Scripture tells us that by divine appointment the state, in this still unredeemed world in which also the church is situated, has the task of maintaining justice and peace, so far as human discernment and human ability make this possible, by means of the threat and use of force.
We reject the false doctrine that beyond its special commission the state should and could become the sole and total order of human life and so fulfill the vocation of the church as well.
We reject the false doctrine that beyond its special commission the church should and could take on the nature, tasks and dignity which belong to the state and thus become itself an organ of the state.
— From the Barmen Declaration, Germany, 1934
At church on Sunday I’ll be choosing patriotic hymns and saying special prayers for the well-being of our nation. I’ll fly a flag and sing "God Bless America."
I love my country. I love God. Yet loving them both at the same time, in the same breath, makes me a little nervous. There’s a risk that saying "God and country" leads not so much to honoring both, as to confusing them.
In 1934, as Hitler was making his rise to power, the Nazis put pressure on German churches to include fascist beliefs alongside Christ’s teaching.
Some churches complied, in part because it was easy, and in part because Hitler’s racist nationalism reinforced people’s beliefs about Jews and non-whites.
Yet there also were those who resisted. A group of pastors wrote the Barmen Declaration, affirming that Jesus Christ is the Lord of all, and that the state has no right to insert itself into church doctrine.
I strongly believe that church and state must be separate. I even object to such minor encroachments as the mention of God in the Pledge of Allegiance and on coins. I don’t do this because I believe that government should be protected from religion, but because I believe that religion must be protected from governmental interference.
Throughout our country’s history religious movements have challenged slavery, poverty, governmental corruption and the race to war. Religious movements continue to push for environmental protections and abortion laws that protect both fetus and pregnant women.
As we have seen in Iran and elsewhere in the world, when religion institutions and governments state get too cozy, the people suffer. The religious leaders stop doing the work of challenging official leadership and unfair laws in favor of protecting their own privileged positions.
God teaches us to protect the innocent and care for the needy. A separate church is free to call the state to account, to demand change and to follow the true leader of us all.
— Carolyn Kennedy is the pastor of the Mazomanie United Church of Christ and can be reached at (608) 220-6987 or by e-mail at mazoucc@charterinternet.com
