Musings: Notes From My Daybook

Martin Marty's column in yesterday's Sightings raises an important historical framework for much contemporary conversation about faith and public life. Noting a book published by James Hutson entitled The Founders on Religion: A Book of Quotations, Marty presents three distinct points of view about the founding father's perspectives on religion and its relationship to the state.

First, Marty points to John Jay. Jay was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and later went on to serve as the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Jay had strong convictions about a Christian presence in government. "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." Jay worked with a strong anti-Catholic bias in the formation of a New York constitution and though clearly affirmed Christian principles it was his version of those Christian principles that were to be in play. As Marty notes, "He wanted uniformity in faith."

Second, Thomas Jefferson offers another perspective. Working out of deist perspective, Jefferson called for the simply (I would say, simplistic) pursuit of truth. Further, as Jefferson stated to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1801, Jefferson, laid down the notion of the separation of church and state, rooted in his conviction that religion was something between God and the individual.

Third, James Madison presents a third alternative. As Marty states, Madison greatly influenced the shape of the Constitution. Madison was not particularly orthodox in his Christian perspectives, but certainly understood the limits that Christian faith had had on shaping societies throughout history. He would write, "What influence, in fact, have ecclesiastical establishments had on society? In some instances they have been seen to erect a spiritual tyranny on the ruins of the civil authority; on many instances they have been seen upholding the thrones of political tyranny; in no instance have they been the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers who wish to subvert the public liberty may have found an established clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just government, instituted to secure and perpetuate it, needs them not."

Marty leaves open the possibilities. Which view do we favor?

Whatever course we take as citizens, a deeper reality suggests that as Christians we must resist the temptation to think that governments can be fully Christian. As Saul warned ancient Israel as they desired to have a king, close alignment with God's kingdom and the kingdoms of the world is that our allegiance to God's kingdom always loses.