Church and State

The relationship between the church and the state is a key issue for the Kingdom of God. The last two millennia have been marked by an ongoing struggle/alliance between these two. Christian leaders tried to use political power to strengthen the position of the church, so they formed an alliance with the state, in which the church authenticated the state power in return for state protection of the church.

This alliance with the state led to a jostling for power that did not really advance the gospel cause. At times the gospel was successful and the influence of the church increased, but in a straight out power struggle with the state, the church will usually lose. The church mostly played second fiddle and the gospel was corrupted by secular views, as it compromised to hang onto scraps of power.

Our problem is that the correct relationship between the church and the state has never been defined. The early church was persecuted, so it saw the state as an enemy. When persecution of Christians, ceased in the fourth century, the church never resolved the issue of how it should relate to a state that is not hostile. This task has never been done, so we lurch between using the state to advance the gospel and escaping from the political world.