A brief history of blended church and state shows that such mixing is always bad for both. Before we go further let me be clear that good government must be based upon sound biblical principles. But the church should never exist in service to the state. Likewise, It is fruitless and harmful for the government to compel Christian conduct. Nevertheless, our interest here is to survey the harm done to the church when it blends with secular government.
Blended Church and State in the Bible and in History
Our first example occurred over 3000 years ago. Judges ruled the Israelites of the Old Testament when needed. After many years, the people demanded a king like the other nations around them. Through the prophet Samuel, God warned the people that a king would prove bad for the nation. God warned them that a king would militarize and enslave segments of the Kingdom. God told Samuel, “they have rejected me from being king over them” (1 Samuel 8:7). The people sought national glory and honor over their relationship with the Creator. A careful review of biblical history will show that the kings of Israel consistently led the people astray.
1000 years later, during the time of Christ, the Roman Empire ruled the world. To increase their glory and to enhance their authority, these emperors allowed and sometimes commanded people to worship them as gods. The cult of worship would find its fullness in Constantine who blended church and state into the so-called Holy Roman Empire.
About 300 years after the establishment of the Lord’s church, the nascent Roman Catholic church began. Historian Diane Bowder (The Age of Constantine and Julian, 1987) observes that Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which protected all faiths from persecution and returned confiscated church property. No other Roman ruler had gone so far. He soon moved to enforce Christian doctrine in the name of unity and social stability. He served as the judge over religious disputes.
Blended Church and State Today
Today, papal authority reigns over millions of Roman Catholic adherents. The Pope is a Head of State and is headquartered in Vatican City, a sovereign state. Among the embarrassments of this blended church-state creation was the papal silence in the face of Nazi atrocities in WWII.
A first cousin to the Roman Catholics, the Russian Orthodox Church is a highly influential force, albeit a silent one, on Russian President Vladimir Putin. The nicknamed, “Russian Orthodox Army” was one of the first units deployed in the invasion of Ukraine.
The non-Christian world has problems too. Islam has a lengthy history of mixing faith and government. In the present day, Iran is a spectacular example of such a combination. Trying to force submission to Islam is a hallmark of Iran and its many puppet regimes. Strong influence from Hindu worshippers in India directly affects governmental operations, including turning a blind eye to the oppression of religious minorities, although some improvements have been noted in recent years.
The point of all this is to see the intolerable compromises required when church and state mix. Let the church challenge and influence the Empire from the outside where we “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12), not from the inside. Why? Because our kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). As a good soldier of Christ, remember,” No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him” (2 Timothy 2:4). Be the salt, not the fries!