| Previous Sermon |
 |  |  |  |  |  |
| Previous Sermons |
| 5 Pentecost 9 July, 2006 The Rev. Robert C. Granfeldt |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Last week I preached a rare – for me – sermon about a secular holiday! I just don’t do
that very often. That made this a really unusual year, since I had also preached a
Memorial Day Sermon just a little over a month earlier!
This morning I want to add just a little bit to what I said last week, as a clarification.
Not a clarification of anything I actually said, but a clarification of a major point of
confusion concerning the same topic that is very common, these days.
My sermon, last week, you’ll recall, combined St. Paul’s comments about a situation in
Jerusalem and amongst the Churches he had founded, and some historical
commentary.
In the reading from Paul’s Second Letter to the Church in Corinth, he asked the
people, there, to help the people of Jerusalem in a time of famine – to please send
food! He asked them to do that “as a matter of equality,” and he asked them to do it,
too, that there might be equality!
And I said the principles of charity and equality that he stated, there, inherent in all of
scripture, survived as basic understandings of the Church – though not always
observed by the Church – until they bore fruit just over two hundred years ago! After
17 centuries of those ideas and principals percolating in the culture formed by the
Gospel and by the teachings of Scripture, a new thing appeared: a nation founded on
those same principles – and liberal democracy was born – first in the United States of
America, and then in France, and in country after country across Europe and around
the world!!
But a letter to the editor of the Delco Times reminded me, this past week, that there
is much misunderstanding about this nation and its founding, and one, major
misunderstanding, at least, bears comment!
The letter complained about a Roman Catholic Church, here in Delaware County, that
had apparently planted a Curt Weldon Campaign sign on its property!
And the writer asked, “whatever happened to the separation of Church and State?”
We need to get past the misunderstanding the question betrays!
In the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States this nation decreed
that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
Please note the absence of the “separation of Church and State” phrase.
But just a few years later, Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to the Danbury Baptist
Association, in Connecticut, cited that Amendment as “building a wall of separation
between Church & State.” It’s from Mr. Jefferson the phrase comes – but the
comment has been cited ever since as demonstrating, authoritatively the intent of
the framers of the Bill of Rights in their writing of Article One!
It’s a graphic term Jefferson used – it certainly makes the point! The Separation
exists; the wall stands!
But if it is a “wall,” a peculiar one it is, because it’s the only “one-way” wall I’ve ever
heard of – the only wall that controls what’s on one side, but doesn’t affect what’s on
the other!
CONGRESS shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, the Bill of
Rights says; but it puts NO restrictions, whatever, on what “religions” may do – even
with respect to the government!
It establishes, as Mr. Jefferson made clear, that the religious beliefs or the people –
indeed, ANY beliefs or opinions – are no business, whatever, of the government, and
that government has no right either to foster or to obstruct religious belief in the
people of the nation!
But the reverse is not so. Just as the government has no right to FOSTER religion, so
it has no right to OBSTRUCT religion – either in its being or in its functioning.
On the other hand, from the point o view, not of the Constitution, but of the Church,
religion – particularly the religions of the Book, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam –
have a positive requirement to JUDGE government; it is our prophetic call, and we
fail in it at our peril!
So we have every right and duty to criticize government, while government has no
right, whatever, even to speak an opinion about religion!
Come fall, I will have more to say on this topic – because it’s important and so badly
misunderstood!
But for now, if you run into any churches with campaign signs on the lawn, you might
stop and tell them they have a constitutional right to show the sign – and that
government can’t stop them. But – and this is what the letter writer should have
known – while you’re at it, you might inform them that the government DOES, for good
or ill, have the ability to revoke the tax-free status of any non-profit organization that
involves itself directly in politics!
And THAT’S probably a good thing, too! Amen.
that very often. That made this a really unusual year, since I had also preached a
Memorial Day Sermon just a little over a month earlier!
This morning I want to add just a little bit to what I said last week, as a clarification.
Not a clarification of anything I actually said, but a clarification of a major point of
confusion concerning the same topic that is very common, these days.
My sermon, last week, you’ll recall, combined St. Paul’s comments about a situation in
Jerusalem and amongst the Churches he had founded, and some historical
commentary.
In the reading from Paul’s Second Letter to the Church in Corinth, he asked the
people, there, to help the people of Jerusalem in a time of famine – to please send
food! He asked them to do that “as a matter of equality,” and he asked them to do it,
too, that there might be equality!
And I said the principles of charity and equality that he stated, there, inherent in all of
scripture, survived as basic understandings of the Church – though not always
observed by the Church – until they bore fruit just over two hundred years ago! After
17 centuries of those ideas and principals percolating in the culture formed by the
Gospel and by the teachings of Scripture, a new thing appeared: a nation founded on
those same principles – and liberal democracy was born – first in the United States of
America, and then in France, and in country after country across Europe and around
the world!!
But a letter to the editor of the Delco Times reminded me, this past week, that there
is much misunderstanding about this nation and its founding, and one, major
misunderstanding, at least, bears comment!
The letter complained about a Roman Catholic Church, here in Delaware County, that
had apparently planted a Curt Weldon Campaign sign on its property!
And the writer asked, “whatever happened to the separation of Church and State?”
We need to get past the misunderstanding the question betrays!
In the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States this nation decreed
that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
Please note the absence of the “separation of Church and State” phrase.
But just a few years later, Thomas Jefferson, in a letter to the Danbury Baptist
Association, in Connecticut, cited that Amendment as “building a wall of separation
between Church & State.” It’s from Mr. Jefferson the phrase comes – but the
comment has been cited ever since as demonstrating, authoritatively the intent of
the framers of the Bill of Rights in their writing of Article One!
It’s a graphic term Jefferson used – it certainly makes the point! The Separation
exists; the wall stands!
But if it is a “wall,” a peculiar one it is, because it’s the only “one-way” wall I’ve ever
heard of – the only wall that controls what’s on one side, but doesn’t affect what’s on
the other!
CONGRESS shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, the Bill of
Rights says; but it puts NO restrictions, whatever, on what “religions” may do – even
with respect to the government!
It establishes, as Mr. Jefferson made clear, that the religious beliefs or the people –
indeed, ANY beliefs or opinions – are no business, whatever, of the government, and
that government has no right either to foster or to obstruct religious belief in the
people of the nation!
But the reverse is not so. Just as the government has no right to FOSTER religion, so
it has no right to OBSTRUCT religion – either in its being or in its functioning.
On the other hand, from the point o view, not of the Constitution, but of the Church,
religion – particularly the religions of the Book, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam –
have a positive requirement to JUDGE government; it is our prophetic call, and we
fail in it at our peril!
So we have every right and duty to criticize government, while government has no
right, whatever, even to speak an opinion about religion!
Come fall, I will have more to say on this topic – because it’s important and so badly
misunderstood!
But for now, if you run into any churches with campaign signs on the lawn, you might
stop and tell them they have a constitutional right to show the sign – and that
government can’t stop them. But – and this is what the letter writer should have
known – while you’re at it, you might inform them that the government DOES, for good
or ill, have the ability to revoke the tax-free status of any non-profit organization that
involves itself directly in politics!
And THAT’S probably a good thing, too! Amen.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Calvary Episcopal Church, Rockdale |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| | | | | |