Separation of Church and State

It’s not what You Think

            In 1983 Alexander Solzhenitsyn received the Templeton Prize, and at the presentation made an extremely provocative statement that is still recognized by scholars everywhere for it’s insightful depth.[1]^{, [2]}  The statement that he made explained simply and accurately how it was that 60 million perished following the Bolshevik revolution in his country:

“I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: 'Men have forgotten God' – that's why all this happened.”

            I find that this extremely provocative that 60 million people could have died just because they had ‘forgotten God’.  How could such a simple singular idea bring to the knees a vast country that spans nine time zones, had a ferocious military and natural riches to rival any land on the planet? Also, what does this have to do with the separation of Church and State in America?

            To examine this I would beg the reader’s indulgence for a few moments to follow the history of the United States to pull these ideas together.

            In 1620 the Plymouth Colony was established in what would become later the Unites States. From 1620 to about the late 1730’s the new settlers were busy about the business of building a new country. America had become a refuge to Puritans, Jews, Quakers, etc.; however, there was a prevalent feeling that “Americans had not perpetuated the first settlers' passionate commitment to their faith”. [3]  In the 1740’s there was The Great Awakening religious revival (c. 1730–1755) that was sparked by the likes of George Whitfield and Jonathan Edwards.[4] What would become an icon of The Great Awakening was a deadpan sermon by Jonathan Edwards titled “Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God”.  The sermon could easily been called a hellfire and damnation sermon that instilled fear in the congregation; but wisdom was also born.

            In the later part of The Great Awakening the oppression of the British Crown was being felt more and more. The cries for justice from the Colonists fell on dead ears. On the heels of The Great Awakening, and in the mid-1770’s, a group of men with strong religious convictions set about dissolving the Colonists bonds with The British Crown. The end result was the Declaration of Independence that recognized God as the authority of all unalienable rights. It is a document that stated that government authority was on loan from the people, which was then codified in the Constitution of the United States.  The United States of America was born as a nation as close to God as possible, and we flourished... until lately, but more about that in a minute.

            My point is that these United States of America were founded on the backdrop of the religious reform of the colonists against the secular oppression of the British Crown. Moreover, the American Revolutionary era is known as the "Golden Age of Oratory." The pulpits of that day were diverse, and colonial congregations heard sermons more than any other form of oratory. Although diverse the colonial audiences learned to perceive themselves not as a ragtag settlement of religious exiles and eccentrics but as God's special people, planted in the American wilderness to bring light to the Old World left behind. At stake was the preservation of their identity as a covenant people.[5]

            This is very important: The legal authority, and moral obligation to uphold justice was rested squarely on the shoulders of the people of the United States. In turn the moral leadership of the Colonists rested squarely on the shoulders of the congregational leadership.  If our moral leadership were strong our country would have justice.

            I find it both curious and distressing that the pulpits of today do not recognize the sad state of affairs that our nation is in, yet this moral leadership exhorts the congregation to repent so that there would be a reformation in our land.  [kgb1] Something is wrong here.

            What is wrong is that there is a misunderstanding of basic applied spiritual concepts. Salvation is gained by an individual repenting from sin and turning to God for redemption. Revival is a church, or group of churches, repenting from their corporate sin and experiencing a spiritual growth. Reformation is a nation turning from its legal, authoritative wicked ways as a result of actions from a revived Church body.

            Individuals cannot force a revival in the Church, only the church leadership can. A nation cannot experience a reformation without a revival of a moral Church to lead the way.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that a nation cannot experience reform without the Church leadership repenting and first leading a church revival…unless God removes or goes around the Church leadership.

No amount of finger pointing at the congregation will make the church repent from its corporate sins and affect a reformation in this country.

            Some say that the church leadership has sold its soul for the tax breaks of the IRS 501(c)(3). However, I ‘know’ that there are many fine pastors that are saved, love Jesus, and that are under the 501(c)(3) restrictions.  So if it isn’t their soul that they have sold then what is it that they have exchanged money for? 

