{"id":69054,"date":"2024-07-27T11:11:20","date_gmt":"2024-07-27T16:11:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=69054"},"modified":"2024-07-28T14:32:19","modified_gmt":"2024-07-28T19:32:19","slug":"church-and-state-civil-enforcement-of-religion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/church-and-state-civil-enforcement-of-religion\/","title":{"rendered":"Church and State: Civil Enforcement of Religion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t\t<meta itemprop=\"url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Church-and-State-Civil-Enforcement-of-Religion.mp3\" \/><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-69054-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Church-and-State-Civil-Enforcement-of-Religion.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Church-and-State-Civil-Enforcement-of-Religion.mp3\">https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Church-and-State-Civil-Enforcement-of-Religion.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\t<p>by Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t<p>Text: Psalms 110<\/p>\n<p>&#160;<\/p>\nI.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;By merging the church and state, the state received a &#8220;weapon&#8221; to promote loyalty int its\ncitizens\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;But the church also began using the state as a &#8220;weapon&#8221; to enforce its teachings<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Psalms 110 is a prophecy about Christ conquering the nations. I&#8217;m sure the\nCatholic church saw this allowing them to control nations\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;But notice that two things are missed<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Christ was to rule in the midst of his enemies<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;a.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The blended church and state saw all members of society as a part\nof the church.\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;b.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;What happened to the enemies?<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;3.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;God&#8217;s people were to be volunteers. But the state removed any choice.<\/p>\n<p>II.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The justification<\/p>\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;What about the great commission in Matthew 28:19-20?<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;How do you convert in a society that technically claims to be all\nChristians?\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;They argued that the great commission was for the pre-Constantine era and\nwas fulfilled, so it no longer applied\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Augustine was an early promoter of the blended church and state<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;He argued from Luke 14:21-23 that the church had the right to compel\npeople to become Christians\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#8220;Now observe how that with reference to those who came in during the\nformer period it was &#8216;bring them in&#8217; and not &#8216;compel them,&#8217; by which the\nincipient condition of the Church is signified, during which she was but\ngrowing toward the position of being able to compel. Since it was right by\nreason of greater strength and power to coerce men to the feast of eternal\nsalvation therefore it was said later &#8230; &#8216;Go out into the highways and\nhedges and compel them to come in.&#8221; [Augustine, &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/1102173.htm\">Letter to Donatus<\/a>&#8221;,\nNumber 173, p.10]\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;3.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;It was argued that the state should do the compelling for the church<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The followers of Donatus threatened to walk out of what they saw as a fallen\nchurch.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;They argued from John 6:66-67 that Jesus did not force people to follow\nhim. He even asked his apostles if they would leave.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Augustine&#8217;s answer: &#8220;I hear that you are quoting that which is recorded in\nthe Gospel, that when the seventy followers went back from the Lord they\nwere left to their own choice in this wicked and impious desertion and that\nHe said to the twelve remaining &#8216;Do you not also want to go?&#8217; But what\nyou fail to say is that at that time the Church was only just beginning to\nburst forth from the newly planted seed and that the saying had not as yet\nbeen fulfilled in her &#8216;All kings shall fall down before Him, all nations shall\nserve Him.&#8217; It is in proportion to the more enlarged fulfillment of this\nprophecy that the Church now wields greater power &#8211; so that she may now\nnot only invite but also compel men to embrace that which is good.&#8221;\n[Augustine, &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newadvent.org\/fathers\/1102173.htm\">Letter to Donatus<\/a>&#8221;, Number 173, p.10].\n<p>&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;D.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Augustine also took Paul&#8217;s allegory in Galatians 4:21-31 and repurposed it<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;He claimed Sarah represented voluntarism and Hagar represented\ncoercion. Therefore, Augustine claimed that in the church there were two\ntypes of Christians: some join voluntarily, others are there because of\ncoercion. After all Sara beat Hagar to get her to submit.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;E.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;He claimed that Jesus compelled Paul to become a Christian by taking away his\nsight. &#8220;He did not get it back until he became a member of the Holy Church. You\nthink no coercion should be used to deliver a man from his error; and yet see &#8230;\nthat God does this very thing.&#8221;\n<p>III.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The Results in the Middle Ages<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Hilary of Poitiers wrote in 365, &#8220;The Church now terrifieth with threats of exile\nand dungeon and she who of old gained adherents in spite of dungeons and exile\nnow brings men to faith by compulsion. She who was propagated by hunted\npriests now hunts priests in her turn &#8230; This must be said in comparison with that\nChurch which was handed down to us and which now we have lost; the fact is in\nmen&#8217;s eyes and cries aloud.