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Don't bring your Bible into the public square. You can't legislate morality. There is a strict division between church and state. What do you want? A theocracy? Of course, such folks don't understand. But we should add, they don't really mean it. So, I just read that a group of "faith leaders" is petitioning our Indiana legislators to change its immigration policy. And then I think of a proposed homeless facility in Fort Wayne. Clergy person after clergy person addressed the city council in favor of the shelter. Men and women wearing collars. And the people, the most secular of all, suddenly became Bible scholars.
Now, we might wonder, if a homeless person is fed by anyone but the government, is he really fed? If there is not socialized medicine, is anyone really healed? But the line of thinking is clear. The state must become the arm of a church, doing the things Christians are called to do. Never mind the argument that when the state does it, it does it poorly, and people end up like pawns, vehicles for power. Never mind that such Socialist systems have never worked anywhere. Never mind that the more Socialist a country becomes, the more the church atrophies, as does the family, the culture, and, yes, the economic engine that makes generosity possible.
There's a lot going on, but for now it's worth saying that when they talk about the division of church and state, they are playing a game. Economically and socially, the question is what form of government, what kind of society, actually ends up with the best outcome, the poor included. And, as history has shown us, it's not Socialism.
But the second thing to note is that the Left, which loves not the church at all, will employ whatever means at hand to advance its agenda, and that includes using clergy, using the Bible, the precepts of which they utterly despise. It will do whatever it takes, as long as it is in service of the state, which for the Leftist is the ultimate benefactor, the ultimate giver and provider of all things. Note, this is not a symmetrical division. As Christians, we engage in politics precisely because we value other things much more, including God, the church, our family, friends, neighborhood, and the common good.
And so, as Christians we enter the arena, happy to discuss things according to natural law. The God whom we worship created the world in such a way that human flourishing is the result of promoting things that are dear, including families with a dad at home, including the celebration of every child, beginning with a child's right to life, including the protection of children from predators who would spread and ideology that begins with anti-nature indoctrination that leads to confusion and manipulation, and then puberty blockers, hormones, mutilating surgery, and lifelong medicalization and regret.
So, the next time you hear them talk about church and state and the so-called division, don't believe them. It's a ruse. For they are only happy to trot out the folks in collars as long as it is in service of the state, which must be lord of all.
The Rev. Dr. Peter Scaer is chairman and professor of Exegetical Theology and director of the M.A. program at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Be Informed
Father Frank Pavone—national director of Priests for Life and Missionaries of the Gospel of Life, and a compassionate defender of the pro-life message in the public square—talks about how free speech, free association, and religious liberty allow a pro-life culture to grow organically—through persuasion, compassion, and truth—rather than coercion.
Be Equipped
The Rev. Jonathan Lange explains what happens at the intersection of family, church, and state in a recent podcast. Listen here!
Be Encouraged
“Today God continues to defend and aid His people, those who trust in His Son as their Savior. God is ever with us. He preserves His Word and Church despite the constant attack of the devil, the unbelieving world, and false teachers. God provides for all our needs of body and soul, even in times of great need and conflict. God is our refuge. His Word endures forever. His grace and power never fail.” –from “Meditations on Favorite Scriptures: Devotions for a Year”
