The American Wisdom Series

Presents
Pamphlet 342

DOES GOD BELONG IN CIVIL GOVERNMENT?
A Biblical Perspective
By: Charles P. Beall

This essay is not an attempt to convince non-believers that God’s Word, the
Bible, is the ultimate source of truth and righteous power by which all legitimate
government authority on earth has been established. My purpose here is two-fold:
I intend to illuminate the irrefutable fact that America’s history is a
Providential history. And, that it was God’s Word that most inspired America’s
founders in their vigilant quest for freedom over 225 years ago.

America’s founders clearly understood and accepted God’s design and purpose
for civil government, and were willing to sacrifice everything to live free in their
own country. They established a Constitutional Republic that recognized the
unalienable rights of all men to their lives, their liberty and their property, with
minimal government interference. Thus, America was conceived as a
magnificent experiment in freedom that was unique in the annals of human
history. And while the journey was tumultuous at times, the freedom won by
our forefathers was ultimately extended to all citizens regardless of race, color,
religion or national origin---a testament to who we are as Americans, and what
we truly stand for, as “One Nation, Under God”.

It is with the firm conviction that God’s Word is complete and without error, that
I humbly offer the following words for the consideration of those Americans
who revere the truth, and who have the capacity and inclination to do their own
thinking:

According to His-story, the Bible, all authority on earth, including government
authority, flows directly from God. He established civil government to be His
servant and His minister of justice. He gave the civil authorities the sword, so
they might serve and protect His people. God cannot be separated from His
creation. Therefore, any claim of authority by the government, the church or any
other earthly institution, must conform to His Word, or it is counterfeit and void.
The question we must ask ourselves as Americans is this: does our nation’s
government today conform to God’s design and purpose?

God’s Word gives us a blueprint of the proper structure and function of every
earthly institution, including marriage, family, church and government. This
biblical blueprint represents His plan for mankind’s existence on earth.
According to His plan, there are limits to the jurisdiction of each institution
established under His ultimate authority. For instance, God’s word teaches us
that we are to render “to Caesar (the State), the things that are Caesar’s, and to
God, the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22: 17-21). The Bible instructs that one
thing that belongs to the State and not the Church is the use of the sword to
protect the citizenry. Likewise, there are certain things that belong to God and
not the State such our worship of God (the Church), our children, and our own
consciences and lives. In these matters, the State has no authority and should not
interfere. God teaches us that lawful taxation by “His servant and minister of
justice” (the State), is “to do us good”, and is a proper function of civil
government. He also teaches us to try to settle disputes before going to court,
and that we must resist the tyranny of unjust rulers.

What kind of government do we have in America today? Is it a government that
functions as God’s servant and minister of justice “to do us good”, or is it a
government that has attempted to separate God from His creation by removing
Him from our schools, our government institutions, our courts, and our daily
lives? Does our federal government function according to God’s design and
purpose, or according to the will of men? Do our federal, state and local
government officials defend and protect the most vulnerable among us from evil
and injustice, or do they conspire to expand their power and deny the American
people of their rightful liberties? Are the majority of our highest elected officials
and government leaders in Washington honest, honorable and loyal Americans
who can be trusted to protect and defend our Constitution, or have most of them
betrayed their oaths to God and Country? Is our income tax system the creation
and instrument of God’s “servants and ministers of justice”, or of power hungry
politicians and irresponsible bureaucrats who squander the fruits of our labor
and arrogantly refuse to be accountable to the American people? Do our judges
acknowledge God’s ultimate authority over our nation and our nation’s laws, or
do they kneel at a different altar?

Just who are we as Americans? What are the underlying values and moral
principles that constitute the foundation of our common identity? From what
source do we derive our concepts of truth, justice and equality? Do our laws and
government policies in America reflect a common understanding of moral
truth—as given to us by our Creator--or do they reflect the flawed reasoning of
imperfect men? Have we become so dumbed-down by our government schools,
mass media and religious “leaders”, that we no longer care if our “public
servants” lie, cheat, steal and betrays our trust? Our nation’s founders believed
that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
Happiness”. Do we still hold these truths to be self-evident?

Here, the State is sovereign over man and the Church, and dictates in civil and
religious matters. This relationship structure represents the secular humanistic
and socialist world-view.

Modern Christians have allowed the federal government to take control of the
Church in America. Today, the vast majority of our churches, either directly or
through their various conventions and associations, have incorporated and
voluntarily become government regulated 501(c)3 tax exempt organizations. The
IRS regulates the speech of our pastors, and requires that our churches report on
the most personal and private financial activities of their members. The 501(c)3
government controlled church is fundamentally incompatible with the sacred
principles of free speech and religious freedom upon which our great nation was
founded.

