Hello Friends,
I am writing to address a matter that has made the front pages of the local papers this week, and one that as Christians we need to be aware of. One of our partners in ministry here in South Haven, Mike Dubbink, the youth minister from Hope Reformed Church, has been accused of breaching the wall dividing the church and the state. More specifically, the ACLU has threatened the South Haven Public Schools, claiming that by allowing Mike to be present during the lunch hour at the Middle School and High School it has created conflicts that violate the First Amendment. For those unfamiliar with the situation, you can read more about it here:
www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2009/01/south_haven_schools_dispute_pr_1.html
First, let me say that the accusations made by the ACLU are wrong on two accounts:
1) The ACLU didn't get their facts straight.
2)
There is no "constitutional separation of church and state."
If that last line surprised you, then you are not alone. The so called "constitutional separation of Church and State" is an urban legend, but it is one that many Americans take as a fact.
As Americans we are bound together by the Constitution. As Christians, we are called to engage God and His world with our hearts and our minds. As a pastor I want you to be informed about these issues, so that you can intelligently share and defend your faith in the public square; whether that happens to be at work, at play, or the coffee shop in between.
Understanding the appropriate place of religion in the public square is no idle matter. It actually effects our congregation quite directly. Not only would activists such as the ACLU seek to keep people like Mike from sharing lunch with our teens, in other parts of the country these groups have gone so far as to attempt to keep churches from renting space from the schools for church-related activities.
Recently I had an experience that reminded me of the prevalence of misunderstanding about the Constitution. It was a kind of humorous event, even at the time, and illustrates the breadth of the problem.
A few weeks ago I was cleaning up after our Sunday service and was the last one out of the building. With boxes stacked over my head, I made my way out to my car, and upon putting down the load was startled to see a SH police officer in front of me, with his hand on his gun. Suspecting me of trespassing or burglary he asked a few questions and made a few phone calls.
Fortunately, my story checked out. (It probably helped that I was in my collar, carrying a nativity set, and standing next to the most unlikely of get-away cars.) It was all a bit surreal at the time, but one of the last things that the officer said, surprised me: "How is this not a violation of the separation of church and state?"
Due to the cold North wind and the awkwardness of the situation in general, it didn't seem to me the time to get into constitutional law, so I simply replied, "We pay rent just like anybody else."
That answer was true, and appropriate given the circumstances, but Officer, if you are reading this, here is a more complete answer:
If you pick up a copy of the Constitution you will not find the words "a wall of separation between the church and state," nor will you find anything expressing that sentiment. So where do those words come from? The personal reflections of Thomas Jefferson (thus making them interesting, but far from constitutional).
What the First Amendment of the Constitution actually says is this: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
At the time of the writing of the Constitution, the founding fathers were aware of the differing relationships around the world between the church and the state. Most notably they were intimately aware of the stances taken by the two superpowers of their day: Britain and France.
Britain chose to make Anglicanism the official state religion. Anglican churches were funded by the state monarchy, Anglican clergy were involved at all levels of government, and the ministers of other denominations were ostracized and sometimes persecuted.
The French, through their own revolution, took the exact opposite tack. By removing all religious expression from the offices of the state, France became one of the first purely secular governments.
The founding fathers, fully aware of these two perspectives, picked a different path altogether. The US Constitution ensures that no single denomination or religion would be 'established.' (For instance, Americans could never declare Anglicans, or Baptists, or Methodists to be the "nation's church.") However, the founding fathers fully expected that religious expression would be a part of the offices of the state. This was made clear in the fact that the first congress began its legislative day with prayer and even voted to apportion federal dollars to establish Christian missions in the Indian lands. If the founding fathers had meant for there to be a firewall between the church and state, then they never would have carried out the above actions, but of course, the founding fathers and the constitution never supported such a firewall.
Jefferson's idea of a 'wall of separation' was defeated, and it never became a part of the Constitution. Jefferson moved on to other matters, however, others picked up the banner and have continued to fight that old battle even up to the present day.
The ACLU is one such group and it is ideologically motivated to try to create in the United States a secularist model not unlike French society. Of course all of this is extremely hard to do given the clear intent of the founding fathers, but the ACLU still attempts to make ground through the intimidation of lawsuits, the mischaracterization of history, the support of a few activist judges, and the ignorance of the average citizen.
Sadly in other parts of our country, city governments, school boards, and churches have given in to these tactics and the freedoms provided by the first amendment have been subverted; all the more reason for you and I to be both vigilant and articulate in our defense of the Constitution.
So how does this effect life in South Haven? At this point, it appears that the school board and administrators have held their ground despite the threats and the ACLU-created media frenzy. So as of this writing, it appears that there isn't anything in jeopardy here in South Haven….yet. What tomorrow holds is a different matter, which is why your awareness does matter. Culture's change slowly and quietly, and our conversations over coffee or the water cooler are probably more important than we know.
In Christ,
Fr. Andrew+
Beach / Game Night is an informal time of fellowship that includes a picnic, cookout, games, and relaxation.
