A Brief Overview of the Doctrine of Separation of Church and State

Separation of church and state is, historically, a foundational doctrine of the Baptist people. Sadly, however, the concept is often misunderstood today. 

Separation of church and state does not mean that your child cannot read the Bible at school or that you cannot have the Ten Commandments on the courthouse lawn. Rather, it is simply the belief that the church does not rule over the government, nor does the government rule over the church, but that they are two separate and distinct entities.

Jesus said in Luke 20:25, “…Render unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s, and unto God the things which be God’s.”

Roman Catholicism has always believed and taught that their “Church” has absolute authority over all governments of this world. That is why, during the Middle Ages (Dark Ages), the kings of Europe were forced to grovel before the pope of Rome and carry out his every whim. This is called a “Church State,” meaning that the church rules over the state or government.

By the same token, after the Reformation, the Protestant churches were placed under the authority of the king in their respective lands. This is called a “State Church,” meaning that the state rules over or has authority over the church. These two views—“Church State” and “State Church”—are, in fact, two sides of the same coin. Both systems inevitably produce the same result: the persecution of anyone who holds a belief not sanctioned by the official religion of that state.

That is why the Baptist people have historically always contended for the doctrine of complete and total separation of church and state. We believe it is our responsibility before God to render unto Caesar (human government) what belongs to Caesar, as taught in Romans chapter 13, and yet to render unto God the things that belong to God, as taught in Acts 5:29.

As the Baptist preacher Menno Simons wrote in 1554, “I would say further, if the magistracy rightly understood
Christ and His kingdom, they would in my opinion rather choose death than to meddle with their worldly power and sword in spiritual matters which are reserved not to the judgment of man but to the judgment of the great and Almighty God alone.”