The Baptist theological doctrine of “separation of church and state,” though bearing the same name, differs from its political counterpart. The theological belief deals more with means and ambition, not with delineating mutually exclusive spheres. The means of the state are law and force, the means of the church are truth and persuasion. We do not co-opt state power to uphold the truth, nor engage as partisans in the ancient and perpetual battle for control of the levers of power. We proclaim truth and persuade with the Spirit-empowered Word. The sword belongs to the state, and we do not seek to wield that weapon. The ambition of the state is temporal, earthly power. Every human government has winners and losers, haves and have nots. That is why the various factions fight to the death for the dream of earthly gain. The ambition of the church is eternal, heavenly power in the person of Christ Jesus. We do not care overmuch about the ebbs and flows of state power, but look for the day when Christ will exercise the supreme lordship for which he has been anointed. Thus, we are not a faction in the earthly struggle, for we renounce our earthly interests in favor of heavenly rewards. Therefore, the church recognizes no sphere of exclusion where her voice must not be heard, but she forever renounces the dubious levers of state power and the dream of earthly authority. Christ’s appointed means and his eventual rule suffices us.
Therefore, every political issue is a Christian issue, for Christ, our Head, possesses a complete humanity, covering all aspects of human experience and concern; but no political proposal is inherently Christian, for Christ, our Head is the only real solution to any human need and deficiency. Therefore, we let no man take away our prophetic voice regarding “political” issues, for we are His ambassadors; but we refuse to align ourselves with a specific set of political proposals, for we are His servants.
