In a letter of response to a Baptist association in 1802, Thomas Jefferson answered why as a president he would not nationally designate holidays relating to religion, unlike his predecessors had done in the past. He explained that a "wall of separation" is beneficial in the sense that it protects religious freedom, as well as shows no bias to a particular belief, and with this "wall," the government cannot interfere with one's own culture (Jefferson's Wall of Separation Letter). In this coined phrase, the word "church" is singular. It would be more politically correct, due to the vast range of churches present in America today, to use the word "churches.” Throughout the Bible, the mere topic of the two said powers are referenced together quite frequently. Two of the references stand out due to their connection with one another as a result of repetition. “Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” And they marveled at him (New International Version, Mark 12.17).” Another Book of the Gospel mentions the same concept, “They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's (Matt. 22.21).” The meaning behind these verses are not as straightforward as individuals initially presume it to be. Over the years their meanings have been altered out of ignorance and selfishness, resting upon the intent of escaping accountability from The Lord. Moreover, the unity of church and state is frequently noted as a dying worldview among individuals across the nation due to diversity of beliefs, entitlement to liberty, and the lack of religious consensus.

Union of Church and State

Despite the popularity of the separation of church and state point of view, there are supporting views for the union of church and state. Currently the United States of America has a religious landscape that consists of over ten faiths, which are: Christianity, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witness, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Unitarianism, New Age, Native American (religions), and those who are unaffiliated (i.e. atheism and agnosticism), and there are those who categorized under “Don’t Know” (Pew Research Center). With diversity comes tension, not peace—as most would prefer to have over strains. Ideally, the lessening of strain calls for a stronger America, as a whole.

This “stronger America” would be an outcome of a broader span of agreement among citizens regarding controversial issues, since national and/or state-mandated religion would influence young people across the nation to think and talk similarly. When one thinks and talks similarly, it can be inferred that later on, as a generation grows and matures, the next generation will carry on the same ideals and morals. It is that of a cycle. Such a cycle mentioned would create a steady walk as a nation, as one.

In addition, there is the infamous idea that America was founded based on Christian principles, and that the country of 2016 should go back to the ways of the land found in 1776:

It is a popular notion among Christians that America was founded as a Christian nation, and that the goal of believers everywhere should be to place our government back into the hands of committed Christians who hold acceptable views on theological and moral issues. As a corollary to this position, it follows that our nation's institutions, its schools, courts, regulatory commissions, etcetera, should be established on Christian principles. Various Christian groups use language that supports this view. (Closson and Riggs)

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power.” (Acts 1.8) The idea that all power is God-given is very much alive and well-to-do today. And biblically, that is correct; for all power is given unto man via The Lord. This concept would not exclude the government. Mark 12.17, mentioned earlier, expresses a command by Jesus saying to obey Caesar when it comes to what he has control over, but obey God when it comes to what he has control over. However, a God-fearing man would understand that The Lord has all control and sovereignty no matter what, and to deny Him is to create an angry God. Ergo Jesus has control of all things, and is therefore in control of a state/nationally-lead government, too. This is a prominent union of the church and state interpretation of the verse.

Another beneficial key to the union of church and state would be, projected by Benjamin Storey from Patheos, is that capital punishment would end:

Of course, there would be no capital punishment in a Christian Nation because Christ is the one who disrupted a public execution and told the executioners that only a perfect person was qualified to serve in the role of executioner (John 8.7). This means the role of legitimate executioners has been vacant ever since, and would not exist in a Christian nation.

The writer from Patheos goes on to add:

Healing people of illnesses was one of the central aspects of Jesus’s earthly ministry. Any nation worthy of calling itself a Christian nation would also be a nation who freely and indiscriminately provided healthcare for the sick and lame, just as Jesus. Jesus even freely healed a man who was paralyzed because of his own stupid life choices (John 5.14), so any Christian nation would be extremely generous in the provision of healthcare.

In short, it seems as if a Christian nation would be beneficial by touching the surface of initial thoughts it creating a more loving and accepting environment.

Separation of Church and State

According to The Law Dictionary, the definition of constitutional liberty is, "...rights of the individual which are guaranteed by the constitution and secured against invasion by the government or any of its agencies." Exercising one's own faith system is a libertarian right, which falls under the "personal rights" category mentioned in that definition. From the same source, it says every individual should participate in government. This is better known as a democracy. This form of government is for the people, ergo constitutional rights for the people are continuously being fought for. The Law Dictionary defines a constitutional right as follows, "...a right that has been guaranteed by the United States Constitution that cannot be violated by laws or by Congress."

