Church and State: The Church got a big boost in attendance and membership when Constantine legalized and then declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman state (313-323 AD). You could make a solid argument those acts were simultaneously the Rise and Fall of Christianity. On one hand it brought to the forefront the values that shaped Western Civilization: honesty, forgiveness, mercy, egalitarianism. On the other hand, it brought unchallenged earthly power into the movement of the Church for over 1200 years. Along with faithful leaders, establishment opened the door for godless leaders to wield power in the church. The marriage of Church and State brought forth philosophies that existed through the Reformation of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Erastianism is the belief that when the church and state are
united, the state is supreme to the church as regards ecclesiastical (church)
matters. More specifically it has to do
with punishment meted out upon the people for violating ecclesiastical
laws. Proponents of this philosophy
would be seen as encouraging the state to burn heretics or deny the sacraments
to notorious sinners while the church abdicated its role to maintain order in
the church. It appears similar to how the Sanhedrin handed Jesus over to the
Roman authorities for punishment.
Anglicans have a long history of standing in opposition to
the supremacy of the state over ecclesiastic affairs. St. Dunstan, St. Thomas a Becket, St. Thomas
More are known for their desires to purify the church in ways that were not
commensurate with the desires of the sitting king. This often led to martyrdom. A more modern example can be found in the
life of Archbishop Janani Luwum of Uganda.
During Idi Amin’s rise to power Luwum worked with the administration to
build unity between various tribal groups including Christian and Muslim
tribes. The archbishop successfully
worked with the government to help unify a Christian tribe that threatened to
break free from Uganda early in Amin’s administration. Later, in order to maintain power, Amin used
anti-Christian sentiment to bring a wedge between groups and began persecutions.
Realizing Amin’s intentions Luwum and
other bishops wrote a letter condemning Amin’s evil actions. Ultimately these challenges were used to
bring charges of insurrection against the bishops who were summarily
murdered.
What this history points to isn’t so much a picture of
political unity between the church and state. It acknowledges that there are
times for the sake of the Gospel of Christ when bishops, clergy, and Christian
laity must stand in opposition to the abuses of the state. That line is clearest when the state is
totalitarian, persecuting or murdering innocent people.
History has seen Anglicans take on roles within politics.
This is revealed in the prominent roles of the founding fathers and presidents
of our country. Many (not all) stood in
opposition to the felt totalitarianism of King George III. Controversially, many Episcopalians (e.g.
Robert E. Lee, Leonidas Polk-Bishop of Louisiana) stood in opposition to the
government of the United States during the American Civil War. The point here isn’t that these people were
right or wrong in their cause. Often these
examples were balancing conflicting values and loyalties.
The point is that Anglicans understand that personal faith has
a role in shaping culture and society. The
instruments of government (particularly representative government) are molded
by individuals to achieve those higher values that faith upholds. Those values are enlightened by God through our
conversation with Holy Scripture and one another.
