Faith Matters: Human rights are bestowed by God: I have become a reluctant protestor before it’s too late to do anything

Rev. Randy Calvo, pastor at the First Congregational Church of Sunderland, United Church of Christ.

Rev. Randy Calvo, pastor at the First Congregational Church of Sunderland, United Church of Christ. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

By THE REV. RANDOLPH CALVO

First Congregational Church of Sunderland, UCC

Published: 06-27-2025 10:12 AM

Our Bible study group is reading currently from First Samuel. Israel petitions Samuel to anoint a king for them so that they may be “like other nations.” Samuel warns the people about the costly prerogatives kings, both good and evil, will assume. He finishes with the dire announcement that once kingship is established and they come to realize the truth of his warning, it will be too late to do anything. (1 Sam. 8:18)

“Too late to do anything” is a haunting phrase for me as we approach this Fourth of July. Because of it, I have become a reluctant protestor.

The inglorious history that follows Samuel’s warning somehow proves useful in establishing the political theory of “the divine right of kings.” Robert Filmer argued that God had ordained kingship. Therefore, the monarchy was not subject to the people or any other earthly power no matter how cruel or inept it may prove.

Thomas Jefferson kept a copy of Filmer’s 1680 book in his library. Less than 100 years later, Jefferson put to paper the revolutionary and treasonous concept that governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.” This inversion of Filmer’s weak biblical argument is reflected in Jefferson’s Bible. Jefferson removed the supernatural content and focused on the Jesus who taught and ministered among ordinary people, who came to share God’s love with the outcast and despised, and who was opposed and executed by the powerful for doing such things. Jefferson saw in Jesus the moral framework of democracy’s revolution.

In place of the divine right of kings, we dared to call on that same religious tradition to justify the divine rights of the people. Since there was no living, political tradition to substantiate such a radical notion, Jefferson looked beyond human law and to divine revelation, as had been done before him. In a bold rebuttal of the prevailing tradition, our original principle proclaims instead: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.”

Human rights are bestowed by God. They are not to be threatened by the masked enforcers of a burgeoning police state. They are not granted or removed at the whim of feckless politicians. Our nation’s original principle is stronger than these.

“Self-evident,” however, is a weak logical argument. It was “self-evident” 249 years ago that the enslaved, Native Americans and women were not created as equal as white men. We have, thankfully, progressed in our understanding of what the phrase “all men” entails. The nation had to grow into a new “self-evident” truth, and such growth must continue. It must push against the un-American abuse of power that diminishes the worth of some people “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.”

When the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights were written some 15 years after the Declaration, the word “person(s)” was used 26 times. This is a continuing expression of our original principle. The New York Times opinion writer Jamelle Bouie offers: “[T]he Constitution’s fundamental protections … accrue to persons. It’s not about whether you’re a citizen. In fact there’s something, I think, truly, profoundly un-American in the assertion that only citizens have any sort of full right to protections under this system of government.” This Constitutional emphasis upon personhood rather than citizenship reflects our original principle “that all men are created equal,” and this reflects God’s will.

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This is why I have become a reluctant protestor before it’s too late to do anything, before this original principle is further desecrated by the descent into lawless authoritarianism. Karl Barth, a great 20th century theologian and ardent opponent of the rise and reign of Nazism, wrote: “My sense of responsibility during these years of speaking about the matter was Christian – and there is none higher than that.” As I stand out, one placard I hold cites Isaiah 1:17. The prophet sets the context by first sharing God’s scolding words directed at a nation that hides behind its religious performance. “I have had enough,” God declares. Then the prophet continues at 1:17 with God’s definition of religious integrity: “Learn to do good; seek justice; rescue the oppressed.”

In closing, as Joshua is about to begin his assault on Jericho, he is confronted by a man with a drawn sword. Joshua approaches the man and asks if he is friend or foe. The response is telling, but not often quoted: “Neither! I am here as the captain of the army of the Lord.” God doesn’t choose sides. We need to choose if we are on God’s side. When Jefferson wrote the words of our original principle “that all men are created equal,” words ratified 249 years ago this coming Independence Day, I believe we were on the side of God. When we live into our original principle by doing good, seeking justice, rescuing the oppressed, then I believe we remain on the side of God. Everything my country does that is an attack against our original principle, however, is why I am a reluctant protestor.

The First Congregational Church of Sunderland, United Church of Christ, has ministered to our local communities since 1717. Sunday Services begin at 11 a.m. We are an official “Open and Affirming” congregation. When we say, “All are welcome here,” we mean it. We would love to have you come and help grow our socially mindful church. We offer in-person religious education for the youth and online Bible study for adults. The church’s website and Facebook page are found under First Congregational Church of Sunderland. The church’s phone number is 413-665-7987. If you wish to reach Rev. Randy Calvo, email randyc1897@gmail.com.