Read the series.
This last article in our series sketches the culminating principle for properly understanding the “church v. state” issue. It’s actually less a principle than an analogy with some implications.
Principle no. 5: “Church” is to “state” what “home” is to “work.”
It will help if you view church v. state as similar to home v. work. I’ll pretend you work in an office environment of some sort, but you can adapt the illustration however you wish. Think with me here …
Read the series.
Some churches in America plan to celebrate the 4th of July in some way, but may not be aware that such a thing as Trinity Sunday exists (it was on 04 June 2023). Others might maintain an American flag on their platform near the pulpit (unwitting or not, this is a symbolic message to all who enter the building), and face stiff opposition if the flag disappears. These are but two representative examples of how some American Christians of a certain persuasion think of the church v. state issue. This is a vital topic that just won’t go away, nor should it.
Read the series.
Now we have to tackle the issue of identity. This is where we get down to brass tacks. Our first two principles taught us that (1) there are two kingdoms, Babylon and Jerusalem, and Babylon will lose, and also that (2) God’s kingdom is distinct from every nation state. So far, so abstract—what are Christians supposed to do with this information?
Principle no. 3: A Christian’s core identity is as a child of God and a kingdom citizen, and so her principal allegiance must be to God’s kingdom (“Jerusalem”) and not to a nation state.
Read the series.
In the last article, we discussed the most basic principle to rightly understand the “church v. state” conundrum. That principle was this—there are two kingdoms, Babylon and Jerusalem. Babylon will lose. Now we’ll build on this foundation and introduce the next building block:
Principle no. 2: God’s kingdom is distinct from every nation state.
This essay aims to help ordinary Christians rightly consider the relationship between the church and the state. This is important because Christians receive many contradictory messages about this issue. Some Christian influencers call for believers to “take America back for God.” Others just want good, old-fashioned Christian values to influence society and feel marginalized because Mayberry is gone and isn’t coming back. Still others just want nothing to do with politics—perhaps to the extent that their churches neglect to speak truth to a decadent culture.
