Monarchy in the Bible – and in Britain today

Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was once a war hero; he is now about to be an exile living out his days comfortably on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk. He is in disgrace, but England’s past kings would wonder what all the fuss is about, as our kings have behaved disgracefully for most of our history. So here’s a thought, might the world be a better place if we did away with kings altogether?

Christians may reach for their Bibles at this point and open them at Romans 13v1-2, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities … for those that exist have been instituted by God”. From this we deduce the scurrilous doctrine of “The Divine Right of Kings” which has caused nothing but trouble for 20 centuries.

From the fourth century onwards, Roman and then medieval aristocracies colonised the leadership of the church. The divine right of kings was their idea, enhancing the power of monarchs and the positions of their hangers-on.