In many ways, America’s public culture is no longer the Judeo-Christian culture in which many of us were raised. For example, June is now LGBTQ Pride Month, unimaginable decades ago. This change in public culture, trumpeted and often led by media, has understandably caused reactions in traditional Christians, including anger. Read this from Representative Lauren Boebert of the United States House of Representatives. “The church is supposed to direct the government. The government is not supposed to direct the church. That is not how our Founding Fathers intended it. I’m tired of this separation of church and state junk in the Constitution. It was in a stinking letter, and it means nothing like what they say it does.” (Denver Post, Washington Post, and others)
She is completely wrong. Yes, “separation” comes from a letter, but she completely misrepresents that 1802 letter by President Jefferson to the Danbury Baptist Association. You can google the separation of church and state, its long history and evolution to our American First Amendment practices, but here my concern is for the conscience of worshipers. A conservative, Rep. Boebert made her remarks in a church. In election season, liberal politicians speak in churches. Doesn’t that confuse consciences about why Jesus comes into our world? Church and state was one of many issues addressed by the Protestant Reformation.
“One should not mix or confuse the two authorities, the spiritual and the secular. For spiritual power has its command to preach the gospel and to administer the sacraments. It should not invade an alien office. It should not set up and depose kings. It should not annul or disrupt secular law and obedience to political authority. Christ himself said: ‘My kingdom is not from this world.’ And again: ‘Who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?’ And St. Paul in Philippians 3: ‘Our citizenship is in heaven.’” (The Augsburg Confession, XXVIII). That Reformation insight along with the thinking of political theorists evolved over centuries into our American separation of church and state.
You may remember it, but if not you can google Norman Rockwell’s painting, “Freedom of Speech.” It shows an ordinary American standing to give his view in a crowded meeting of local government. To witness our faith is our duty, but to imagine the church should direct the government? Try living in Iran and see how you like it.
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