There are verses in the Bible that many of us wish were never there in the first place. These verses have been used to justify incredible pain, misery and destruction over the centuries. But let’s be clear: It is not necessarily the verses themselves. The problem is that these verses have been misunderstood, misinterpreted, and misapplied by generations of devout but seriously mistaken teachers, pastors and people. Here are some examples of what I mean…

Genesis 3:16 “To the woman God said, I will greatly increase your pangs in childbearing; in pain shall you bring forth children…” For centuries this was taken to mean that in childbirth women should be given no anesthetic or painkillers so that they could fulfill God’s intention that children should be borne in pain.

Exodus 22:18 “You shall not permit a witch to live.” Our seventeenth century Congregational ancestors took this to be an admonition from God to find and execute (supposed) witches. Today deluded fundamentalists in Africa are doing the same thing.

Leviticus 20:13 “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death.” Those who believe that verse to be the revealed word of God have frequently killed homosexual men and, by logical extension, lesbian women. The vile homophobia promulgated by conservative Christians in our country today is only surpassed by the legal killing of homosexuals by conservative Christians in Africa.

   Joshua 10:13B “The sun stopped in mid-heaven, and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.” This verse supported the pseudo-scientific nonsense that the sun moves around the earth fixed in its place at the center of the universe. Challenging that almost got Galileo executed. Be sure to come next Sunday to hear Dr. Clif Cleaveland describe the true relationship between religion and science.

   Ephesians 5:22 “Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord.” This and other biblical verses have been used to justify the dominance of men over women and to relegate women to a secondary place in society. That false doctrine is being preached today in conservative Christian pulpits all across our country.

   But the biblical verses I want us to pay special attention to this morning come from the thirteenth chapter of Paul’s Letter to the Romans:

   “Let every person be subject to the governing authority; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed…” Romans 13:1-2A

Could anything be more plain? For Christian people to resist governing powers means to resist God. Faithful Christians should obey every government. No matter how unjust or tyrannical. In Germany during the time of Adolf Hitler most Bible-believing, law-abiding, authority-obeying Germans believed that God wanted them to support the vile empire of the Nazis. Centuries of Lutheran teaching had led many Germans to believe that resisting Hitler meant resisting God. Thank God, there was a faithful remnant of Christian people who did not agree.

Among them was Dietrich Bonhoeffer, brilliant theologian, loving pastor, and, finally, Christian martyr. He was born into an aristocratic, patriotic, and astonishingly accomplished family crushed by the country they would have gladly died to save. Ultimately, four family members were executed by the Nazis.

Dietrich was a deeply religious boy who decided at age 13 to become a theologian(!) He was a brilliant student and teacher even as Hitler was coming to power. Within two days of Hitler’s ascension to chancellor of Germany in 1933, with storm troopers already in the streets, Bonhoeffer gave a dangerous radio address in which he proclaimed resistance to the Third Reich and support for the Jews. Because of his public stature he was able for some time to carry on a limited professional career and write a number of books on various aspects of theology. In 1938 he was given a sabbatical at Union Theological Seminary in New York City but he returned almost immediately to Germany because, as he put it, if he did not suffer his country’s destruction, he could not credibly participate in her restoration.

Eventually this gentle cerebral man became a capable double agent, ostensibly working for German military intelligence while actually passing information to the nations at war with Germany, as well as helping Jews escape. The pacifist so adamant that at one time he believed all violence was demonic joined a group that launched multiple assassination attempts on the life of Hitler. “Both the no and the yes involve guilt,” he told one of his anguished co-conspirators. The only consolation lay in knowing that the guilt was always borne by Christ.

In the aftermath of the failed bomb attack on Hitler on July 20, 1944, thousands of Germans, including Bonhoeffer, were thrown in prison and, just as the war was ending, many were executed. Bonhoeffer could hear the sound of Allied artillery as he was led away to be hanged.

What can we learn from the life of this incredible Christian man? Many things, I am sure, but the one that stands out for me is this: unless we are willing to die for our Christian faith, we have no right to claim that we are living that faith. Let me be very clear: America today is dominated by what I believe to be unjust and even un-American leadership. But it is not Nazi Germany. We still have the precious right to protest both in public and private to what we believe and to vote for those we believe can lead our country out of the trouble we are in. But we must do that as Christians, not simply as Liberals. What is the difference? Liberals have opinions; Christians have convictions. When the going gets tough, too often Liberals have been known to fall by the wayside discouraged and exhausted. When the going gets tough, really tough, Christians will remember Bonhoeffer’s famous words: “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Will we actually die for our faith? Probably not, but we must never forget that to follow Christ means to take up the cross of suffering, not success.

The strange glory of Dietrich Bonhoeffer was his willingness both to live and die for Christ and Christ alone. Pray God it will never come to that for us but we, too, must be willing to accept that strange glory as our ultimate commitment and loyalty.