I have again spent some time in our nation's capital. It seems only too appropriate to look back at thoughts from 2008.
Over the past few months, there has been a quiet shift in terminology from the leadership of our nation. Beginning with Secretary of State Clinton then to President Obama. The shift has been from using the term "Freedom of Religion" to "Freedom of Worship." I believe that puts our nation on a very slippery slide. It could easily be interpreted to mean that we are free to go inside the church of our choice to worship but do not bring anything outside the church.
By clear definition, worship and religion are two distinctly different issue. One can have freedom of worship is they truly have freedom of religion. To have only freedom of worship, does not guarantee freedom of religion.
From my Blog posted August, 2008.
Several things came out of Pastor Rick Warren's Presidential forum last week.
The first issue for me was how many Christians were ready to pass judgment before the event took place. Many were ready to condemn Pastor Warren for not asking tough enough questions before the evening started.
The biggest issues was a statement attributed to Pastor Warren..... he said that he "believes in the separation of church and state but does not believe in the separation of faith and politics. "
That is a statement we all need to hear. I believe that our politics should be shaped by our faith. For too many I feel their faith is shaped by the politics. Frankly, if our politics are shaped by our faith, we do not need to have church in our government.
It is similar to the fight for prayer in schools. The reason so many want prayer in schools is because prayer was out of our homes before it left our schools.
Our nation will be changed when we live out our faith in every area of our lives without it being mandated by government.
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2 comments:
You need only to look in the news. When Christians are being arrested for stopping to pray, not picketing or demonstrating, but pray outside an abortion clinic. The U.S. Government has already began instituting their own brand of Socialism. Quietly, like a thief in the night. Hmmm....The one TRUE messiah will also come like a thief in the night...and these evil people will all have their own TRUE justice...
There is a biblical prinicple of "sphere sovereignty." God gave authority to different spheres. He gave the sword to government to punish evil doers (Romans 13). He gave authority to the family to rear children. He gave authority to the Church to guard doctrine.
The "separation of Church and State" means that the Church does not have authority to execute criminals. It also means that Government may not interfere with Church doctrine (like requiring a Church to bless a same-sex commitment ceremony.)
Our Founders knew, however, that only a religious faith would provide the moral mechanism needed for self-government to work. As George Washington said we cannot expect national morality without private virtue. Secular humanism does not provide that inner moral restraint necessary for a free republic. Only a religious faith will prevent the need for an external moral restraint.
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