Should we always obey the government? (2018)
www.psephizo.com

... Adding to the emotion and confusion in this situation, the Attorney General Jeff Sessions cited Paul's words in Romans 13 to deflect criticism and suggest that Christians should simply accept the Government's approach:

"I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13, to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained the government for his purposes," Sessions said during a speech to law enforcement officers in Fort Wayne, Ind. "Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves. Consistent and fair application of the law is in itself a good and moral thing, and that protects the weak and protects the lawful."

What is odd about Sessions reaching for this text is that it was previously called upon in two key moments of US history:

"There are two dominant places in American history when Romans 13 is invoked," said John Fea, a professor of American history at Messiah College in Pennsylvania.

"One is during the American Revolution [when] it was invoked by loyalists, those who opposed the American Revolution."

The other, Fea said, "is in the 1840s and 1850s, when Romans 13 is invoked by defenders of the South or defenders of slavery to ward off abolitionists who believed that slavery is wrong. I mean, this is the same argument that Southern slaveholders and the advocates of a Southern way of life made."

The current use (and previous use in Europe to justify loyalty to Adolf Hitler in pre-war Germany) might suggest that the Bible is useless as a guide for anything, since its texts are so pliable and can be used to support opposite positions. ...