No King But Caesar | Sojourners

No King But Caesar

During this bicentennial year, the church of Jesus Christ should celebrate, as always, the life, death, and resurrection of its Lord and his rule over “all government and authority, all power and dominion, and any title of sovereignty that can be named” (Ephesians 1:21). More than ever, the task of the faithful church in America during 1976 will be to discern how the principalities of American power are dethroned by the victorious triumph of the cross.

According to the Declaration of Independence, all persons are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; among these are “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

As 1975 drew to a close, Americans were informed by the U.S.Senate’s Select Committee on Intelligence that their government had ordered and repeatedly attempted the murder of foreign heads of state, such as Patrice Lumumba and Fidel Castro. Further, it had instigated or encouraged the subversion of other sovereign governments, such as Chile and the Dominican Republic, through military coups and other means including “neutralizing” key leaders if necessary by assassination. To accomplish these goals, the Central Intelligence Agency even obtained the direct co-operation of the Mafia; since our government was engaging in acts of organized crime, it sought the most professional accomplices.

An agent for the United States’ murder conspiracy in the Congo (now Zaire) was glowingly described by the CIA:

“...if he is given on assignment which may be morally wrong in the eyes of the world, but necessary because his case officer ordered him to carry it out, then it is right, and he will dutifully undertake appropriate action for its execution without pangs of conscience. In a word, he can rationalize all actions” (Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Activities, Interim Report, November 20, 1975, page 46).

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