Church, State & Balance

Nora Gwen
6 days ago
5 min read

This morning, I commented on a friend’s post about the importance of the separation of Church and State, and allowing all individuals the freedom to practice whatever beliefs they may hold, and I wanted to share.

Balancing spheres on a seesaw: a large pink sphere and smaller teal one on a striped black and white surface. Red spheres scattered. Minimalist.

Friends Post: “I hate to burst anyone’s bubble, but we don’t live in a Christian nation founded on Biblical principles. We live in a secular nation founded on the U.S. Constitution, which protects your freedom to be a Christian if you so choose, and to live by Biblical principles, whatever you interpret those to be. It also protects the freedom of those who choose otherwise. It’s kind of a beautiful thing.

If you’re a Muslim, no one can make you eat pork. If you’re a Christian, you can load up on the bacon and ham with a big greasy grin on your face. If you don’t subscribe to any religion at all, the world is your buffet. It even works well within Christianity. Southern Baptist? No one can make you say a Hail Mary. Catholic? No one can keep you from wearing your “I love the Pope” hat to the mall. Do you think gay marriage is a sin? OK, fine. Check your fiancé’s genitals before the ceremony and everything should be a-OK. Just remember it’s not your place to peek inside the pants of other people’s partners.

So you can go your merry way and let others do the same. See how that works? You get to live YOUR life according to your beliefs. You don’t get to force others to live theirs that way. And they don’t get to force you to live their way either. This is how our funny little government works for everyone. This is why it’s a handy dandy thing to remember that, should you seek an office or a job in government, YOU ALSO WILL BE WORKING FOR EVERYONE when you clock in each day.

It’s also good to remember this is why the courthouse lawn and other tax payer funded facilities are not churches or temples or mosques. The Ten Commandments may look lovely hanging in your church or on your wall at home, but, unless you want to allow symbols of other religions including nine-foot bronze statues of a half-man-half-goat with curly horns from the Temple of Satan to greet you when you go to the DMV to get your plates renewed, it’s really best to leave those things up to the private individual to display. Any Pentecostals cool with a shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe at your state Capitol building? No? Well, then maybe you get my point.

Your church, however wonderful it may be, has not been appointed to govern those who don’t wish to attend it. Your holy book, however full of wisdom you find it to be, has not been passed into legislation. And if you ever study what happens when any religion is given a pass to govern with that kind of power, you’ll thank God it isn’t that way here.”

My response: “As a Christian AND an educator in public schools, I do recognize the value in the separation of church and state. I also see some mention of God from our founding fathers in the Declaration of Independence and still on our current currency, and our pledge of allegiance, BUT not in our Constitution as mentioned above. I’m grateful for the freedom to practice my faith, AND I respect others' rights to exercise their free will. These two concepts are not mutually exclusive. I am praying for the state of our divided nation, AND I agree that Christian Nationalism is potentially dangerous. As believers, our National Patriotism should not become an idol for us! Love above all else is what we practice ideally, regardless of our differences in race, politics, sexual orientation or identity, ethnicity, religion, or other ways of life.”

LOVE Above All Else (1 John 4:8)

Then my overthinking brain latched onto the phrase “Love above all else” from my reply. I hadn’t thought to include the Scripture at that moment, but I later added it as a caption to an IG post and included this message: “In case you’ve ever wondered (and I seriously doubt you have) whether or not I raise my hands in praise and worship during my morning run/walks even when I’m not on camera creating a reel or a post, the answer is YES!!! I am not ashamed to praise whenever The Spirit moves me, regardless of who may see me… and especially when my God is the only one present, since this sacred secret prayer time is what Jesus invites us to do intimately with Him on a park bench, in bed, on a walk, in a car, on a plane, etc. without ceasing… (1 Thessalonians 5:17) with gratitude and thanksgiving. Hebrews 11:16 reminds me it’s not only about me not being ashamed of the gospel — it is also important that God not be ashamed of my behavior. It is, after all, a mutual loving personal relationship! Have you ever considered that God experiences deep emotions (feeling grief or passionate about someone or something) too?!? Where do you think we get them from? Certainly not the “Big Bang Theory” !?! … “imago Dei” isn’t limited to physical appearance. Think about it. And should you feel so inclined, share your thoughts in the comments. Would love to hear your take, genuinely!”

What Love Looks Like to Me

When I write or say that I genuinely am interested in hearing your thoughts on a subject, I sincerely mean it.

Heart drawn on foggy glass with bokeh city lights in the background. Warm colors create a cozy, romantic atmosphere.

Personally, as a Christian, I often feel torn between being obedient to The Great Commission (evangelizing, sharing the gospel) and respecting others’ free will to believe and practice as they choose, what I like to call the “You do you, Boo” mentality.

You might wonder why I even wrestle with this, since for some, the call to evangelize feels straightforward. Biblically, though, it’s a gray area for me, because it all comes back to the two greatest commandments.

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36–40 NIV

For me, loving God first and loving people always trumps everything else in my point of view. Even when someone lives very differently from me, in any of the ways I mentioned earlier, I choose to love them anyway.

Sometimes that love may be sharing the gospel. Sometimes it looks like listening to them first, with the genuine and honest intention to understand their perspective. And sometimes that love can be acts of service with few to no words needing to be spoken.

“Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.” Author unknown (possibly St. Francis of Assisi)

Such a powerful quote, when you really stop to think about it and let it sink in. Maybe that kind of love looks like Jesus, who often answered a question with another question, inviting the seeker to arrive at their own conclusion.