Alabama representative distributed book by anti-abortion minister on defying 'unjust' laws
After Alabama lawmakers finished their work on June 6, the last day of the 2023 regular legislative session, state representatives got a present – a book that called for the resistance to “unjust” or “tyrannical” laws.
Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, distributed signed copies of a book called “The Doctrine of the Lesser Magistrates,” written by Rev. Matthew Trewhella, a minister who signed a statement in 1993 justifying the murder of an abortion provider.
Trewhella signed the book with “May the magistrates of Alabama have courage to do right by Christ!” A note from Yarbrough said “I hope this signed copy is a blessing!”
The book argues that when a higher authority, such as a monarch or government, enacts unjust or tyrannical laws, lower-level officials have a moral obligation to resist and defy those laws. The doctrine says lesser magistrates, such as local officials, judges, or regional governors, must interpose themselves between the actions of the higher authority and the people they govern.
Trewhella is also the founder of the Missionaries to the Preborn, an anti-abortion group based in Milwaukee known for staging protests outside of abortion clinics.
https://alabamareflector.com/2023/07/31/alabama-representative-distributes-book-by-anti-abortion-minister-on-defying-unjust-laws/
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