On Orthodox Christian Citizenship & Relations to the State
Political Theology, PT. I: An Orthodox Analysis or Governance, the Duties of Citizenship, and a Practical Approach to Modern Politics
There is a not insignificant group of people in the Church who, like the Amish and Jehovah’s Witnesses, view American politics in its totality as anathema. This is not the teaching of the Church, but leftovers from our cultural upbringing which has taught us to associate piety with a rejection of the material world - an idea rooted firmly in the Radical Reformation. And to be fair, I myself struggled with my political involvement as a catechumen and considered, for a time, abandoning politics altogether. It took time to realize that the “world” I was supposed to flee was not the material world, but my own passionate inclinations.
As Orthodox Christians, we have an absolute duty to our neighbor and nation. While that can be daunting in the current political environment, the reality is that it's never been easy - But Orthodox Christians have always risen to the occasion. What is our duty to the country, how do we avoid false-piety and ideologizing in fulfilling our obligations to our people and homeland, and remain on the royal path?
What Kind of Government?
Many are the arguments of those who wish to abandon their obligations to their country. Among them, that the very structure of a republic is a rejection of the metaphysical order and only an autocratic monarchy is acceptable to Orthodox Christians, and that the act of voting is a rejection of the belief that God ordains rulers.
The first argument is that an autocratic monarch is the only acceptable government for the Orthodox because it reflects the metaphysical reality in which we live. This is incorrect. But this argument is based on a Neo-Platonic metaphysic, ignoring that God does not rule alone, but in the midst of His Divine Council. The Virgin stands at His right-hand interceding for the faithful; the Apostles sit on twelve thrones to judge the tribes of Israel, saints and angels watch over nations, angels govern the winds, and all the powers of the heavens. If we take this view that the Orthodox prefer monarchy because of the metaphysical order, we could even argue that the structure of the Republic1 or constitutional system reflects the order of creation far greater than autocracy: just as the Holy Ones (saints and angels) govern the various orders, levels, and powers of creation, the executive, state, local ministers and agencies of the republic govern the various orders, levels, and powers of the nation. Could it not be argued then that a Republic better reflect our metaphysics than autocracy?
Perhaps there’s an argument to be made there, but the Orthodox affinity for Monarchy has little to do with Neo-Platonic metaphysics, or any other for that matter. Instead, it has to do with our man-centered worldview. Truth, after all, is not a thing but a Person, and that person, Christ, exists in a union of perfect love with His Father and the Holy Spirit. In the Orthodox worldview, truth is manifested in the communion of persons in selfless love for God and service to one another and this is the reality which the Orthodox seek to replicate in human government, and the cause of our affinity towards monarchy. But here we are not speaking of autocracy, but Christian monarchy.
While Christian monarchy does indeed reflect the Divine Council this reflection is not causal in nature; instead, its structure is a result of our Christology and man-centered worldview. Christian monarchy requires a king working in synergy with his people and with their best interest in mind; it requires effective ministers/representatives who serve as vessels - of the ruler’s authority towards the people, and the will and needs of the people before the ruler. Each person and station in a Christian monarchy from the peasant and merchant to the ruler and his ministers and officials are required to be in absolute submission to one another in humility and Christian love. This is the ideal of person-centered government and synergy between God and man, ruler and subject/citizen, and between Church and State. It reflects the love and benevolent rule of God for mankind as well as their participation in that rule; it balances the one and the many, the state and community, without devolving into individualism, massification, and social-leveling.
The ruler images Christ not merely in his rule, but in his ascent to power, simultaneously affirming the Church’s teaching on synergy, and more importantly, free will. Christ gave man free will and the ability to reject Him because “the resistance of freedom alone gives loyalty its meaning. It is the seal of our divine participation.”2 Our freely willed subjugation to God’s authority and the laws implied therein itself constitutes the reciprocation of His love. The affirmation of the people to be ruled reaffirms human freedom without fetishizing freedom. This is precisely what we see play out in the elevation of rulers in Byzantium: even a purple-born emperor required the ascent of the people of Constantinople - or alternatively the army when in the field - before being enthroned. Likewise, the people recommend and affirm the ordaining of minor clergy; We affirm the elevation of the bishop - Axios, Axios, Axios!
Thus, the claim that voting is a rejection of Divine Providence and God ordaining rulers is itself revealed to be a rejection of the Church’s teaching on free will and synergy.
