18 Nov In what ways do Christians today struggle with church-state issues?
Order Instructions
Assignment 6a: Devotional
11 unread reply.11 reply.
Romans 13:1-5 (Links to an external site.)
The United States became the first nation in the modern era to disestablish church from state. As natural as this seems today, the long-held assumption was that since public morals came from religion and rulers were invested in public order, that rulers and governing authorities were invested in regulating the religion of its citizens. The problem as James Madison pointed out, was that religious belief was a matter of the conscience and not subject to political manipulation. A ruler can regulate behavior, but not belief which is a private matter of the heart. As believers, we must be willing to grant others courtesy when we don’t see eye to eye.
In Romans 13, Paul cautions believers to show proper respect for governing authorities. This can be tricky business at times when government policy often seems at odds with Christian convictions. In Mark 12 we see the well-known exchange between Jesus and the Pharisees when Jesus is asking whether it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus then asks for a coin and points out Caesar’s inscription on it. He tells his audience to pay to Caesar what is owed Caesar and to God what is owed God. Both parties have a role to play and the key is to find proper balance. As believers, we have to show proper respect for our governing authorities and at the same time know where the moral lines need to be drawn. Sometimes our conscience conflicts with government policy. Like Daniel before Nebuchadnezzar, we must use caution in navigating this path. Also like Daniel, we should commit our concerns to prayer beforehand.
In what ways do Christians today struggle with church-state issues?
In approximately 100 words, post your response to the thoughts above.
Our website has a team of professional writers who can help you write any of your homework. They will write your papers from scratch. We also have a team of editors just to make sure all papers are of HIGH QUALITY & PLAGIARISM FREE. To make an Order you only need to click Ask A Question and we will direct you to our Order Page at WriteDemy. Then fill Our Order Form with all your assignment instructions. Select your deadline and pay for your paper. You will get it few hours before your set deadline.
Fill in all the assignment paper details that are required in the order form with the standard information being the page count, deadline, academic level and type of paper. It is advisable to have this information at hand so that you can quickly fill in the necessary information needed in the form for the essay writer to be immediately assigned to your writing project. Make payment for the custom essay order to enable us to assign a suitable writer to your order. Payments are made through Paypal on a secured billing page. Finally, sit back and relax.