Separation of Church and State… Except When It’s Convenient for the State to Interfere
“Unfortunately for Christians in Australia, we don’t have clear constitutional provisions to point at when the state and territory government gets uncomfortably involved in religious affairs. It seems that while Section 116 of our constitution protects us from the Federal government messing with religion, the States and Territories get free reign.”
The de-Christianization of the West Is About Loosening the Restraints of Would-be Tyrants
Before we know it, in our vain pursuit of “liberty” from Christianity, we’ll have shaped for ourselves a society ripe for tyranny.
Where Do We Draw the Line in the Sand?
“I am genuinely surprised at how far we have been willing to go to obey the government and I think it is critical to ask the question: ‘At which point will I disobey?'”
When the State Becomes God
“The state always seeks to take ever more power and control, displacing all rivals for supreme authority and full submission.”
The Only Way to Separate Religion and Politics Is to Kill Civil Rights
“The only way to separate religion and politics in a country with millions of religionists, and many who wish to go into politics or political lobbying, is basically by removing the civil rights of religious people, and removing any possibility that they can have any influence in politics at all.”
We Created a Society Where a Dad Can Be Jailed for Refusing to Refer to His Biological Daughter as a Boy
If your government doesn’t kneel before King Jesus, you will inevitably kneel before your government.
Latham Says Christianity Is an Essential Pillar of Society
“Jesus was undoubtedly the greatest moral teacher in history,” Latham said.
Church Fined $83k For Holding In-Person Worship Service: “People Are Lonely, Afraid, Facing Financial Ruin”
“They were at the end of their rope and hurting, but thought that maybe there was something worth believing when they heard we’d be having services.”
Washington’s Unheeded Warning: “Religion and Morality Are Indispensable Supports”
Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.
Beware of secularists and atheists who appeal to separation of church and state
When you hear secularist or atheist progressives in the media and academia appeal to separation of church and state to deny the church’s role in politics do not fall for their arguments or believe their lies. They don’t believe in the separation of church and state, because they can’t. It’s a fundamentally Christian doctrine. Secularists and atheists do not believe that God ordained the state and the church to be vitally important spheres of power within different aspects of peoples lives (spiritual and civil), because they deny Jesus Christ is Lord and they hate or are indifferent to the church.…
Justice and Truth in the Public Square
It is fearful how often the condition of ancient Israel resembles that of the modern world. One example of this is found in Isaiah 59: ‘Justice is turned back, and righteousness is far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter. Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey’ (Isa.59:14-15a). A modern journalist could have written these words, assuming there is a modern journalist with some understanding of these things. Because Dietrich Bonhoeffer became involved in the conspiracy against Hitler, he had to be unnaturally guarded in all relationships, and…
The Separation of Church and State: What it is and what it’s not
The separation between Church and State is not a divide between secular and sacred. Nor is this separation a divide between public and private. Church and State are spheres of authority within the structure of good government. Simply put: one wields the sword, the other the truth of the Gospel. As such the Gospel balances out the ideology behind who gets to yield the sword, when, why and how. This is why every totalitarian state either twists theology or purges Christians and the Christian faith. They need to suppress God’s moral standard for His creatures, in order to justify their…
God and Caesar: How should we view the state?
Historians invariably speak of every era as a time of crisis, and the Church’s relationship with the state is never what it might be in an unfallen world. Tensions are clearly increasing in the modern Western world, and, for that matter, in many parts of the East and in Africa too. There is, as Ecclesiastes says, nothing new under the sun (Eccles.1:9). In an attempt to trap Jesus, the Pharisees raised this issue with Him, asking whether it was lawful to pay taxes to the idolatrous and pagan emperor or not (see Matt.22:15-22). Jesus’ famous response has been interpreted as…
“I’m an atheist, and I believe Australia needs to be re-evangelised.”
I experienced a variety of feelings at one of the first live events I organised as an independent activist, one I hosted with Mark Latham in the middle of 2017, when a gentleman stood up during the Q&A portion of the evening and said for everyone’s information, “My name’s Chris, I’m an atheist, and I believe Australia needs to be re-evangelised.” On one hand you could have knocked me over with a feather, often being more familiar with irrational aggression from atheists than affection. On the other hand, he was substantiating a belief I’ve long held that the real world…
The Church should have the freedom to refuse allegiance to the State on the issue of Gay Marriage.
If Australia’s Prime Minister is serious about fairness, he’ll preserve the right to a conscientious objection to SSM; the right for people to hold the view, and teach their kids that marriage is between a man and a woman; and that those children have a right to equal access to their biological father and mother. As I have hopefully made clear in the written contributions I’ve made to this national debate, I see the issues as a matter of social justice. The “no” vote has been about defending truth, liberty, fraternity, science, and even equality, from unbalanced ideological servitude. The State wants…
Understanding Australia’s Secular State
What has been the relationship between Christianity and the secular in Australia? What historically is the separation of church and state? This lecture by Dr Stephen Chavura uncovers Australia’s Christian secular heritage, exploring the nature of Christianity, education, and the state in Australian history as well as cultural change over the last 50 years.
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