9 20 15 Confronting Separation of Church and State Study Guide.pdf

Cross Road Church Sunday, September 20, 2015 Confronting the Controversies Session 1: Series Introduction and the Separation of Church and State 15 Years ago I read a book by Adam Hamilton, the Senior Pastor of the Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas about a series of sermons he had provided to his church called “Confronting the Controversies.” It was the first time I could remember seeing a pastor take on some of the most compelling secular issues of the day and speak of them in terms of what God has to say about them. I found the series to be profound, even though I did not agree with all of his conclusions. How did you arrive at your positions on those issues about which you feel strongly? How do you feel when confronted by someone who holds the opposite opinion? In what ways has your faith informed your opinion? The goals for Hamilton, and for us today in speaking from the pulpit on these issues, are as follows: 1. To help Christians learn how to do Christian ethics; that is, how to think through complex moral issues applying both biblical teaching and theological thinking to these concerns. This is so important because many people come to their opinions strictly by listening to other people rather than being informed themselves. 2. To provide a model for how to dialogue about moral issues and maintain respect for persons on both sides of the divide. Unfortunately, the face of Christianity has become synonymous with the images on television of two groups of people on opposing sides holding up signs and screaming at each other to get their viewpoint heard. I see those images sometimes and I am reminded by the Holy Spirit of Titus 3:1-2 “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.” 3. To teach both Christian and non-Christians how the Christian faith relates to critical issues in contemporary society, because our faith journey with Jesus Christ compels us to act, to love people as Jesus did and to reach them with His Gospel message that has the power of salvation for the whole world. Hamilton’s assumptions were these: 1. What makes an issue truly controversial is that it is a complex issue, not prone to simple and easy solutions. 2. Thinking, compassionate, and caring people of faith can hold opposite positions on such issues. That means that you and I may not agree, or feel the same way about the issues. Heck, Robyn and I disagree at times on these issues. That does mean that both positions are right, but both sides make valid points in the discussion. 3. Our approach is to be able to discuss things with sensitivity and respect for one another. For Christians, our views, positions, and beliefs should all come from our understanding of the will of God. Jesus is to be the sovereign ruler in our lives and live through us. As believers we are to be committed to His cause and to do his will. Therefore we must rely on divine guidance to determine our position on the issues of our day. Some people have suggested now as when Hamilton wrote the series 15 years ago that these are secular issues and not spiritual issues, so why are we talking about them. The truth is the Bible does not speak of any issues as secular or spiritual. The Bible in Psalms 24:1 says, “The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; (NIV). All issues, all circumstances, and all people are a part of God’s domain. 1 Chronicles 29:11 tells us the same things saying “everything in heaven and earth is yours…”

You will find no verses in the Word of God that say government is separate from His Kingdom. You will find Jesus, himself, telling his followers: “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. So we look to God’s Word and His Holy Spirit for our Divine Guidance on all issues. On the other issues we will cover, God speaks more directly and we will see more Scripture directly involved in the subject matter. The Principles of Divine Guidance as outlined by Dr. R. B. Thieme in his book on the subject state: “We must know the will of God through the Word; we must yield to the will of God through the filing of the Holy Spirit; and we must have spiritual maturity in order to execute the will of God…” Therefore our goal in looking at these topics will be to determine (to the best of our ability) God’s will and then attempt to understand how we live out our faith in His will. The idea of the separation of church and state comes from the Constitution of the United States of America. One of the primary goals of the writers of the Constitution of the United States of America was not to protect the state from the church, but to protect the church from the state. The first mention of God or religion in the Constitution is found in Article Six, where we read the following: “No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.” This does not stop us as voters, from choosing candidates on the basis of religion, but it does mean that a particular religious perspective cannot be a state-mandated requirement for holding public office. The founding fathers did not want religion to determine who was involved in the government. The second section of the Constitution that discusses the relationship of church and state is the First Amendment, which reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise there; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” The founding fathers did not want the United States of America to follow the way of Europe in the establishment of statemandated church. The government should not be doing the work of the church and the church does not want the government dictating its policies and guidelines. One of the first questions that comes to my mind is how is the state created? Who is the state? Those officials that make up the state, (that the majority of citizens in an election placed in office) are a reflection of the culture that shapes their lives. What is culture? Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines culture as “the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group, it is the dominant world view of the people living in it.” Hamilton’s premise is stated “From the “culture” comes the arts, humanities, laws and “the state.” The state, he says, is a reflection of those beliefs and values in the world around us because the people elect the leaders who produce the policies that define the state. “The Church and individual Christians, at their best, have often played a tremendous role in shaping the culture, and in turn in shaping the state. The US has been heavily influenced by Christianity and Christian virtues and worldview. But that influence has waned dramatically even in the past fifty years. So, the state is determined by the people elected to office. The people elected to office are affected by the culture around them and, finally, the culture, in accordance with God’s plan for this world, is affected by the church! Clearly the state should not try to do the work of the church and churches have no business asking the state to do so. But the church can be involved in influencing the state; the church can work for better policies; the church does have an obligation to speak out and address justice and morality issues. Here is the thing: Judge Roy Moore fought in 2002 to keep a monument depicting the 10 Commandments in the foyer of the rotunda of the State Supreme Court Building in Alabama. Many prominent Christians rallied around him promoting his right to do that, but what if he had been Muslim and wanted to put up a monument to the Koran in the rotunda, how would we have perceived that? Or, as Hamilton asked, if he was Hindu? Separation of Church and State has protected all of us. It’s predicted in the next 20 years, Protestants will be in the minority for the first time in our nation’s history. We can debate who is right and who is wrong all day long about the posting of a Ten Commandments monument in a building in Alabama, or whether or not the motto, “In God We Trust” should be on an American coin. We can discuss whether or