God works with and through men to accomplish His will. As Scripture witnesses, God will heed His people when they ask for a ruler. If we ask worthily and for just cause, He will give us our ruler and we will prosper. If we ask unworthily and for ill-cause, we will get our ruler, and it will be to our detriment. But even these remain God-ordained and fulfill His will. Because all rulers are God-ordained - regardless of whether they come to power by lineage or ballot, the Apostle exhorts us to pray on their behalf and thank God for them.
“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” - 1 Timothy 2:1-2
The Church prays for all civil authorities precisely because “by [Him] princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.” (Pro. 8:16) It is for this reason that, even in the days of the Tsar, the Liturgy included petitions in the litany for “our Most God-fearing Ruler, N., and to all the Authorities (and to the Ruler of the Land, if it be in a foreign country, mentioning his name and title), many years!”3
We must, then, not make an idol out of our preferred or ideal form of government; nor does the absence of the ideal absolve us of responsibility of obedience to good government. Let us, therefore, define good government according to the testimony of the saints and teachers of our Church.
Defining the Role & Obligations of Government
Government is given by God to mitigate sin. Fr. Daniel Sysoev tells us that “Insofar as it accomplishes this, it is from God.”4 Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk says that the civil authorities exist “for turning away every sort of calamity that can take place in society; for restraining the impropriety, insolence, and violence of the most impudent people, and for protecting the innocence and gentleness of good people.”5
Society is, much like the Church, described by the fathers as a body, the governing authorities are the head and nervous system which direct the members, and must govern and provide for their well-being - similarly to the governing authorities of the Church itself. The governing authorities then, must care for and provide for every type of prosperity for the society subject to it. While having a fatherly care for society and providing for prosperity, St. Tikhon states that the government cannot be overbearing. “The authorities must walk on the middle way, and deal with their subjects thus: they must allow them to live according to their own will, they must chasten them when they sin, they must rein them in by fear and lead them to good ways, and they must not have tyranny over them.”6
Those serving in government must be both conscientious and intelligent. A conscientious ruler without intelligence, according to St. Tikhon, will bring harm to the people in the long term through short-sighted solutions. Likewise, an intelligent ruler who is not conscientious, but cunning, will only benefit himself, bringing misery to the people.
The Church’s prayers are, unsurprisingly, illuminating on the topic of how the Church views the role of government, its relation to it and how it hopes it will conduct itself. We pray that the authorities would allow us to assemble, worship, and evangelize in peace, that the Lord would protect the authorities and armed forces to prevent catastrophe and suffering from engulfing the land, and to enlighten the authorities so the government of our land would reflect with ever greater clarity the government of His Kingdom.
“That we may easily and safely travel therefrom to our true homeland with thee… As Joseph prospered when he sojourned in Egypt, so prosper the Orthodox Church and her leaders during our sojourn in this land… Correct the laws of this land to guide aright men’s deeds and so make their hearts upright, and let us no longer shed innocent blood and be putrid with it, defiling ourselves with works of darkness… Go forth, O God, with our armed forces, protecting those that serve in them by the power of Thy Cross. Grant peace to our cities, towns and countryside, and by thy mighty right hand and wisdom support and guide the police and all those charged with enforcing the law. Enlighten with the true light of the Gospel the minds of all the educators of this land… Make honest the scales of merchants and bankers” - A Prayer for One’s Earthly & Temporal Homeland7
It is, therefore, the deeds of the governing authorities, not their composition which makes them good or acceptable in the eyes of Christian. Father Daniel Sysoev tells us that “abuse of power is bad, love of power is bad, and unjust courts are bad, but not the courts themselves.”8 When it administers justice fairly, when it cares for the poor, orphans, and widows, provides for the general peace and prosperity of its subjects, etc… it is good. When it fails to do these things, it is not good. This aligns with the Church’s teaching on sin and evil in general. “I think man’s authority over man as such is a good thing, for it was established by God’s will (see Rom. 13, Gen. 9).
A Christians Obligations to the Governing Authorities
Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk in On True Christianity, lays out a series of obligations which citizens owe to the state. Among these are loyalty, to follow its just laws and directives with zeal and without murmuring; they must pay taxes “cheerfully and without delay;” We are to pray fervently to God for the health of rulers (that includes Biden and Trump), for a peaceful reign, for the ruler’s wise governance of the realm, and that rulers would implement justice without partiality.
