In an excerpt almost right out of my futuristic thriller, Donovan’s Law, comes a true story of a Spokane, Washington firefighter who was fired for sending “religious” e-mails via the city’s e-mail system. The termination comes despite the 17- year veteran never having disciplinary issues. In fact, none of his fellow firefighters ever filed a formal complaint about his e-mail subject matter. He lost his job because he continued to send these e-mails after he was told by Fire Administration to stop. Therefore, “insubordination” was the term that brought him to his demise.
In my fiction book, Donovan’s Law, fire Engineer Law receives disciplinary action from his superior officers for inciting a riot over religious beliefs, even though that was not his intention. Then later on in the book, Donovan and his cadre of firefighters must determine if disobeying a Federal law goes against biblical principles. Here are two scriptures to ponder for yourself as you attempt to determine what you would do:
“Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.” (Romans 13:1-2)
…but what if that authority says you can no longer worship the true and living God of the Bible?
“And when they (the rulers) had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.’” (Act 4:18-20)
