).(32) A Christian can remain subordinate to the governing system by accepting its consequences, paying its taxes, and honoring its officials, while refusing to comply with specific commands that violate God's Word. The conscientious objector who accepts imprisonment rather than violating conscience is being subordinate even while disobeying.

Wayne Grudem offers a clear pattern to follow. Christians should obey the government in all matters unless the government commands what God forbids or forbids what God commands. In those cases, Christians should "obey God rather than men" while accepting whatever consequences follow (33). “Accepting the consequences” is easier said than done, as the consequences can range from minor to severe, including death.

For those involved in the biblical command to preach the gospel, how can this balance be achieved? There are several ways to pursue evangelism in a hostile culture.

4.1 Tentmaking and Bi-Vocational Ministry in Restricted Nations

The apostle Paul himself modeled this approach, working as a tentmaker (Acts 18:3) while planting churches across the Roman Empire. Today, "tentmaking" refers to missionaries who enter restricted-access countries through legitimate employment. It is unfortunate that "approximately 80% of the world's 2,500 least evangelized people groups live in countries which do not grant missionary visas. Thus, many thousands of tentmakers who can get into creative access areas will also be needed in order to complete the evangelization of the world." (34)

For example, a Christian software engineer, a doctor, or someone in any other profession who takes a position with a multinational company or a hospital in a Middle Eastern country that forbids proselytizing is presented with the opportunity to evangelize. She performs excellent work, builds genuine relationships with colleagues, and shares her faith in private conversations. She does not violate local laws on public evangelism and does not deny Christ when asked about her faith. She honors the government while honoring the Great Commission.

4.2 Business as Mission

Business as Mission has emerged as one of the most significant mission strategies of the twenty-first century. C. Neal Johnson defines it as the use of for-profit business ventures to advance kingdom purposes in cross-cultural contexts, emphasizing a "fourfold bottom line" of economic, social, spiritual, and environmental impact (35). These companies build legitimate businesses that meet genuine community needs while creating natural relational contexts for gospel witness.

For example, a Christian entrepreneur starts a fair-trade coffee cooperative in a Central Asian country with significant restrictions on religious activity. The business creates jobs, invests in community infrastructure, and provides a natural platform for sharing the motivation behind the work. The business is fully legal; the witness is organic and relational. I have several friends who are using business as a model in hostile countries.

4.3 Humanitarian Work and Development

Jesus fed the hungry, healed the sick, and cared for the marginalized. Many restricted countries welcome humanitarian workers even as they reject missionaries. Organizations such as Samaritan's Purse, World Vision, and Mercy Ships demonstrate the love of Christ through tangible service. Creativity is essential to gain access to the 10/40 window, where the majority of the world's least evangelized population lives. (36) MAP of 10/40.

For example, a Christian medical team provides free eye surgeries in a rural area of a North African country. They fully comply with government regulations, do not distribute literature in public, but pray with patients who ask and share their faith when opportunities arise. The work itself is a sermon. One of my colleagues is a surgeon who works on the Mercy Ships and is involved in several of these countries. When there is a surgical need, governments typically don’t consider a surgeon's religious faith.

4.4 Digital and Media Ministry

Digital systems have created unprecedented opportunities for access to the gospel in restricted nations. Radio broadcasts, satellite television, social media, and encrypted messaging apps allow believers to access Scripture and teaching even where physical Bibles are banned or restricted. Nik Ripken documents how persecuted believers in Muslim-majority countries use technology creatively to grow in faith and share the gospel under severe restrictions (37). My YouTube channel has around 40k subscribers, many from countries in the East and the Middle East. My radio programming is transmitted via shortwave radio (which governments cannot block) to many countries in the 10/40 window.

4.5 Legal Advocacy and Diplomatic Engagement

Christians can advocate for religious freedom through lawful channels without breaking the law. Organizations such as Open Doors, International Christian Concern, and the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty engage in legal advocacy, diplomatic pressure, and public awareness campaigns to protect persecuted believers. The case of Li Guangqiang, arrested in 2001 for transporting Bibles in China, illustrates how international diplomatic pressure, including personal interest from President George W. Bush, led to reduced charges and lighter sentences.(38)

4.6 When Obedience Requires Disobedience

The most dramatic and controversial application of the balance is Bible smuggling and clandestine evangelism. Brother Andrew (Anne van der Bijl, 1928–2022), founder of Open Doors, spent decades smuggling Bibles behind the Iron Curtain and into China, including the legendary "Project Pearl" in 1981, which delivered one million Chinese Bibles to a beach near Shantou in a single night (39).