Saint Tikhon is harsh towards those who fail to perform their duties to the state and society, whom he says “sin grievously” in their disobedience. He continues: “People work shamelessly and lawlessly when they compose evil plots and arise against the authorities, which have been lawfully ordained. They are nothing other than the sons of perdition and the enemies of the fatherland, as well as of the general prosperity. They need to fear that terrible judgment of God which overtook Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, who arose against Moses and Aaron.”9
We should note that he does not say that if a ruler fails to uphold his part of the bargain that we may resist him and rebel against him. Nor do you, as an individual, determine whether or not the authorities are ordained by God. Those who slander and falsely attack their government, according to Fr. Daniel Sysoev, have “rejected the true historical Church, which strictly adheres to the biblical commandment to pray for the authorities, and [they] are in violation of the scriptural principle: ‘Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.’ (Acts 23:5)”10
These are hard sayings for many American Orthodox Christians to accept; not because they are Orthodox and it offends their religious sensibilities, but because it offends their American sensibilities, which they’ve brought into the Church and deemed “Orthodox.” But I digress.11
None of that, however, implies blind obedience and participation in evil. According to Saint Basil the Great, disobedience is warranted when obedience to the government would violate the Law of God. Saint Basil is explicit however, that this is not a license for total disobedience but to reject an explicit command against God’s commandments - as we see typified in the lives of the saints. The Romans marveled at the Christians because they were upstanding citizens in spite of and in the midst of persecution. Even while being disobedient in refusing sacrifice to idols, they immediately submitted to punishment by those same authorities - which remained God ordained in spite of persecuting Christians. “The authorities” says Saint Tikhon, “commanded [the martyrs] to dig the earth, they dug. They commanded them to go into prison and exile: they went. They commanded them to bow their heads beneath the sword: they bowed their heads... When they ordered them to do other things, not contrary to the Law of God: they did them. When they commanded them to deny Christ or do things abhorrent to God: they did not listen. You should do likewise. If your master commands you to perform every sort of service, perform it. If he commands you to do unrighteousness, to wrong someone, to steal, to lie, and so on, do not listen.”12
These instructions and examples, consistent from Saint Basil to Saint Tikhon, rebuke those who say “well, because the government funds abortion, and I’m against abortion as a Christian, I can’t pay taxes.” The problem with that line of thinking, beyond what we have already shown, is that the Roman government funded pagan temples and sacrifices, and yet Christ says, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.” (Mat. 22:21) That the context of Christ’s statement is responding to Jewish zealots who claimed that because Caesar claimed to be a god, paying taxes to Rome was an offering to a pagan God and therefore forbidden, ends this particular discussion decisively.
On Christian Patriotism & Civil Obligations
One cannot claim to be an Orthodox Christian and wall themselves off from society in their family or church life. I cannot “hide in my prayer corner with my prayer rope,” as a convert recently said to me.
“A Christian family must not lock itself up within itself or turn itself into a ‘chicken coop.’ Such a life is family egoism. A person who lives in it and has no interests outside his own family, does not want to know of the joys and sorrows of the surrounding world, and does not serve it in anyway. Such a life is not a Christian life and such a family is not a Christian family. A Christian family, as a cell or unit of society, is a part of it and is inseparably united with its whole. It actively participates in the society’s life and serves its neighbors” - Met. Philaret (Voznesensky) of blessed memory13
Christ commands the Church to preach His Gospel to all nations; it is explicit in Scripture that the purpose of evangelizing the nations is to bring them into the Church, each nation reflecting its unique character, united in the One Body of Christ. The Orthodox Christian then has an explicit duty towards his nation and people, he is tied to them not merely by location or jurisdiction but a duty which guides his relations and life in the nation.
The family is the building block of communities and nations. One’s love of nation must be modeled on love for the family. The most fundamental duty of a Christian to their society is located in Christian marriage and the upbringing of Christian children, the integration of this family into the parish community, and reflecting the values of the Gospel out from the family into the surrounding society.14 Often, members of our family have serious problems, and these problems can often cause us immense grief. What we don’t do in such circumstances is abandon our family. Instead, we struggle with them to right wrongs and establish peace and prosperity in the home. According to Metropolitan Philaret of New York, the same applies to love for one’s nation. This love and devotion to one’s nation and people is what we call Christian Patriotism.
