Wednesday, July 21, 2004
The separation of Church and State
When I served in the Army, Colonial Tony was our Group Commander. He was a freaky guy, but I’ll always remember one of his pet phrases: "Watch your lane".
During marksmanship training, the firing range was composed of several isles - or lanes. Each soldier took ownership over his lane by setting the target, firing on it, and retrieving it to record the results. No one would shoot into my lane (unless he missed), and I wouldn't shoot into my neighbor’s lane....each soldier held autonomy over his own lane. Colonial Tony applied marksmanship jargon to daily unit operations, holding that each individual (or group), should be concerned primarily with their specialization, leaving the remaining specialities to others who knew it best.
Jeremy Pierce, (who I admire) owner of Parableman graciously pointed out my blog to his readers in a post titled Christian Conservative, admitting my blog title, at first, carried the idea of a politically saturated Christian message. As it turns out, I believe God trumps politics, and all spheres of life for that matter, to include the church and the state. The knee jerk reaction most people have to Christians on the right, is a suspicion that we want to politicize religion, or religionize politics...so we hear this dialog all the time:
Secular Lefty: No no no they can't do that, there's a separation of Church and State!
Religious Righty: Oooooooh no there isn't. There is no constitutional provision that uses the language of a “wall” between church and state, whatsoever.
Secular Lefty: Ohhhhhh yes there is! The First amendment says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”.
Religious Righty: Nope nope nope. No wall is mentioned there, this merely prohibits congress from establishing a state religion as law, we don't need that anymore than we need government to prevent the free exercise of religion. The idea of a wall between church and state was taken from a letter by Thomas Jefferson, many years after the Constitution and Bill of Rights were in place. So there is no separation between Church and State...see????
Secular Lefty: Ah hah! You Christians do just want to push your values around! That's what this is all about!
Both these guys appear to mean well, but there's an agenda at work between both sides of the argument. The lefty wants a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to religious faith. The righty leaves behind the impression he wants a Christian jihad vindicated by the White House. Nether message helps to bring about a balanced approach, because there is no clear distinction, made by the Christian in this example, in defining what the separation of Church and State really should mean for all intents and purposes.
We do want to recognize the distinction between church and state. They are two different institutions...and they have two vital roles in our culture. The Church is to safeguard us against our spiritual enemies, the State is to safeguard us against our physical enemies. Both are needed in any culture, both have different lanes to be responsible for. The State cannot pretend to take the place of the Church by ordering the Church on matters of religion, the Church cannot pretend to be the State by ordering the State on matters of physical security. One is perfectly legitimate in making suggestions, and influencing the other, but the final authority must rest within the autonomy of the owner of the lane. Influence...yes. Coerce...no, watch your own lane.
What may come as a shock to our colleges on the secular left, is the state’s authority should not only remain under its own juris-diction, but faithful Christians should subordinate themselves to it, and the distinction of government’s specific role, apart from the church in society, is quite Biblical:
"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities (referring to government) resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer." [Romans 13:1-4]
There is one more thing to add. We need to recognize the higher and final authority over all matters pertaining both to Church and State, that office is held by God. God is watching every lane, and will hold the State and Church responsible for the failures of each respectively “for there is no authority except from God”.
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I devote the work of this Web Log to the true living LORD God, and to His Son, Jesus Christ.
May the blessing of God's hand be upon it that it might be a light in a dark place.
During marksmanship training, the firing range was composed of several isles - or lanes. Each soldier took ownership over his lane by setting the target, firing on it, and retrieving it to record the results. No one would shoot into my lane (unless he missed), and I wouldn't shoot into my neighbor’s lane....each soldier held autonomy over his own lane. Colonial Tony applied marksmanship jargon to daily unit operations, holding that each individual (or group), should be concerned primarily with their specialization, leaving the remaining specialities to others who knew it best.
Jeremy Pierce, (who I admire) owner of Parableman graciously pointed out my blog to his readers in a post titled Christian Conservative, admitting my blog title, at first, carried the idea of a politically saturated Christian message. As it turns out, I believe God trumps politics, and all spheres of life for that matter, to include the church and the state. The knee jerk reaction most people have to Christians on the right, is a suspicion that we want to politicize religion, or religionize politics...so we hear this dialog all the time:
Secular Lefty: No no no they can't do that, there's a separation of Church and State!
Religious Righty: Oooooooh no there isn't. There is no constitutional provision that uses the language of a “wall” between church and state, whatsoever.
Secular Lefty: Ohhhhhh yes there is! The First amendment says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”.
Religious Righty: Nope nope nope. No wall is mentioned there, this merely prohibits congress from establishing a state religion as law, we don't need that anymore than we need government to prevent the free exercise of religion. The idea of a wall between church and state was taken from a letter by Thomas Jefferson, many years after the Constitution and Bill of Rights were in place. So there is no separation between Church and State...see????
Secular Lefty: Ah hah! You Christians do just want to push your values around! That's what this is all about!
Both these guys appear to mean well, but there's an agenda at work between both sides of the argument. The lefty wants a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to religious faith. The righty leaves behind the impression he wants a Christian jihad vindicated by the White House. Nether message helps to bring about a balanced approach, because there is no clear distinction, made by the Christian in this example, in defining what the separation of Church and State really should mean for all intents and purposes.
We do want to recognize the distinction between church and state. They are two different institutions...and they have two vital roles in our culture. The Church is to safeguard us against our spiritual enemies, the State is to safeguard us against our physical enemies. Both are needed in any culture, both have different lanes to be responsible for. The State cannot pretend to take the place of the Church by ordering the Church on matters of religion, the Church cannot pretend to be the State by ordering the State on matters of physical security. One is perfectly legitimate in making suggestions, and influencing the other, but the final authority must rest within the autonomy of the owner of the lane. Influence...yes. Coerce...no, watch your own lane.
What may come as a shock to our colleges on the secular left, is the state’s authority should not only remain under its own juris-diction, but faithful Christians should subordinate themselves to it, and the distinction of government’s specific role, apart from the church in society, is quite Biblical:
"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities (referring to government) resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer." [Romans 13:1-4]
There is one more thing to add. We need to recognize the higher and final authority over all matters pertaining both to Church and State, that office is held by God. God is watching every lane, and will hold the State and Church responsible for the failures of each respectively “for there is no authority except from God”.
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