&#8221;\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Pope Pelagius in 553 issued, &#8220;unto the coercing of heretics and schismatics the\nChurch possesses the secular arm, to coerce in case men cannot be brought to\nsanity by reasonable argument.&#8221;\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Charlemagne (Emperor Charles the Great, Emperor of what is now known as the\nCarolingian Empire from 800 to 814) issued an order that &#8220;all who stubbornly\nrefuse Christian baptism shall be put to death.&#8221;\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;D.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Sacconi, a Dominican Inquisitor, (1200-1263 A.D.) complained: &#8220;The heretics\npreach much from the Gospels and the Epistles and say among other things that a\nman should do no evil, should not lie nor swear. When they preach from the\nGospels and the Epistles they corrupt them with their explanations &#8211; teaching and\nexpounding the Scriptures being altogether forbidden to lay-folk. They say that\ntheir Church is the true Church and that the Roman Church is no Church but a\nChurch of malignants. They reprobate Church wealth and ecclesiastical regalia,\nthe high privilege of bishop and abbot, they seek to abolish all ecclesiastical\nprivilege. They maintain that no one is to be coerced to the faith. They condemn\nthe Church&#8217;s sacraments and say that a priest living in mortal sin cannot make the\nbody of the Lord. They hold that transubstantiation takes place not in the hands of\nthe priest but in the heart of him who receives worthily.&#8221; [Sacconi quoted by\nGeorge Gordon Coulton, <i>Inquisition and Liberty<\/i>, 1938, p. 189].\n<p>IV.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The Results in the Reformation<\/p>\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Early on Luther opposed coercion. &#8220;Heretics must be converted with Scripture and\nnot with fire!&#8221;\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;He also said, &#8220;It is a fundamental right, a privilege of nature, that every\nman should worship according to his own convictions. One man&#8217;s religion\nneither helps nor harms another man. It is not in the nature of religion to\ncoerce to religion, which must be adopted freely and not by force.&#8221;\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Later on, Luther start losing ground and ask Urbanus Rhegius to solve the\nproblem. Rhegius wrote, &#8220;The truth leaves you no choice; you must agree that the\nmagistracy has the authority to coerce his subjects to the Gospel. And if you say,\n&#8216;Yes, but with admonition and well-chosen words but by force&#8217; then I answer that\nto get people to the services with fine words and admonitions is the preacher&#8217;s\nduty, but to keep them there with recourse to force if need be and to frighten them\naway from error is the proper function of the rulers.&#8221;\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;He also said, &#8220;It follows that our magistrates should punish heretics and\nfaction-makers and exterminate them, not with less but with greater zeal\nthan did the kings in the Old Testament.&#8221;\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Henry Bullinger, successor to Zwingli, complained about those pulling way over\nthe issue of coercion: &#8220;They say that one cannot and may not use force to compel\nanyone to accept the faith seeing that faith is a free gift from God. It is wrong, say\nthey, to compel anyone by force or coercion to embrace the faith, or, to put anyone\nto death because of erring faith. It is an error, they assert, that in the Church any\nother sword is used than that of the divine Word. The secular kingdom, they hold,\nshould be separate from the Church, and no civil ruler ought to exercise his\nauthority there. The Lord has commanded, they hold, simply to preach the Gospel\nand not to compel anyone by force to accept it. The true Church of Christ,\naccording to them, has this characteristic that it suffers and endures persecution\nbut does not inflict it upon any.&#8221;\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;D.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A man name Bucer wrote, &#8220;It is the magistrates&#8217; duty not to tolerate that anyone\nassails openly or reviles the doctrine of the Gospel &#8230; The notion that this is\nbecause such a person is seditious and constitutes a threat to the peaceful regiment\nis not itself enough; for he also is not to be tolerated in a Christian republic who\nrefuses to be taught the things pertaining to the Kingship of Christ.&#8221;\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;In justification, an associate, Adam Krafft, said, &#8220;It can happen that he\nwho is coerced today may come willingly tomorrow &#8230; and then is saved,\nand thanks his magistrate for coercing him.&#8221;\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Adam Krafft also claimed, &#8220;This did also the king of Nineveh when he\ncommanded his subjects to fast &#8230; So did also Nebuchadnezzar when he\nthreatened with death all sacrilegious person. This imperial edict of\nNebuchadnezzar teaches all Christian magistrates that they certainly have\nthe prerogative to coerce men to the faith.&#8221; [Quellen Hesse, p. 102f]\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;a.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;They are using the examples of pagan kings who lived in societies\nthat blended religion and government and attempting to apply this\nto Christianity. [<i>Quellen Hesse<\/i>, p. 110].\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;b.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Worse is the use of a king trying to enforce idolatry. Does he forget\nthat Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego were supported by God for\ndefying Nebuchadnezzar&#8217;s orders? (Daniel 3)\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;E.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;John Calvin also followed this path, annoyed that people were saying that\ngovernment was of this world while the church was spiritual. Calvin insisted that\ngovernment was spiritual.