Separation of Church and State Part 2

Part II of a Series on the Connection Between Free Speech and the Freedom of Religion.

As I shared in my last column: “The idea of ‘separation of church and state,’ as it is defined today by liberal educators and their post-modern pupils, would have hindered the original formation of our republic, had such a view existed in the minds of our founders during the middle to late 1700s… Unbeknownst to many, numerous signers of both the Declaration and the Constitution were ordained Christian ministers with theological degrees – 24 of the 56 signers of the Declaration had the modern-day equivalent of seminary degrees, along with 34% of the signers of the Constitution, to be exact. A far higher percentage (called a “super-majority”) identified themselves as fundamentalist ‘Christians.’”

With that said, it is, at best, reckless and cavalier, and, at worst, something darker than mere arrogance– to marginalize the significant role Christianity has played, and continues to play, in American politics. Despite the lessons of unedited history, if we make a judgment based upon modern published works arguing against Christian influence in politics, particularly in the wake of the 2008 elections, I dare say that there appears to be at least one whole party and a small portion of the other in America’s two-party system that wouldn’t have dreamed of allowing those 19 men who possessed theological degrees a chance to approach that table and handle the ink-dipped quill!

That is to all our shame as Americans, but the lion share of that shame may well rest upon the backs of America’s modern-day pastors who have acquiesced to the pressure of human lawmakers while ignoring the writings of the Lawgiver.  Many of my fellow pastors (yes, I am a third-generation member of the clergy) appear afraid to address the issues Americans face every day such as war, abortion, traditional marriage, homosexual activism, education, economics, politics or sex. And while there are a myriad of reasons why so many relevant topics have become taboo in the pulpits of America, there is none quite so aggravating as the IRS.

After significantly contributing to the foundation of western civilization by signing the Constitution of the United States, people of faith spoke freely about the issues of life for the next 178 years. Churches were not actually stripped of their 1st Amendment rights until 1954, when an appropriations rider designed by the left to shift public policy against religious institutions was passed through congress. Basically, the rider stated that the government would only recognize the valuable contributions of religious organizations (through tax exemptions enjoyed by houses of worship for the previous 178 years) IF they gave up their constitutional right to free speech in the pulpit. This was the beginning of the end for free speech in America. Today, the left marches recklessly forward wishing to silence anyone who disagrees with them. Fairness doctrine anyone?

Isn’t that a curious little nugget of historical fact? So in the mind of the left, it’s okay to display a statue of Mary smeared with elephant dung in the name of “free speech,” but apparently it’s NOT okay for a minister to teach against what his Judeo/Christian religion has called sin for 4000 years (aka homosexuality). Apparently art is protected “speech,” but speech is not protected speech. My conclusion is this: some Americans on the political left have become so “open-minded” their brain rolled out of their head.

And yet, some unapprised members of the liberal media, like Mr. Richard Cohen, of the Washington Post, imply with their publications almost as naturally as they breathe, that this “separation” was the original intent of our founders. I call it “sub-standard journalism, at its status-quo norm, in the post-modern world” when Cohen claims, more or less, that a presidential candidate should “separate his faith from his personal and professional life.” ( You First, Governor Huckabee, by Richard Cohen, November 20, 2007; Page A17, Washington Post.)

Would Mr. Cohen like to provide his readers with any historical exhibits of how “separating one’s faith from one’s public life” has helped America? Perhaps he could revisit the issue of slavery in America, and show how Abraham Lincoln’s willingness to refrain from acting on Christian impulse, preferring rather, to show the great virtue of “secular lucidity” (as he referred to it in his article) brought about the Emancipation Proclamation? I don’t think so! Clever penmanship is no substitute for “historical lucidity,” Mr. Cohen. Oh, and while I have much respect for Governor Huckabee, no, I didn’t vote for him at the Iowa caucuses. In my view, he lacked some of the valuable conservative credentials I expected to see in a presidential candidate. Don’t assume I’m defending him because I’m an evangelical with a “rubber-stamp” in my grip. I defend him because of his fearless stand for Christian values during his campaign, and the media’s prevailing ignorance of accurate history and proper respect for the place of Christianity in the western world.

I suppose I wrote all that to say this: at the end of the day – without the Christian Bible, the Christian religion, and 19 ordained members of the clergy who signed the American Constitution – America would not exist, at least not in the form of the America we know today – one which possesses the longest lasting constitution in world history… and counting. More importantly, without modern-day (biblically literate) Christians, who are willing to remain politically active – America will inevitably be destroyed from the internal depravity and hedonism which emanates from the festering source of radical secularism. (Albeit, a radical secularism that much prefers hiding behind the title “progressive.”)