Separation of Church and State II

The "State" church has been around since Nicea (324) when Constantine usurped it for his political ends:

"Two things have happened at the time of Nicea. The Church became a "State" entity with the full backing of the Emperor Constantine, and the Christian Church expelled Judaism from its ranks."¹

A State church is a scriptural nonsense, and is where Reformed Theonomy and Kingdom Now Theology meet. Some refer to the Church being coupled to the state as infidelity, and I agree with this position. The Church is NOT supposed to be used as a repository for State power or as a way to dominate and control people (Dominionism).

HOWEVER, this does not proscribe/prohibit political activism by Christians. In fact, the way I read my bible, we are commanded to influence all we possibly can and oppose all evil.

Jefferson used the term "Wall of Separation" when writing to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802, to assure them concerning "the religious liberties they enjoyed were not seen as immutable rights, but as privileges granted by the legislature". (See here: http://www.usconstitution.net/jeffwall.html) Jefferson took much time "to assure that his words would not offend while still conveying his message: it was not the place of the Congress or the Executive to do anything that might be misconstrued as the establishment of religion."

The term - Separation of Church and State appears no-where in the US Constitution, which is a surprise to many people, but has appeared in a number of other constitutions, including the Soviet Unions.

David Barton deals with this very well here: http://www.davidbarton.org/2010/02/12/separation-of-church-state-part-one-by-david-barton/

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Footnotes:

1. The Roots of our Faith, Normative Hermeneutic