For Brother Andrew, the matter was simple: God's command to spread His Word superseded any government's prohibition.

This approach falls squarely within the biblical tradition of the Hebrew midwives, Rahab, and the apostles. It should, however, be undertaken with the same characteristics that mark every biblical case of justified disobedience: it must respond to a clear command of God, be carried out with a willingness to accept consequences, and be motivated by love for God and neighbor rather than by defiance for its own sake.(40)

4.7 Principles for balancing obedience to God and the government

Drawing on biblical, historical, and contemporary evidence, the following principles can guide Christians seeking to balance civic and gospel obedience:

1. Default to submission. The normal Christian posture toward government is one of honor and obedience (Romans 13:1–7; 1 Peter 2:13–17). Do not seek conflict.

2. Know where the line is. When government commands what God forbids (e.g., idolatry, murder, silence about the gospel) or forbids what God commands (e.g., worship, prayer, evangelism), the Christian must obey God (41).

3. Be creative before being confrontational. Tentmaking, BAM, humanitarian work, and digital ministry enable significant gospel impact without breaking any laws. Use and exhaust legal and creative means first.

4. Accept consequences with grace. The biblical heroes who disobeyed the government did not resist punishment. Daniel went into the lions' den. The apostles accepted imprisonment. Bonhoeffer accepted execution. Willingness to suffer is part of the witness (42). As I said before, this is easier for anyone in a free country to say to those living in such hostile countries.

5. Maintain a posture of respect. Even when disobeying a specific law, Christians should speak respectfully of authorities (1 Peter 2:17; Jude 1:8–9). Paul invoked his Roman citizenship but never insulted Roman officials.

6. Act corporately when possible. The decision to disobey the government should ideally be made within the community, with the counsel of church leaders, not as an act of lone individualism (43).

7. Keep the gospel central. The purpose of disobedience is never political revolution but gospel advance. The moment civil disobedience focuses on political power rather than faithfulness to Christ, it loses its biblical warrant.

The balance between obedience to government and obedience to the Great Commission is not a theoretical puzzle. It is the lived reality for millions of believers around the world today, from house church pastors in China to tentmakers in the Arabian Peninsula to Christian humanitarian workers in North Africa. They walk the same road as the Hebrew midwives, Daniel, Peter, Paul, Bonhoeffer, and Brother Andrew, sustained by the same promise: "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33, ESV).

Notes

(1) Louis W. Hensler III, "Flexible Interpretations of 'The Powers that Be' from Constantine to Mandela and Beyond," cited in Carleton Hafer, "Where Does Obedience to Government End? Understanding Romans 13:1–7," Eleutheria 5, no. 2 (December 2021): 234–262. Hensler notes that hypotassomai is "a hierarchical term" that "is not synonymous with 'obey.'"

(2) Douglas J. Moo, The Letter to the Romans, 2nd ed., New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2018), 800–801.

(3) Eva Maria Synek, "The Legal Context of the Findings of Limyra," Journal of Ancient Judaism 5, no. 2 (2014): 245. Cited in Hafer, "Where Does Obedience to Government End?," 239.

(4) Hafer, "Where Does Obedience to Government End?," 234.

(5) John H. Elliott, 1 Peter: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, Anchor Yale Bible 37B (New York: Doubleday, 2000), 489–491.

(6) Elliott, 1 Peter, 489.

(7) William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles, Word Biblical Commentary 46 (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2000), 437–438.

(8) Wayne Grudem, Politics—According to the Bible: A Comprehensive Resource for Understanding Modern Political Issues in Light of Scripture (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 79.

(9) Frederick Fyvie Bruce, Romans: Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986), 231.

(10) Eckhard J. Schnabel, "The Persecution of Christians in the First Century," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 61, no. 3 (2018): 525–547.

(11) John Foxe, Foxe's Book of Martyrs, reissue ed. (New Kensington, PA: Whitaker House, 1981), 5.

(12) Wolfram Kinzig, Christian Persecution in Antiquity (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2021), 1–15. See also Paul Allard, Christianity and the Roman Empire: From Nero to Theodosius (Yonkers, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2014).

