I was drawn into this series primarily to see what to was going on with Christian Nationalists. These people seem to be breaking the rules pertaining to the separation of church and state. I found this cherished separation depended on practical agreement more than political theory. The government controlled the numerous religious communities by granting […]
Any talk about church and politics after the Enlightenment has to look at the expectation that governments will protect freedom of religion. You get an idea how important this became when the founders of the US made their first amendment to our constitution the right to freedom of speech and religion. Since then, the role […]
Three weeks ago, I included conservative Roman Catholics in a list of Christian Nationalists. I want to take that back. At the time, I had no idea how outlandish and dangerous these new groups are. Conservative Roman Catholics are responding to the same social changes and also challenge the way our democratic government is trying […]
Surprisingly, I had the same experience exploring Christian Nationalism in Evangelical churches as I did the New Apostolic Reformation in Pentecostal churches. In both, I began wondering from where these people came and found they were groups with whom I had contact in the past. I thought they had disappeared because they were so outlandish. […]
This is probably the most extreme form of Christian nationalism. Like all the others, it assumes the church is under attack, and it calls for much more aggressive reaction. Christians must take over every area of society by replacing those presently in control with true believers. In fact, it claims this is necessary to pave […]
The separation of church and state that historically has been a cherished principle of the USA is being severely threatened. The media pictures Church leaders laying hands on political candidates and popular pastors speaking prominently at campaign rallies. Election committees regard religious groups as critical voting blocks. Then Pew Foundation’s recent study of religion in […]
Let’s end this series by reminding ourselves there is no one biblical position on how God’s people should relate to the political state. Beyond that, the Bible offers no approved Christian relationship. Instead, we find a variety of perspectives that change according to the situation. Paul says to obey the Roman Empire; John says to […]
Father Jude caught my attention when he described the State as being the environment in which the Church exists. He reported that he framed his argument this way in order to make clear the Church has to play by the rules of the State. Be assured, he is speaking about the Church as a human […]
Let’s take a quick look at various kinds of Christian community that have been practiced in our history. Most forms that served well in one period no longer worked in later ones, at least not in their original shapes. Even though I am only capable of offering a rough account, I hope to supply some […]
One way to understand the relationship of state and church is to look at what Paul says about Principalities and Powers. We usually dismiss this, because it employs strange words that seem to speak about ancient ideas. In the first chapter of Colossians, he speaks of Christ as “the image of the invisible God, the […]
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