But this Christian patriotism is different from secular Nationalism and the supposed patriotism of super-patriots. While nationalists and super-patriots seek to exalt everything native and justify the errors and missteps of their people, the Christian patriot is not blind to the errors and missteps of his people. Some will take issue with this characterization of nationalism over and against patriotism. I would point them to St. Justin Popovich15 and the renowned Emigre philosopher Ivan Ilyin16 among others.
A Christian patriot, knowing himself to be a member of the body of the nation, takes the sins of the nation on himself, so to speak, repenting on behalf of his nation. “A true patriot,” says Metropolitan Philaret, “does not close his eyes to the sins and ills of his people; he sees them, grieves over them, struggles with them, and repents before God and other people for himself and his nation.”17
The biblical archetype of Christian Patriotism is the Prophet Moses. Moses chose justice and suffering with his people over a comfortable life in the palace, he provides us with a striking image of love for one’s people. When Israel worships the golden calf, God states His desire to wipe Israel from the face of the map. Moses intercedes for Israel on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. Eventually the Lord tells Moses to “let Me be, that I may burn in wrath against them and consume them.” (Exo. 32.9 LXX) Exasperated, Moses tells God that if He cannot find it in His heart to forgive Israel, then He should blot his name out of the Book of Life along with them. Seeing this, the Lord forgave them. Is there a more poignant image of love for one’s people, of how the prayer of a righteous man availeth much? We see this same spirit in St. Paul, who says “For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: who are Israelites.” (Rom. 9:3-4) Such is Christian Patriotism. It is based in selfless love, in prayer and repentance.
The Christian patriot then, seeks μετάνοια (Metanoia or repentance, an about face or reorientation towards God) above all else. He accomplishes this not merely in his prayer life - though this is a central part - but through his actions. He strives for this repentance by voting for morally sound candidates, through writing editorials, podcasts, and other mediums, by lobbying the authorities, engaging in demonstrations, by organizing with other Orthodox Christians and like-minded compatriots to increase their voice and raise up candidates themselves, etc… All of these are done to awaken the conscience of his fellow countrymen, to exhort the authorities towards righteous deeds, and replace those authorities which perform deeds contrary to the will of God.
Voting in a Post-Christian Society
All of this leads us to the question of how we select our rulers and governors, in the context of modern societies - particularly the United States and broader West. What to do when neither candidate is great or when they are, as many claim, “all the same.” The Lord has given us modern saints precisely to answer the difficult questions of our time, to show how we too can navigate the challenges of modern life according to an Orthodox worldview. And it just so happens that St. Paisios of the Holy Mountain was often asked this very question of how to select a candidate when none were ideal.
To this he replied: “All olive trees are the same; all of them are affected by the same disease called dakos. However, some are affected 100% by it, others 80% and others 50%. Since we are in need of olive trees, we have to look for the ones that are affected the least. When we go to vote, we should always bear in mind two things: a) how much the candidate loves God and is thus a conscious member of the Church, and b) how much he loves his country and looks solely after its interests and not his own. If someone uses another criterion to vote, he is acting out of self-interests and is not behaving like a true Christian.”18
To this, some may say “our politicians have neither of those qualities!” Frankly, this is the position of someone largely ignorant of the American political landscape. Sure, there are plenty of swamp-creatures out there, there are true public servants as well - especially at the local and state level - and as we’ve said, their faith life is not the qualifier, but whether or not they administer justice fairly, do not force one to commit evil, and provide for peace and the general prosperity. Thus, for the sake of argument, let's say this is true, and neither candidate loves God or country as we wish them to (as “as we wish them to” is an important caveat, as that’s what upsets people), and that St. Paisios’ comment is somehow irrelevant because the secular democracy in Greece is at least in a nominally Orthodox country. To this predicament, Elder Ephraim of Arizona, responding to a group of pilgrims regarding the 2008 US Presidential Election stated: “look, they both have horns, you have to vote for the one with the smaller horns.”
This may seem cynical, but that’s not exactly the case. Our society is, unfortunately, far from Christ. But it is still our nation. Our job is to pick the candidate who will do the least damage, who will turn us from the abyss - even if just less towards the abyss than the other options. In doing so, we give the Church more time to grow and do its work in society.
