Posts Tagged ‘Separation of Church and State’
The Baptist Paradox
or, “How Should Christians Conduct Themselves in the Public Sphere” Denominations are like cans of soup. Each can contains a different mix of ingredients, and the label tells you which ingredients to expect. The ingredients of the soup with the Baptist label are called the Baptist distinctives. Taken together, these distinctives set Baptists apart from…
Read MoreSeparation of Church and State
Many Americans are familiar with the First Amendment to our Constitution, the first portion of which guarantees religious liberty: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” What many do not know is that Baptists played an important role in ensuring the inclusion of religious freedom in…
Read MoreConcerns about a Post-Equality Act World
I was in the fourth grade and we had a bully in our school that loves to pick on us. His name was Bobby. Bobby was an 8th grader. He came from a very poor broken home. Our bus would stop and pick him up from the school bus he literally lived in. We hated…
Read MoreLet My People Go! (to Church)
Those of us pastoring churches in Canada find it strange to have American’s paying attention to the goings on around here. Part of the big story of the last year (the Covid Crisis) is the arrest of Canadian pastor James Coates in Alberta for defying Public Health orders. On Proclaim & Defend, we’ve covered the…
Read MoreA Voice Long Silent Speaks for Today
Isaac Backus—Baptist Defender of Religious Liberty In recent times the separation of church and state has become an argument for barring the church from any input in the secular state. But the original idea was to bar the state from meddling in the church, not the converse. This critical distinction is evident in the thought…
Read MoreThe Threat to Freedom of Religion
Don Johnson A recent survey by George Barna has garnered some attention: “Many pastors wary of raising ‘controversy’“ (HT: SharperIron). The linked article suggests that theologically conservative pastors are unwilling to raise political issues in their congregations. Here is Barna himself: “What we’re finding is that when we ask them about all the key issues…
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