The "Separation of Church and State" | Liberty at Home

The separation of church and state, as you likely know it

doesn't exist. Find out what I mean on this

week's episode of Liberty at Home.

I'm sure this one won't be controversial.

Hello and welcome to this very non controversial episode of

Liberty at Home here on Easton Community Access Television.

As you may know, I'm Adam Rivero, the pastor of Liberty

Baptist Church and your host of this weekly telecast.

Today, as always, we're broadcasting from Easton, MA,

where I frequented the new Taco Bell at Five Corners.

A little bit too much since it opened a couple months ago,

especially since my doctor just told me my blood type is fire

sauce. Today, in honor of our nation's

250th anniversary, I want to talk to you about a topic that

is often mentioned yet misunderstood, the separation of

church and state. Now you may be getting nervous,

like what's a pastor doing talking about this subject, but

I assure you, if you give me a few minutes, I think I can bring

some historical perspective to the table.

One of the foundational principles of our country is the

separation of church and state. However, did you know it was

Baptist from New England that helped solidify that right in

America? Also, did you know that the

phrase separation of church and state has greatly morphed from

its original meaning over the past 200 years?

The Anabaptists were one of the most persecuted groups of the

Reformation period in Europe. Because Anabaptists firmly

believed infant baptism was unscriptural due to the fact

that babies cannot choose to have faith in Christ, they ran

contrary to the state churches of many European nations.

This resulted in a prolonged period of persecution for

Anabaptists, who both scripturally and morally believe

there should be no state churches and each person should

be free to come to Christ by their own volition.

However, governments at the time saw it differently, and the

Anabaptists found themselves on the wrong side of the law.

In parts of the Holy Roman Empire in 1525, the refusal to

baptize a child or re baptism of an adult after salvation was

punishable by fine, imprisonment, or banishment.

In 1530, the crime became a capital offense.

Also, the Act of Uniformity in 1662 required all worship in

England and Wales to be done according to the Anglican Book

of Common Prayer, basically outlawing any other religious

group. These are two of a multitude of

examples of the unyielding church and state marriage in

Europe now. Unfortunately, the state church

model was then imported to America during colonial times.

Although colonies like Rhode Island and Pennsylvania became

havens for religious freedom, they were small pockets of

religious freedom and a new world that religiously looked a

lot like the Old World. Even in the Massachusetts Bay

Colony, worship outside the Congregational Church was

prohibited for some time. In 1651, the Baptist pastor

Obadiah Holmes was given a whipping of 30 lashes outside of

the State House for holding a prayer meeting in Swampscott

that was unsanctioned by the local Congregational Church.

Now we Fast forward a little bit to the year 18 O1 when America

is free of British rule, the Constitution is firmly in place,

and Thomas Jefferson is president.

A group of Baptists from Connecticut called the Danbury

Baptist Association wrote a letter to President Jefferson

sharing some of their concerns. That the Constitution didn't go

far enough in ensuring the church state model was totally

dismantled. Naturally, these Baptists were

skittish due to hundreds of years of persecution.

In their letter, they wrote the following.

Our sentiments are uniformly on the side of religious liberty.

That religion is at all times and places a matter between God

and individuals. That no man ought to suffer a

name, person, or effects on account of his religious

opinions. That the legitimate power of

civil government extends no further than to punish the man

who works I'll to his neighbor. Now Thomas Jefferson, in his

reply to the Danbury Baptist, hardly agreed with this thought.

In his letter he stated, believing with you, that

religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God.

That he owes account to none other for his faith or his

worship. That the legislative powers of

government reach actions only and not opinions.

I contemplate with sovereign reverence that active the whole

American people. Which declared that their

legislator would make no law respecting an establishment of

religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building

a wall of separation between church and state.

There it is. I'd encourage folks to read both

letters in their entirety, which honestly are easy to find with

an online search. Thus, with President Jefferson's

reply to the Baptist, the phrase separation of church and state

was born. Many are surprised that the

phrase is not found in the Declaration of Independence nor

in the Constitution. Yes, the greatly used and even

more greatly misused phrase that was written in a private letter

from Thomas Jefferson to a humble group of Baptists was

never meant to be a term as an impetus to remove all mention of

government or God from the government.

Nor was it ever meant as a way to remove biblical principles

from the town square. Instead, it was meant to show

that never again would the government compel anyone to be

part of a state church. So the next time you hear the

phrase separation of church and state being thrown around in a

conversation about religion and government, even within our own

town hall or committee meetings, remember the real intent of the

phrase as well as the Baptist who played a part in coining it.

Well, our time is spent on today's edition of Liberty at

Home. And since the screen's about to

fade to black, let me quickly remind you that you're always

invited to join us at Liberty Baptist Church here in Easton,

right on Route 138. Look us up at my

libertybaptist.org. Well, this is Adam Rivero

signing off with a reminder that we're the Spirit of the Lord is

there's Liberty. Catch you next week on ECAP for

yet another edition of Liberty at Home.