Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

7 Views - Church & State

Bryan Schneider · November 9, 2024

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sharonrpc.org/sermons/7-views-church-state

Summary

The lesson surveys seven broad approaches to church and state: government over religion, religion over government, distinct but overlapping spheres, radical separation, religious neutrality, religious influence, and secular suppression.
Historical examples show that both state control of the church and church control of the state can corrupt the distinct responsibilities God assigns to each institution.
The Reformation recovered a distinction between the church's spiritual authority and the civil magistrate's use of the sword, while still confessing that both stand under Christ.
The Scottish Covenanter tradition resisted royal intrusion into the church under the conviction that Christ alone is the church's King and head.
Claims of governmental neutrality can conceal a governing religious or philosophical commitment, so Christians should not assume that the public square is worldview-free.
The lesson commends distinct church and civil institutions under the mediatorial reign of Christ, with neither institution absorbing the other.
Christians should not place ultimate trust in princes or political skill, but should pray for wise civil servants and seek the advance of the gospel among the nations.

What dangers arise when civil government controls the church?
What dangers arise when church officers claim civil authority over rulers and nations?
How can church and state remain institutionally distinct while both remain accountable to Christ?
Is a religiously neutral public square actually possible, or will some ultimate belief always shape its laws?
How should Christians influence public life without confusing the church's spiritual authority with the state's coercive power?
Where are believers tempted to trust political leaders or strategies more than Christ the King?
How should prayer for rulers and nations support rather than replace the church's gospel mission?

Erastianism: A model in which civil government exercises supremacy over the church and its affairs.
Papal supremacy: The historical claim that the church's highest officer may exercise authority over civil rulers and their realms.
Distinct spheres: The view that church and state have different God-given offices and powers even where their concerns overlap.
Religious neutrality: The claim that civil government can order public life without favoring or embodying any religious or ultimate commitment.
Mediatorial kingship: Christ's royal authority over his church and over the nations as the risen and exalted King.
Covenanter: A Christian in the Scottish Reformed tradition who confessed Christ's crown rights and resisted unlawful state control of the church.