The Separation of Church and State | Ekklesia in Action

- 7/20/2022

By Jimmy Witcher, Senior Pastor, Trinity Fellowship Church May 2022

Should the Church be involved in politics?

What role, if any, should the Church play in politics and government? As our culture continues to shift towards a decidedly, anti-Biblical worldview – especially on issues involving human sexuality and the Biblical family – Christians are rightly asking, “What role should we play in holding up a moral standard for our community?” Since the Supreme Court’s 1947 ruling, separatists in the United States have touted a “wall of separation of Church and state” as reason to take prayer out of public schools and the Ten Commandments off courtroom walls. As recently as April 2022, the US Supreme Court heard the case of Kennedy v. Bremerton School District. Coach Kennedy was fired for praying on the field after football games. The fight for the influence of our culture is intense. So-called “woke” individuals, leaders, and corporations – like Disney and Netflix – are pushing a liberal, anti-Biblical worldview. School boards are opening the door to LGBTQ advocates, often circumventing parental influence. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court this month, was nominated by President Biden in large part because she is a “Black woman;” i yet, during her confirmation hearings she could not “define what a ‘woman’ is” flatly stating, “I’m not a biologist.” ii Everywhere we look, humanity is doing what it has always done when left to its own devices – raising our “truth” over God’s Truth, our will over God’s will. And, just like the Genesis story of Creation, the result will be death. The Church is on the earth to raise a moral standard based on Biblical Truth, thereby illuminating a better path. The choice is not one of simply “right or wrong” but of “life or death, abundance or destruction.” 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” iii The Great Commission makes the call on the Church clear: make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to faithfully follow Jesus’ commandments. It is love that motivates us to uphold a moral standard. We are not here to judge, but we are under a direct command to point people to the Truth for only by entering through the “narrow gate” will humanity find the abundant life Christ died for.

1 13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” iv

Jesus & the Ekklesia

As Christians, our call is to help humanity find the Way to eternal life using our influence in all areas of life including the political and governmental sectors. Our freedom to practice our religion is a fundamental right that comes with responsibilities. The founding fathers of our nation carefully constructed the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. Building off the foundation of the Declaration of Independence, they formed a government with specific protections for the free exercise of religion. They looked to scripture v in their desire to form a “more perfect Union” free from governmental influence over the practice of religion. vi The Bible itself is a book about government. From the creation story to Jesus’ acknowledgment of the Church as a “legislative assembly,” scripture points to Christians using their influence in all areas of society from entertainment to education to government. The prayer is for God’s “kingdom to come and his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Yet as Christians exercise their rights as citizens of both their country and the Kingdom of Heaven, secular separatists and progressive Christians alike vii are crying foul insisting the traditional Church get back into its corner. It is critical for Christians to gain an understanding of the spiritual and cultural dynamics at play. The consequences of ignorance and inaction will negatively affect their children, local schools, communities, and ultimately, the culture.

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. viii Jesus came to save the world, to show the world the Father’s love, and demonstrate the way to live so that every individual might experience the joy of everlasting life. The Church is his chosen tool. There is no plan-B.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or comments we would love to answer them!

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By Jimmy Witcher, Senior Pastor, Trinity Fellowship Church May 2022

Should the Church be involved in politics?

What role, if any, should the Church play in politics and government? As our culture continues to shift towards a decidedly, anti-Biblical worldview – especially on issues involving human sexuality and the Biblical family – Christians are rightly asking, “What role should we play in holding up a moral standard for our community?” Since the Supreme Court’s 1947 ruling, separatists in the United States have touted a “wall of separation of Church and state” as reason to take prayer out of public schools and the Ten Commandments off courtroom walls. As recently as April 2022, the US Supreme Court heard the case of Kennedy v. Bremerton School District. Coach Kennedy was fired for praying on the field after football games. The fight for the influence of our culture is intense. So-called “woke” individuals, leaders, and corporations – like Disney and Netflix – are pushing a liberal, anti-Biblical worldview. School boards are opening the door to LGBTQ advocates, often circumventing parental influence. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court this month, was nominated by President Biden in large part because she is a “Black woman;” i yet, during her confirmation hearings she could not “define what a ‘woman’ is” flatly stating, “I’m not a biologist.” ii Everywhere we look, humanity is doing what it has always done when left to its own devices – raising our “truth” over God’s Truth, our will over God’s will. And, just like the Genesis story of Creation, the result will be death. The Church is on the earth to raise a moral standard based on Biblical Truth, thereby illuminating a better path. The choice is not one of simply “right or wrong” but of “life or death, abundance or destruction.” 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” iii The Great Commission makes the call on the Church clear: make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to faithfully follow Jesus’ commandments. It is love that motivates us to uphold a moral standard. We are not here to judge, but we are under a direct command to point people to the Truth for only by entering through the “narrow gate” will humanity find the abundant life Christ died for.

1 13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.” iv

Jesus & the Ekklesia

As Christians, our call is to help humanity find the Way to eternal life using our influence in all areas of life including the political and governmental sectors. Our freedom to practice our religion is a fundamental right that comes with responsibilities. The founding fathers of our nation carefully constructed the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. Building off the foundation of the Declaration of Independence, they formed a government with specific protections for the free exercise of religion. They looked to scripture v in their desire to form a “more perfect Union” free from governmental influence over the practice of religion. vi The Bible itself is a book about government. From the creation story to Jesus’ acknowledgment of the Church as a “legislative assembly,” scripture points to Christians using their influence in all areas of society from entertainment to education to government. The prayer is for God’s “kingdom to come and his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Yet as Christians exercise their rights as citizens of both their country and the Kingdom of Heaven, secular separatists and progressive Christians alike vii are crying foul insisting the traditional Church get back into its corner. It is critical for Christians to gain an understanding of the spiritual and cultural dynamics at play. The consequences of ignorance and inaction will negatively affect their children, local schools, communities, and ultimately, the culture.

16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. viii Jesus came to save the world, to show the world the Father’s love, and demonstrate the way to live so that every individual might experience the joy of everlasting life. The Church is his chosen tool. There is no plan-B.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or comments we would love to answer them!