Baptist Beliefs: Separation Between Church and State

There is much confusion about the topic of separation between the church and state. Some think that it means that no politician can mention God or the government cannot provide support for any faith group. That is not the case at all. The secular concept of the separation is that a nation should not establish a state church like we see in a number of European countries.

Another misconception is that the state imposes this separation upon us. For Baptists, this separation is a central part of our beliefs. We would not want a state church, even if the government offered to make the Baptists the state church.

The Baptists emerged at a time when in England, there was a back and forth between what tradition was the state church. The state church at the time would use their power to persecute their competitors and it would often come to violence. Baptists want nothing to do with that.

That does not mean that there is no cooperation between the church and state. Christians, including Baptists, should seek to be good citizens. Churches do charitable work in our communities and that is why we receive certain tax exemptions. Cooperation is good as long we don’t get too entangled.

We want freedom of religious expression, but we want that freedom for all religious groups. This is not just for Baptists or even Christians but for people of all faiths. Freedom for only some will lead to freedom for none.