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;One of his followers, Theodor Beza wrote: &#8220;After God had launched\nChristianity by unarmed apostles He afterward raised up kings by whose\nwisdom He intended to protect His Church &#8230; They do not like it that civil\nlaws are enacted against their wickedness, saying that the apostles have\nasked no such thing of kings &#8211; but these men do not consider that those\nwere different times and that all things agree with their own times. What\nemperor had at that time believed in Christ, in days in which Psalms 2 was\nstill in effect: &#8216;Why do the nations rage&#8230;&#8217; When we invoke lawfully and\ndivinely instituted protection against stubborn and incorrigible heretics we\nonly do what the Word of God and the authority of the holy prophets\nassert.&#8221;\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Beza thought that Constantine had not gone far enough in punishing those\nwho protested the blending of church and state. Beza thought they should\nhave been put to death.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;F.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;So while the reformation started with a protest against the Roman Catholic&#8217;s idea\nthat all must be Roman Catholics, it eventually fell back into the same error.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;It was a natural consequence when civil power was used to enforce\nreligious belief\nV.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;It was this unrelenting persecution of religious beliefs that were not a part of the blended\nchurch and state in Europe that led to the United States putting in the bill of rights that the\nstate cannot establish a religion.\n&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Sadly, this historical fact has been lost sight of. Instead of staying out of religion,\nthe current trend is to make the state the enforcer of atheism\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/church-and-state\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChurch and State\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Psalms 110 &#160; I.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;By merging the church and state, the state received a &#8220;weapon&#8221; to promote loyalty int its citizens &#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;But the church also began using the state as a &#8220;weapon&#8221; to enforce its teachings &#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Psalms 110 is a prophecy about Christ conquering the nations. I&#8217;m sure the Catholic church&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[448,726,310,200],"class_list":["post-69054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-church","tag-church-history","tag-government","tag-violence"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":68815,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/church-and-state\/","url_meta":{"origin":69054,"position":0},"title":"Church and State","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 14, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton The Problem Enforcement of Religion Worldliness Rituals","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":68811,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/church-and-state-the-problem\/","url_meta":{"origin":69054,"position":1},"title":"Church and State: The Problem","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 14, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Download Audio by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Peter 2:13-17 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is easy to forget that the relationship between church and state that we have today did not exist when Christ entered the world \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Most societies in the past were held together by a common religious loyalty \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Babylonians\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":30327,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/origins-of-denominations\/","url_meta":{"origin":69054,"position":2},"title":"Origins of Denominations","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 12, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Over the years, I've done lessons that look at various issues that caused the rise of the various denominations that we see today. Rather than leaving them scattered, I'm gathering them up on a single page so that they will be more easily found. Where Did\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36545,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-separation-of-church-and-state\/","url_meta":{"origin":69054,"position":3},"title":"The Separation of Church and State","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 10, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Andy Sochor There is an ongoing debate in our society about the \"separation of church and state.\" Though the phrase is not used in any of this country's founding documents, many understand it to be a fundamental principle upon which this nation was built. However, the debate springs from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/church-and-state-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":69261,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/church-and-state-worldliness\/","url_meta":{"origin":69054,"position":4},"title":"Church and State: Worldliness","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 11, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Download Audio by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Colossians 3:1-11 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When people blended the church and the state, the ramifications are broad \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The belief was that society cannot hold together without everyone being bound together by a common religion \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When it is expected that everyone living in a nation belongs\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Audio&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18079,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/given-the-state-of-the-church-today-of-course-christians-are-not-required-to-attend-services\/","url_meta":{"origin":69054,"position":5},"title":"Given the state of the church today, of course, Christians are not required to attend services","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 5, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What you are saying about Christians who are not going to church are not saved is utter rubbish. It's all one-sided. I Kings 18:21 tells us not to limp between two opinions. Amos 3:3 says how can two walk together except they be agreed. II Corinthians 6:14-17 says come\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69054"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69054\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}