            I would say it is God’s wisdom that has been sold. (I would say they have become Idolatrous..and lead an Idolatrous generation! They have left their first love…either wittingly or unwittingly.) When you turn your back on the Wisdom of God…you turn your back on God himself! His Will…his Word…his Wisdom are one as He his Spirit and Son are one! There are only two choices…good or evil…God or satan. There isn’t a middle ground!

            Wisdom is a spiritual gift that is an insight into the events of the world as seen through God’s eyes.  Wisdom is not “knowing good and evil.” Wisdom is “knowing good from evil”.[6]  It is the ability to discern God’s right from wrong and apply His righteousness to daily life, and life’s situations. 

            The acceptance of the IRS 501(c)(3) monies comes with strings attached to it. Once a preacher accepts the monies they agree to not ‘engage in politics’. This includes exposing corruption of our civil leaders, identifying and supporting godly men in public office, and speaking out against unjust and/or immoral legislation and their supporters.  The ability to teach good from evil in the pulpit has been traded for tax monies.  God’s wisdom has been sold.

            The clergy of the United States has convinced them selves that they should not preach discerning good from evil and that all they need to do is preach the love of Jesus Christ and all will be well.  They have convinced themselves that selling God’s wisdom is without penalty.  The have convinced them selves that salvation is separate from their obligations to uphold the covenant that this country had made with God, and we would have a just nation without wisdom in the pulpit.  If that was so then the 56 million weekly churchgoers who drive this country’s political profile would vote in godly leaders and demand godly legislation. That is not so.

            Is it any wonder that this country continues to decay and we make decisions that are unjust, immoral, and ungodly?  The preachers have sold God’s wisdom and our people are perishing.  This passage of The Scriptures comes to mind, and is more than uncomfortable when viewed in this context:

“Hosea 4:6 (Amplified Bible, Ref: www.biblegateway.com)

6My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you [the priestly nation] have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you that you shall be no priest to Me; seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.”

            You see dear reader, the real separation of church and state is not what has been legislated in our schools and public arenas, it is the separation of the church from God’s righteousness / wisdom; which results in the foolishness of the daily decisions of the congregation.  Churches have become carnal Christian factories, rather than the bulwark of His Holiness, Righteousness, and Wisdom. 

Now we come fill circle.

As long as the moral leadership of this nation refuses to preach God’s Word, and refuses to teach good from evil from the pulpit, then we are a lost nation, and will be so evermore. The church will not experience a revival, and this nation will not be reformed. We do not know right from wrong, and we trade evil for good.  We will continue to slip into a secular, humanist hell, or be slaves to a nation that has not forgotten its god – Islam. The simple fact that we have forgotten The Wisdom of God is destroying our land.  The words of Alexander Solzhenitsyn were right. That is why those words still ring with truth in the ears of learned men.

Is it too late? I do not have the answer.

The answer lies in the hearts and in the minds of our moral leadership, our pastors.  The first step to wisdom is the fear of God, and our pastors need to learn to fear God once more.  Not the “I’m saved and there are people in my congregation that need to be saved” type of fear; but the fear of the pastor being responsible to God for His flock and knowing the flock is about endure unimaginable hardship that he could have prevented. A fear that he will have to answer to directly to God for every time that he held God’s righteousness from His people because he had entered in an agreement to turn a blind eye to evil in exchange for money...  a fear that shakes the soul. A fear and overwhelming sense of fear, respect, and awe that we serve THE ALMIGHTY GOD JEHOVAH…CREATOR OF HE UNIVERSE… HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS HIS NAME!

Maybe then we can find a Jonathan Edwards, or a George Whitfield that will stand up and preach a sermon powerful enough to energize the congregations and reform this nation. Maybe we can find a godly man strong enough to make us remember Our God, and to ‘perpetuate the first settlers' passionate commitment to their faith’.

Maybe those words will break down the true wall of separation between church and state – the separation between His People, and His Wisdom.  This is the true separation of church and state, not any puny law made by man.

The Madison Institute Association