Church vs. State
(Romans 13: 1-7)
I guess that if there is anything positive you can say about our political cycles is that they often call into question where we stand as Followers of the Way of Jesus Christ when it comes to deciding who will represent us in a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Two arguments that have been advanced in an effort to sway voters of a religious persuasion are that the Founding Fathers always intended for the United States to be a Christian nation and that it is the unquestionable responsibility of Christians to obey their elected leaders. Both are not true and they are counting on us not to remember our history or factchecking them. To get a clearer understanding of both these positions it is important to understand what was going on at the time.
The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the Constitution says: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; 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. It has to make you wonder what was going on in their thought process to make this the first amendment to the recently adopted Constitution? Leading up to the drafting and passage of the Constitution, each one of the thirteen states or colonies had a predominant religion that exerted influence upon their respective governments. Maine and Connecticut were populated by Puritans, Pennsylvania was predominantly Quaker, Maryland was set up as a Catholic refuge, Rhode Island was Baptist, and the other seven were Anglican, as in the Church of England. Many of these professing Christians wanted the freedom to practice their religion as they saw fit without interference. If you were uncomfortable being a Catholic in Massachusetts you could move to Maryland. If being a Baptist in Anglican dominated South Carolina made you feel unwanted you could move to Rhode Island. Don’t like it? Leave.
As many of the new Americans could trace their roots back to England, they were mindful of the Constitutions of Clarendon, a 12th century law that prohibited a criminal defendant from invoking the Canon Law of the Catholic Church to seek exemption from prosecution. The 1689 English Bill of Rights was enacted which held that all persons were to be free from the establishment of Roman Catholic laws in the government of England. New Jersey and Pennsylvania put into their state constitutions a provision that followed the 1689 Bill of Rights including the protections from Catholic laws in government. Then there was the 1786 Virginia Statute for Religion Freedom that disestablished the Church of England guaranteeing religious freedom for all faiths within the state including Catholics and Jews, and to prevent the discrimination Virginia Baptists suffered at the hands of the Anglican Church.
This history, along with other instances of religious discrimination, loomed large in their minds and the Founding Fathers couldn’t have made it any clearer. Under no circumstances can we allow government and religion to get too cozy or allow one to control how the other operates.
But then we have that other issue of a Christian’s duty to obey and submit to the authority of the ruling government that the Apostle Paul is writing about in his letter to the church in Rome.
Paul starts out by stating: Every person should place themselves under the authority of the government. There isn’t any authority unless it comes from God, and the authorities that are there have been put in place by God. So anyone who opposes the authority is standing against what God has established. To me, this chapter sticks out like a sore thumb. It’s right between chapter 12 that talks about being a living sacrifice and living transformed lives and chapter 14 which talks about welcoming each other like Christ. It doesn’t seem to fit.
So, what was going on when Paul penned this letter which was written around 57 A.D. Well, Nero was the Roman Emperor from 54 to 68 A.D., and his lack of a moral compass and ethics were widely known and accepted or tolerated as the case may be. He was very insecure and egotistical and resented anyone, even a dead Jewish messiah, being worshipped over him but he tolerated the Christians. But in 64 A.D. a great fire consumed much of Rome, and it raged on for six days until burning itself out. Nero was suspected of the arson so in an attempt to shift the blame he accused the Christians of starting the fire. Horrible persecutions followed which included wrapping Christians in animal skins and turning wild dogs loose upon them, unwarranted crucifixions, and putting Christians on poles along the roads setting fire to them to light up the way at night. Some theologians believe that Paul had a sense of how insecure Nero was, and in his own way was trying to head any problems off before they got out of hand. It’s kind of ironic as when he was a Pharisee, he held the cloaks of those who stoned the Apostle Stephen to death and got permission to go on the road and hunt down Christians who had fled the persecution in Jerusalem. The only thing protecting him up to this point was his Roman citizenship.