(13) Schnabel, "The Persecution of Christians in the First Century," 525.

(14) Tertullian, Apologeticum 50.13. Translated in Allard, Christianity and the Roman Empire.

(15) Eric Metaxas, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010), 153–175.

(16) Dietrich Bonhoeffer, "The Church and the Jewish Question" (1933), in Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, vol. 12, Berlin: 1932–1933, ed. Larry Rasmussen, trans. Isabel Best and David Higgins (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2009), 361–370.

(17) Metaxas, Bonhoeffer, 528–532.

(18) Corrie ten Boom, with John and Elizabeth Sherrill, The Hiding Place (Grand Rapids: Chosen Books, 1971).

(19) Open Doors, World Watch List 2026 Report (Santa Ana, CA: Open Doors USA, 2026). See also "Open Doors Releases New Christian Persecution Report," CatholicVote, January 25, 2026.

(20) Open Doors, World Watch List 2026 Report. North Korea has ranked first for twenty-four consecutive years.

(21) Open Doors, World Watch List 2025 Parliamentary Report (2025), 5. The report notes that "new technology is allowing authoritarian governments (especially China) to restrict Christian communities through surveillance and censorship."

(22) "U.S. Pressure on China Called Key to Bible Smuggler's Reduced Sentence," Baptist Press, January 28, 2002.

(23) Abner P. Dizon, "Towards a Theology of Bi-vocational Mission with Missiological Applications to Creative Access Cities," Journal of Adventist Mission Studies 15, no. 1 (2019): 237–238. Dizon cites Adams and Lewis, who report that "80% of the least evangelized people groups in the world live in countries where the government prohibits proselytizing."

(24) Hafer, "Where Does Obedience to Government End?," 248–250.

(25) Norman L. Geisler and Thomas Howe, When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1992), commentary on Exodus 1:15–21.

(26) Geisler and Howe, When Critics Ask, commentary on Joshua 2:4–5.

(27) "The Politics of Rupture: Daniel 3:27–30," Political Theology (May 3, 2018).

(28) John C. Lennox, Against the Flow: The Inspiration of Daniel in an Age of Relativism (Oxford: Monarch Books, 2015), 215–230.

(29) Martin Luther King Jr., "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (April 16, 1963), in Why We Can't Wait (New York: Harper & Row, 1964), 77–100.

(30) Jonathan C. Augustine, "The Fiery Furnace, Civil Disobedience, and the Civil Rights Movement: A Biblical Exegesis on Daniel 3 and Letter from Birmingham Jail," University of Richmond Public Interest Law Review 21, no. 2 (2018): 255–290.

(31) Francis A. Schaeffer, A Christian Manifesto, 4th printing (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books, 1982), 91.

(32) Samuel Waldron, "When to Disobey the Government" (panel discussion, 2020), cited in Hafer, "Where Does Obedience to Government End?," 234–235.

(33) Grudem, Politics—According to the Bible, 86–89.

(34) J. C. Wilson Jr., "Successful Tentmaking Depends on Mission Agencies," International Journal of Frontier Missions 14, no. 3 (1997): 131–134.

(35) C. Neal Johnson, Business as Mission: A Comprehensive Guide to Theory and Practice (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011), 23–45.

(36) Dizon, "Towards a Theology of Bi-vocational Mission," 237–240.

(37) Nik Ripken, with Gregg Lewis, The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2013), 245–268.

(38) "U.S. Pressure on China Called Key to Bible Smuggler's Reduced Sentence," Baptist Press, January 28, 2002.

(39) Brother Andrew, with John and Elizabeth Sherrill, God's Smuggler (Grand Rapids: Chosen Books, 1967). See also "Anne van der Bijl (Brother Andrew)," Open Doors biography; and the account of "Project Pearl" in which one million Bibles were delivered to a Chinese beach on June 18, 1981.

(40) Hafer, "Where Does Obedience to Government End?," 250–255.

(41) Grudem, Politics—According to the Bible, 86–89. See also Schaeffer, A Christian Manifesto, 91–93.

(42) Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, trans. R. H. Fuller (New York: Macmillan, 1959), 89: "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die."

(43) Patrick Johnstone, The Future of the Global Church: History, Trends and Possibilities (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011), 186–192. Johnstone emphasizes the importance of community discernment in mission strategy.