GUEST POST: Benjamin Cremer on "Why I don't want a “Christian nation” isn’t because I’m a “secularist.”
The reason I don’t want a “Christian nation” isn’t because I’m a “secularist.”
It’s because I have studied church history in depth and have seen the tremendous harm caused when the church crawls into bed with the empire and when the empire crawls into bed with the church.
The difference can be seen in the time between the crosses of the martyrs and the swords of the inquisitions.
Church history also reveals the tragic trend of how christians from differing sects and traditions don’t necessarily get along very well, which often spiraled into violence.
This is why the separation of church and state is so crucial in our country as well. It not only allows all Americans to live according to their own religious and non-religious beliefs, but it also allows the church to maintain a prophetic witness unspoiled by the worship of power.
On top of that, there are more than 200 different Christian sects within the U.S. alone, all with their own theological beliefs, ecclesiology, and interpretations of scripture.
As a Protestant, I wouldn't want a Catholic controlled nation, nor would Catholics want a Protestant controlled nation.
As a Wesleyan, I wouldn't want a Calvinist controlled nation, nor would Calvinists want a Wesleyan controlled nation.
Who then gets to determine what kind of "Christianity" the nation upholds?
That simply sounds like a recipe for repeating the same tragic harmful patterns of our past.
When the church crawls into bed with political power, its voice not only becomes one with the state, but its Christian witness becomes a mouthpiece for the empire, rather than the gospel of Jesus and advocacy for the most vulnerable.
The church is at its worst when it seeks power for itself. The church is at its best when it advocates for the poor, the vulnerable, the marginalized, and the oppressed by speaking truth to whomever is in power.
Separation of church and state is best for everyone.
Note: The common response I will get when I post things like this is “so you don’t want Christians to vote according to their beliefs?” This isn’t what I’m saying and I find this response rather odd. Our vote as Christians is an opportunity to be the church and advocate for the poor, the vulnerable, the marginalized, and the oppressed by speaking truth to whomever is in power. I believe our vote is misused when we vote in a way that simply seeks more power for our own religious group alone.
“The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe with blood for centuries.” -James Madisona