not there should be prayers in schools or the words “one nation under God” should be included in our Pledge of Allegiance. But, do these things serve to further the mission Of Jesus Christ?" We can’t lose asking that with every effort to stand up against a government issue. What is our motive; what’s really driving us to take a stand? Is it the issue itself, or is it the mission of JC and the heart of God. Just some ideas. The bottom line is that God has called his people out to be salt and light in this world, to affect the culture by living out lives that reflect Christ and all of His values. In his famous sermon on the mount, Jesus in Matthew 5 tells us, 13-16 "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (NIV) Jesus is saying live your life in the manner in which I have instructed you. Influence the world around you one encounter at a time. Certainly there are times to rally and to be heard, but our influence truly happens one encounter at time when we share the truth, the hope, the love, the forgiveness, the salvation that is found in Christ. The people in any country shape the government. And the people need the government, the state, and I am quoting Hamilton here, “to be the authority that governs justly, works for the common good, protects the interests and rights of all people, and works for justice on a global level. The church needs the state for order, justice, and the protection of basic civil liberties. Government is necessary and God has put it in place. Romans 13:1-2 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. Not all the leaders, but the structure for our protection and guidance. But the state needs the church as well. “The state needs the church to shape the values, ethics, hopes, worldview and dreams of the culture.” And that is what Jesus Christ intended for us to do when we Reach, Teach, Live and Love like Jesus. I believe Christianity is the most powerful influence in the world today and when we fail to influence the world around us one by one by one, we fail at our task and the state pays the price, again quoting Hamilton with “lowered moral vision, greater crime, greater social problems, and a reduced clarity in differentiating between right and wrong.” The state needs the church to produce capable leaders with a deep faith and the highest personal integrity, along with an altruistic senses of calling to public service. And, finally, the state needs the church to take seriously the biblical command to pray for our leaders. Hamilton asked the question and it bears repeating, “Is it possible that neither 5,000 pound granite monuments nor ensuring the mention of God in the Pledge of Allegiance are what Jesus had in mind when he called us to be salt and light? Is it possible that seeking to ensure that God is mentioned or acknowledged publicly in classrooms or courtrooms has little impact in furthering the Kingdom of God? God wants you and me to be “living stones” as we are told in 1 Peter 2:5. It may sound like an oversimplification to many, but becoming living monuments to the love, the hope and the grace of God allows believers in Jesus Christ to shine the light of Christ in this world pointing the culture to what the Lord has done for us. Hamilton said “the kingdom of God will not be ushered in, neither will the lost be brought to faith in Christ, by displays of the Ten Commandments or token phrases in national creeds. The Kingdom of God will be ushered in by people like you and me living our faith in holiness and love.” When we do that well, we see people drawn to Christ, our culture transformed one saved person at a time and we may see a world that could look a little more like the Kingdom of God.

Discussion/Questions 1. Do you think separation of church and state—a phrase coined by Thomas Jefferson to describe his understanding of the First Amendment—is a good thing, both for the nation and for Christianity? Why, or why not? 2. Inside the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia are engraved words from the Bible, “Proclaim LIBERTY throughout all the land (see Leviticus 25:10).” Do you think having a Bible verse on a national symbol violates the separation of church and state? What do you think those words meant to those who founded our nation in the 18th century? Look at the proclamation for the Jubilee Year in Leviticus 25 and discuss what “proclaim liberty” meant to the Hebrew people in the time of Moses. What does it mean to us today? 3. In the view of many, Christians have lost the “culture wars.” How do you think Christian causes like the 10 Commandment Monument debate in Alabama, or the County Clerk controversy over the issuance of same-sex marriage licenses in Kentucky have furthered the cause of Christ? 4. When we say we further the Gospel one person at a time, do you, as a Christian, feel as though somehow we are settling and should rather be on the front lines in a public battle when culture clashes with Christianity? 5. In what ways do you see yourself, as an individual believer, able to make a difference in a world that seems so very far from the directional objectives of life spelled out in the Bible?