The State of Society & Our Ascent to Golgotha
It was the growth and spread of the Church and its impact on the culture of the Roman Empire that set the stage for its conversion. We must not forget that Saint Constantine’s predecessor was a renowned persecutor of Christians; we must remember that the Romans aborted so many children that the state employed men full time to clear sewers blocked with aborted bodies... And yet, that is the very society which was converted into Christian Byzantium. People often say that politics is downstream of culture but ignore that culture is downstream of the spiritual state of the nation.
The more time we buy for the Church to transform the culture, the more our candidates will come to reflect an Orthodox Christian morality and worldview. As we will see in this article’s sequel, the history of the Church provides us with actionable examples by which we can speed up this process and begin to have a seat at the table and the ear of our rulers.
Conclusion
To be involved in the workings of society is not to say one doesn’t trust in God’s Providence, but to submit oneself to God, to accept the burden of being an instrument of that Providence in God’s saving plan for the world.
This is a Cross, but one which the Christian laymen must bear out of love for their neighbor. St. Tikhon says on the topic that “for a Christian, any sort of authority is not rest and honor but a greater cross, burdened by greater and more numerous labors, cares, and constant endurance, which no man would desire.” St. Tikhon’s statement is interesting because he implies a similar burden of ecclesial and civil authority. While covering separate needs and ministries in society, both paths are beset on all sides by temptation and must be walked in humility, with self-sacrificial love, and patience, knowing that the work one does is unlikely to bear its fruit for many years.
It is incumbent on us as the royal priesthood to go out into the world, to go outside of Paradise, to bring the world into it. This is our burden, our Cross, and we must bear it.
Stay tuned for part two where we will over Christian service in War, historical examples of lay Christian involvement in shaping and converting society, and a model for political action in the United States which is faithful to Orthodox Tradition.
By Republic I do not mean the structure of the American government. Republicanism is very flexible and can be adapted in many different forms.
Vladimir Lossky; Dogmatic Theology, p. 87
Hapgood Service Book, pg. 85
Fr. Daniel Sysoev; Letters, Letter 72, p. 76
Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk; On True Christianity, Vol. VI, p. 149-150
Ibid. p.151
Saint Tikhon’s Monastery Press; Orthodox Christian Prayers, p. 124-126
Fr. Daniel Sysoev; Letters, Letter 73, p. 78
Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk; On True Christianity, Vol. VI, p. 154
Fr. Daniel Sysoev; Letters, Letter 70, p. 74
Accepting a teaching and occasionally failing to live up to it is not the same as refusing to accept the teaching out of personal preference. The former is the result of giving into passionate inclinations such as anger - which can at times be righteous; the latter is rebellion against the ruling authorities, a grave sin.
Ibid, p. 155-156
Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky) of New York; Living According to God’s Will, p. 105-106
Alternatively, for those who are called to monasticism, their duty is to be integrated into a monastic community, pray for the nation, to edify the nation through their labors and exhortations and call it to repentance.
Saint Justin Popovich; Orthodox Faith and Life in Christ; The Inward Mission of the Church, p. 24-26
Ivan Ilyin; Foundations of Christian Culture
Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky) of New York; Living According to God’s Will, p. 109
Hieromonk Isaac; Saint Paisios of Mount Athos; Holy Monastery of Saint Arsenios the Cappadocian
I enjoyed your essay. I think most people, regardless of who they vote for, would say they’re choosing the lesser of two evils, so the question becomes how to define evil. I would argue that we should not try to define it by the personal qualities of the individual candidate, but by the administration’s promotion or rejection of the punishment of evil doers and protection of those who do good. I think you quoted St Tikhon as saying that a government that essentially stops the spread of evil is from God, and I think this is correct. I also like how you referenced Ivan Ilyin, one of my favorite essayist of the 20th century. He writes about the virtue of loving one’s homeland, but some of his words can be hard to stomach for those of us with weaker stomachs in the 21st century (which is most people).
Can I ask where the quote from Elder Ephraim to a group of pilgrims came from?
I took the time to give this a second closer read this morning, and I wanted to say thank you. I studied politics in college and got burned out, but since converting to Orthodoxy I have tried to slowly "start afresh" with how I view politics, and this was a great way to begin that process. May God bless you!