We cannot escape the conclusion that the same teaching of Jesus and his apostles which commands abstinence from violence also teaches that we can have no part in protest against authority. It is part of the same logic of our faith. Protest — in any cause — is an act of assertiveness: it is incompatible with discipleship. However peaceable one’s protest might be, however passive the demonstration, however humble the approach to those in authority, one’s stance as a protester is that of a plaintiff who seeks to petition his lords and masters.
Those who petition are claiming the right to make a demand of worldly authority; the disciple, on the other hand, discounts his earthly citizenship (Phil 3:20) and makes no claim upon those who govern him; even less does he demand something that those in authority have decided not to allow. Although the disciple of Christ, in common with others, receives the benefits which the state confers and is grateful for these, he neither expects nor demands them.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One