As Yoder argues, since almost all rulers claim to be our benefactors in order to justify their rule, there is no reason that Christians cannot use that very language to call their rules to be more humane in their ways of governing. Moreover, if we are lucky enough to be in a situation where the ruler’s language of justification claims to have the consent of the governed, we can use the machinery of democracy for our own and our neighbor’s advantage. But we should not, thereby, be lulled into believing that “we the people” are thereby governing ourselves. Democracy is still government by the elite, though it may be less oppressive since it uses language in its justification that provides ways to mitigate oppressiveness. But that does not make democracy, from a Christian point of view, different in kind from states of another form ([The Priestly Kingdom] pp. 158-159).
Eric Austin Lee - Engagements between Hauerwas and the nation-state: A reply to Steve Bush (post 1 of 2) (Hauerwas Quote)