This directly applies to the separation of church and state, for exercising one's own faith is a personal right, and incorporating religion within the state is considered interference (Bill of Rights). In addition, the First Amendment was written to prevent the government from forming a national church (National Center for Constitutional Studies). After analyzing the religious makeup of the United States of America, evidence shows that due to religious ratios, it would be difficult and unfair to the American people for such an establishment to exist. One church cannot represent all bases of faith. (Ott)

In a recent website post, Liberty Magazine author, Peter C. Glover, reviews why there should be a separation of church and state. Glover refers to American Standard Version of Romans 13.1-2, which says:

“Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers: for there is no power but of God; and the powers that be are ordained of God. Therefore he that resisteth the power, withstandeth the ordinance of God: and they that withstand shall receive to themselves judgment."

In addition to this verse, again, referencing Mark 2.17, talking about Jesus telling His people to render to Caesar, but render to God the things that are God's—he continues with explaining why the Founding Fathers of America wrote the constitution without religious references: "That did not mean they did not recognize the key role the faithful should play in keeping government acting according to godly principles-- in public life, as well as in private lives." Scholar Glover expresses that this means government should not interfere with worship, in short.

On top of no longer being a Christian nation, the United States of America has more than a handful of foreign relations to mend back together. By being intolerant of those of different faiths in the other countries where mending needs to take place, would create even more tension between the West and the Middle East, where Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism primarily dominate.

A critical point to make when discussing the government’s role in religion, is to go back to the Constitution: “Freedom of religion.” The most important word in that phrase is “of.” The “of” is what creates the entire context. It means that the Founding Fathers are saying that the citizens of the United States of America are free to worship who, what, when, where, and how, however they so respectfully choose.

Again, stressing such important on the word found between the words “Freedom” and “religion”—if it instead was “from,” it would mean that no religion would be tolerated, whatsoever.

Personal Opinion

As a young woman with hopes and dreams of someday going into politics, as in holding a political seat, I find this topic interesting. For those analyzing this topic—Christian or not—it is imperative to understand, as a politician, for example, what kind of people are found in the U.S.A., and Who is being represented by those holding a political seat. Ironically, being a politician should be one of the most selfless jobs in current existence, but to a large amount of people’s disappointment, it is the opposite.

The controversial issue of the separation of church and state will continue to be a "hot topic" for more than one reason. First, and foremost, is because this debate takes place between humans. Mankind will never cease to have conflict with each other, for they are in the flesh, who will always be of sin-- even during the end times when Satan is overthrown (Revelation 12.7-9). Secondly, religious prejudices among nations will continue to grow. However, the Bible points out that everyone is equal-- despite their personal variations. For it is said, “There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female; for ye all are one (American Standard Version Galatians 3.28)."

I am for the separation of church and state, nonetheless, yet in God’s eyes, we are all one, no matter which religion we follow. That is not me saying we are all saved—no matter our religion—but that we are all equal.

It is of my opinion that the unity of church and state will stay declining as a worldview in generations to come, for as the number of immigrants increase, diversity of culture will also increase. Although diverse, said immigrants-- under the constitution, have rights to their individual liberties, since they will become American citizens. This includes worshipping freely, without the interference of the state. Freedom of religion is the goal and understandable; however, freedom of religion, biblically, is a negative outlook. The lack of religious consensus goes hand-in-hand with the diversity inclination of the States. Taking into consideration the growing number of said immigrants in America, again, there is a linear relationship. As diversity increases, religious consensus decreases. Initially, the number of "new-comers" can play the role as the independent variable. In short, Thomas Jefferson's letter to the Baptist association including "the wall of separation" comment should remain stationary.

Being a world superpower as a first world country undoubtedly comes with the responsibility of maintaining friendly foreign relations, and despite many southerners’ stance on the topic, it is essential in maintaining world superpower status.

After all, Jesus taught His people to love without violence, and to have open arms to our neighbors. Rejecting Syrian refugees, for example, is doing the opposite.

We are the hands and feet of Christ, so we should act like it. Particularly in the Bible Belt, Christians want to ignore important dilemmas where God has actually called them. In my personal opinion, all of God’s commands to us as Christians are equal in importance, and should be treated as such. However, “Love thy neighbor,” found in Mark 12.31, is the one thing we as Americans take a backseat to the most. It is disgusting. Religion, in my opinion, is the number one thing that causes tension between countries, and so far, I can confidently say that I do believe I am right on this.

Loving our neighbors, our neighbors being various countries, goes hand-in-hand with the Great Commission—which is The Lord’s powerful command to all Christians. Jesus says to go out and make disciples in other nations, but we cannot do such a thing with so much hate in our hearts. Being a Christian does not necessarily call for snobbery, but just like Jesus did at the Last Supper, He washed Peter’s feet in order to teach him that one must first serve in order to lead. We must first understand our neighbors and extend open arms and love, in order to share Love and the Gospel, as a whole. Perhaps the worldview of unity of church and state is dying because Christians have shown such hatred and prejudice for their neighbors in years past, and even today.