Paul continues by stating that anyone who takes a stand against the authorities will be punished and that the authorities don’t frighten people who are doing the right thing. Rather, he says, they frighten people who are doing wrong. I think it’s safe to say that those words came back to bite him with Nero’s psychotic rage and resulting persecution and his own imprisonment. He rationalizes his position by rhetorically asking if you would rather not be afraid of authority and then says to do what’s right and you will receive the approval of the authorities. He says they are God’s servants given for your benefit, but if you do what’s wrong, be afraid because they don’t have weapons to enforce the law for nothing. Kind of an “or else” as he says they are God’s servants put in place to carry out his punishment on those who do what is wrong. That, he rationalizes, is why it is necessary to place yourself under the government’s authority, not only to avoid God’s punishment but also for the sake of your conscience. And then, just make sure he is clear, he reminds them to pay their taxes while they’re at it because these authorities are God’s assistants. He then throws in what I would consider an escape clause when he says to pay everyone what you owe them, pay the taxes you owe, the duties you are charged, and give respect to those you should respect, and honor those you should honor.
Remember, Paul is writing to Christians in Rome and to future generations of Christians who are making their way in the world and peacefully doing the will and work of the Father. If you respect our rights to be Christians then we will respect you in return, and if you honor us by your service and representation as governmental authorities, we will return the honor by supporting you in your efforts to govern justly. If you do not respect our right to worship as we please and honor us by affording us that privilege do not expect us to do anything that would enable you in your efforts to do harm to us or any of the least of Jesus’ brothers and sisters.
Wow, Scott, that’s quite a stretch! Did you forget that Paul was named as the Apostle to the Gentiles? Remember that you’re only a Certified Lay Minister who hasn’t even gone to seminary. Yeah, I know, but I don’t think anyone can make an argument that Paul says that all authorities under all circumstances must be obeyed. That would mean that when forced to make a choice the Christian should choose what the government wants over what God would expect one of his believers to do. Were German clerics Martin Niemoller and Detrich Bonhoeffer disobeying God by standing up to Adolph Hitler? Was Nelson Mandela, a Methodist, wrong to oppose the apartheid and oppression of the “duly elected” South African government? No, they were not. I know these examples are extreme, but they are, after all, examples of how bad it can get if Followers of the Way of Jesus Christ do not take a stand. We should never allow any government to force us to disobey God. Remember what Paul said about one day appearing before the judgment seat of God.
Christians understand Romans 13 in different ways. But all Christians can agree that we are to live at peace with the state as long as the state allows us to live unrestricted in our religious convictions. Our United Methodist Book of Discipline says in paragraph 164, The Political Community, under subsection B, Political Responsibility: The strength of a political system depends upon the full and willing participation of its citizens. The church should continually exert a strong ethical influence upon the state, supporting policies and programs deemed to be just and opposing policies and programs that are unjust. That means we must live by the guiding principles and teachings of Jesus Christ in showing our love to our neighbors and one way of showing that love is in how we allow them to be governed by duly elected authorities. And subsection C, Church and State Relations, says in part: The United Methodist Church has for many years supported the separation of church and state. Separation of church and state means no organic union of the two, but it does permit interaction. The state should not use its authority to promote particular religious beliefs (including atheism), nor should it require prayer or worship in the public schools, but it should leave students free to practice their own religious convictions. We believe that the state should not attempt to control the church, nor should the church seek to dominate the state.
Willingly or unwittingly, people in authority are God’s servants. They are allowed their positions in order to do good. When authorities are unjust, however, upright people are rightly afraid and alarmed. And when authorities are just and true to their oath of office, people who do right have nothing to fear. It is this that provides our principal motivation to pray for our leaders. Praying for those in authority over us will also mean that we will watch them closely. If we pray diligently for our leaders, we will be functioning as God’s sentinels and will know exactly what to do in His name and when.
Let us pray.
Gracious and loving God, we pray for your guidance in our daily lives that we may be obedient to your word in all that we do. We pray for those who have chosen to serve us in positions of authority, praying that they take their charge seriously and do all within their power to serve the greater good of their constituents. We pray that they are mindful that the decisions they make very often have far-reaching consequences that not only impact us as a nation, but all citizens of your creation. We pray that when our leaders, in their capacities, do something that is contrary to the teachings of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ that we speak up and speak out making our voices heard for those who are voiceless. We pray that as Christians we can continue to do all we can to make a difference where differences need to be made. This we pray, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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9/20/26
Church vs State
We should never allow any government to force us to disobey God.