This month Presby Bloggers Unite is looking at the relationship between church and state. What, we are tasked with asking, are ways that we see our church and our country relating to each other for good, or for ill?
Calvin took a prosaic view on the subject. To him, civil government was a gift from God, and as such should be supported and promoted whenever possible. Church leaders should be civil leaders. Civil leaders should be leaders in church. The two entities were dispensations of God's love in our midst, and both deserved our support. He based this, in large part, on the teachings Paul as found in his Letter to the Romans.
Our view today is obviously different. Our post-Federalist Papers mindset argues that church and state should be separate, and to the extent that they overlap, they do so at their collective peril.
My own exposure to the church-state question is both personal and professional. First, in my professional capacity, I often attend governmental meetings. Here in the deep south, these gatherings always begin with a prayer. Years ago I noticed the obvious discomfort the leader of the prayer often experienced, based on some notion that the mention of Jesus during the prayer would bring a legion of ACLU militants to the door. This awkwardness invariably leads to a theologically nonsensical prayer, one that ends with the imponderable phrase "In Thy name we pray."
I've used "Trusting in Your grace and mercy" in public prayers, but so far this nondenominational denouement is not catching on in our public square.
Sometimes I want to yell "Oh for Jesus's sake!" at the end of these feeble public prayers.
This pet peeve to the side, I've also dealt with the personal side of the church-state tension. In our own community of faith, we've dealt with issues such as the proper celebration of national holidays in church, the appropriate way to pray for our troops, and even the proper display of the American flag.
The flag issue is a particularly thorny one. Many expect to see an American flag inside the sanctuary on Sunday, while many see it as distracting and borderline idolatrous. Compromises in some churches include flying the flag inside the sanctuary only during national holidays, or flying the flag on the church grounds but not inside the sanctuary at all. The discussions within our own church on this issue have been intense, personal, conversations that are hard to navigate without feelings of alienation and misunderstanding.
I remember one conversation I had with another member of our church years ago. This member, a senior member of our congregation who served in the military, could not understand my objection to displaying the flag in the sanctuary. To him, the flag was a reminder of all the sacrifices our soldiers have made throughout history to guarantee that we could worship together as we please. His position on the subject was almost tearful, and obviously heartfelt.
I found it difficult to respond to my veteran friend. I tried to point out that those very thoughts, the ones he felt so profoundly, were distracting him from the very purpose for which we were gathered, and I mumbled on about the need to emphasize the church as universal in this fractured age.
He was unimpressed (but gentle) in his response. "Ken, we fly the Christian flag too, so that should solve your problem, right?"
I extracted myself from the conversation, sadly aware of the chasm in our perspectives. To me, the Christian flag is an even worse representation of idolatry than having the American flag in the sanctuary. Think about it - it purports to be a universal christian banner, but isn't widely accepted outside the United States. Its arranged to mimic the design of the American flag, with a solid field in its upper corner. Its colors? You guessed it: red, white, and blue.
Its message? If you ask me, the message of the Christian flag is that Christ is an American.
A way forward? I don't have it. Too many people that I love and respect feel strongly that I'm a crackpot on the issue.
Maybe I should take Calvin's view and see it all (church, state, flags, etc) as God's grace in my life.