Many Christians today acknowledge that God is Sovereign over the (spiritual)
Church, but do not believe He has anything to do with the State. They believe
that God is separated by an impregnable wall from civil government.

God is sovereign over man. Through man, God exercises authority over the
government (the state), the church and the home. Each institution has separate
jurisdiction and must be kept separate. The Biblical View of the Church–State
relationship represents God’s plan for the structure and order of human society.
Listen to God’s Word on the subject:

This “shameful” situation has become a reality in America today. The battle for
God’s earth is being lost mainly because Christians have forgotten, or ignored,
God’s design and purpose for His earthly institutions.

The Reverend Charles G. Finney wrote: “The church must take right ground in
regard to politics…the time has come that Christians must vote for honest men,
and take consistent ground in politics, or the Lord will curse them. God cannot
sustain this free and blessed country, which we love and pray for, unless the
church will take right ground. Politics are a part of religion in such a country as
this, and Christians must do their duty to the Country, as part of their duty to
God….He will bless or curse this nation, according to the course they (Christians)
take”.

Historian Jonathan Trumbull wrote that during the 50 years leading up to the
American Revolution, “colonial pastors used every opportunity possible to
educate the people in the principles of liberty”.

Historian Alice Baldwin said, “the Constitutional Convention and the written
Constitution were the children of the pulpit”.

Before and during the time of the Revolution, hundreds of colonial pastors were
courageous, resolute defenders of God’s sovereign authority over civil
government. John Witherspoon was a minister and President of Princeton
College. He trained James Madison, the chief architect of the Constitution. Rev.
Witherspoon had this to say: “God grant that in America true religion and civil
liberty may be inseparable”.

James Madison wrote:

John Adams wrote:

Samuel Adams, one of our country’s greatest patriots and the “Father of the
American Revolution”, in his widely circulated letter to the Colonists in 1772
wrote:

Samuel Adams and the overwhelming majority of America’s Founders were
guided by a deep faith in Divine Providence, and it was their understanding of
Biblical truth and justice that shaped the development of their concepts
regarding the proper structure and function of civil government. This is
America’s true heritage, and God’s blessing to our nation and our people, if we
choose to keep it.

In 1952, Justice William O. Douglas wrote for the Supreme Court that “we find
no constitutional requirement…for government to be hostile to religion and to
throw its weight against efforts to widen the effective scope of religious
influence”.

In 1984, the Supreme Court surprisingly stated in Lynch v. Donnelly:
“The Constitution does not require complete separation of church and state; it
affirmatively mandates accommodation, not mere tolerance, of all religions, and
forbids hostility toward any…anything less would require the ‘callous
indifference’ we have said was never intended by the Establishment
Clause…Indeed, we have observed such hostility would bring us into war with
our national tradition as embodied in the First Amendment’s guarantee of the
free exercise of religion.”

Patrick Henry stated:

The Christian faith, Christian virtues, and a Biblical world-view are the “Spirit of
the Constitution”---the power behind our form of government in America.

Do you believe that our nation was established with God’s blessing, and that “all
authority in heaven and on earth” belongs to Him? Do you believe that our
Constitution is a sacred document written by godly men with noble intentions?
Do you believe that every American citizen is entitled to the unalienable rights of
life, liberty and property? Do you believe that the federal government should be
accountable to the people and made to comply with the United States
Constitution? Do you believe that America has lost its moral compass, and
drifted far from our founding principles of liberty and justice? Do you believe
that our government has the moral authority to prosecute wars against nations
that represent no legitimate threat to our Country?

Unlike most politicians--who seldom fight the wars they start--those of us who
have honorably served our nation in uniform have a special duty to protect
America’s future generations from the deception and political exploitation of
false patriots in our government. There is no honor in the slaughter of innocent,
helpless civilians for any political end. Our forefathers intended America to
serve as an example of strength, justice and liberty to the world. We must
recognize that the powerful political and economic interests that have dragged
America into war after senseless war over the past 50 years, have betrayed the
ideals, the honor and the values of our forefathers, and have compromised the
sovereignty and independence of our great Nation. Their perfidious conduct is
repugnant to our Constitution and the principles upon which we stand as a
Nation. For over 225 years, America has stood as a beacon of light and hope for
the world. People of all nations, creeds and religions have come to our shores
yearning to be free. The cause of enduring freedom belongs to all Americans, not
just Christians. But, now we must stand and be counted together, as one nation
under God. We must demand honest, just and accountable government, or we
cannot hope for God’s continued blessing upon our Country.

Please review the attached letter entitled “Why Have Our Churches Been
Silenced” and share it with pastors and religious leaders across our nation. Also,
please visit the web site www.givemeliberty.org for information on We The
People Foundation and how you can help restore America’s Constitution and Bill
of Rights.