by The main issues of this paper being addressed about Christian ethics are centered around Christians and society. Specifically on the relationship between the church and state along with the roles of the church, the individual Christian, how a Christian should engage in society regarding obedience/disobedience, schooling structures, the media, and the role of the government.
There are several options on how the relationship between the church and state could be structured. They are all around the separation of powers and if one should control the other. Most of the structures have occurred over time in different parts of the world. In the formation of the United States, an absolute church-state separation was never intended.[1] There was a relationship where religious services were held in federal buildings, and church buildings would often serve as town meeting houses.[2]
Some of the various structures include state controls church, church controls state, church and state are exclusive, and church and state have distinct spheres of responsibility but with mutual respect and negotiated authority and influence.[3] The Bible does not give insight on which structure is best, but it does give instructions on the purpose of each. The best structure is where the church and state have the freedom to be the best at what they are designed to do. This would be where the church and state have distinct spheres of responsibility with mutual respect, authority, and influence. This means that the state is responsible for protecting its citizens, to discipline wrongdoers and to promote the common good of upholding peace and order. The church is responsible to promote the common good by commitment to evangelism, Christian virtue, biblical teaching, and being good citizens.[4] This means that the church should be heard on moral issues and the state should not restrict the church from fulfilling its mission. McQuilkin and Copan explain, “the state is frankly open to religiously inspired moral influences and the church does not seek special privileges, confining its prophetic pronouncements to moral issues rather than focusing on politicians or political parties.”[5]
Shaping leaders who are committed, courageous, Spirit-filled, and informed are the responsibility of the church. These leaders should have strong biblical principles and be knowledgeable about current events locally and globally. The church should not endorse political parties, but they should address specific issues like cohabitation, premarital sex, gay marriage, divorce, and abortion.
There is a debate on whether it is possible to separate the church (religion) from the state (the secular). What level of involvement should Christians have in politics and should they attempt to change society. Some examples include abortion, redistribution of wealth, and pornography. A biblical example to help address this issue is the Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 7:6-12. This is where Jesus is directing his disciples to break out of vicious cycles of the secular world that lead to a dead-end lifestyle and to embrace kingdom values that move toward reconciled relationships and cultivating life-giving patterns.[6]
This means that it is impossible to mix societal norms with Christian values as the reasons for the actions are different, even if the actions are similar. Christians are citizens of heaven (Phil 3:20), part of Christ’s kingdom, and strangers that are not of this world (John 18:36). The highest priorities of Christians are to love God and others, regardless of political power, and to be salt and light in a rotting and darkened world.[7] This means that Christians should interact and be an example in society with Christian values. Christians should seek to effect change when they need to protect fundamental Christian values by providing public reasons attempting to persuade using statistics and studies that support a biblical perspective (general revelation).[8] Because there are many different religions, there needs to be a civil public square in which people of any faith can engage in public life within the framework of the law. There are three Rs of religious liberty that should be adhered to. They include rights that provide the freedom to exchange ideas and persuade others about them, responsibility to respect the same rights of others, and respect the opposition with political civility despite differences.
Christian integrity should be taught by the church, so people know that the end, or goal, does not justify the means. An example would be where a person is tithing the church money from illegally selling drugs. It is important to note that legal is not always the same as moral. Pornography is legal, but it is not moral. When engaging in politics, compromising is normally the result and Christians need not only ask what is right and good for society, but what will this society accept right now?
The role of the Christian in society is found in the Bible. The greatest commandment is to Love God, the second is to love others. This includes family, brothers and sisters in Christ, and those outside the church. In the United States where the government is a democratic system, the Christian is part of the governing body and able to pursue all levels of management and leadership. The Word of God must be the controlling authority on specific issues that arise, and the Christian should know what the needs are of the community that they serve. This includes voting as every vote counts and is the responsibility of every citizen. Christians are needed in leadership positions as those positions have the greatest influence on the most amount of change. The Christian is the role model in society that is Christ-centered with culture-shaping influence that brings people and society to Jesus Christ and His value system that mimics His kingdom.
The Christian should be in civil obedience if it is not going against God’s commandments. This does not mean that everything that is legal is moral. Good activity, when not instructed by Scripture, may sometimes be acceptable but is not required.[9] There are circumstances when a Christian should be in disobedience but that is when God’s Word is clear and present in Scripture.
There are several options of schooling for a Christian family in the United States. They include state schools, private Christian schools, and homeschooling. Each of them has positive and negative aspects. Most state schools provide the least amount of Christian teachings as they are pluralism in education and teach secularism. Christian private schools teach truth and spiritual values that are aligned with God’s Word. The challenge is that non-believing families are enrolling their children for better education but bring the secular values into the school providing the similar problems of public schools (gossip, teasing, bullying, and cliques). The opposite is also true where the Christian schools might provide inadequate education and create a “Christian bubble” where the students are isolated from “real life.”[10] Homeschooling is the best solution if the parents prioritize it. “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Prov 22:6, New King James Version). This provides the most flexibility and if done correctly, provide the most opportunity for a Biblical grounded young adult.
The media has major influence on society norms and the Christian must ensure that it does not negatively influence them to sin or create distance from God. McQuilkin and Copan state, “The average American will have watched the equivalent of nine years of television in his lifetime—compared to the mere months the average Christian spends in Sunday school and church services over a lifetime.”[11] Christians need to stay in Scripture to know truth and to counter the secular world views in the media. Christians need to demand more Christian aligned movies (e.g., PureFlix), television shows (e.g., The Chosen), radio shows (e.g., Family Talk Radio), and radio music channels (e.g., K-Love). Listening to non-biased news channels should also be considered.
The role of the government is to serve the good of the people (Rom 13:4). This comprises maintaining order, protecting citizens, their rights, executing justice, and disciplining evildoers. There are two different forms of government (autocratic and democratic), and the Bible does not specify which is best. Democratic seems to be better because they have power that is balanced away from just one person or small group of people that could do horrific evil. The challenge is that the democratic form of government in the United States is rushing towards individualism and abandoning common good. There needs to be a balance between individualism and saving everyone for the common good. One of the measures should be a balanced budget that limits the amount of outreach based on available funds. This forces the government to prioritize spending and be fiscally responsible with God’s money, which is all of it.
In summary, the church and state need to work together to ensure that each is set up for success within their realm of responsibilities. This is best accomplished when there is a benevolent cooperation between church and state in which the state is open to religiously inspired moral influences and the church does not seek special freedoms, confining its statements to moral issues rather than focusing on politicians or political parties.[12] Each Christian needs to differentiate themselves morally from the rest of the secular society, and be engaged with the world by sharing the good news, being the necessary salt and light, and helping shape society towards God. The role of the government is to serve the good of the people, limit individualism, protect citizens from injustice, and provide some support for those who cannot care for themselves.
Note from professor: A very nice job here overall–one of the best and most balanced in the course. The use of outside theological resources could help place it in a larger context. – Dr. Todd Buck.
Bibliography
McQuilkin, Robertson, and Paul Copan. An Introduction to Biblical Ethics: Walking in the Way of Wisdom. 3rd ed. Lisle, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2014.
[1] Robertson McQuilkin and Paul Copan, An Introduction to Biblical Ethics: Walking in the Way of Wisdom, 3rd ed. (Lisle, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2014), 527.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid., 530.
[4] Ibid., 539.
[5] Ibid., 544.
[6] Ibid., 518.
[7] Ibid., 520.
[8] Ibid., 540.
[9] Ibid., 562.
[10] Ibid., 567–568.
[11] Ibid., 570.
[12] Ibid., 544.