May/June 2003

To paraphrase folk singer Pete Seeger, “Where have all the Baptists gone?”
That’s a fair question for those watching today’s battles over church-state separation, for those who might be surprised to find people identified as Baptist contending for government sponsorship and funding of religion.
After all, Baptists helped forge the American experiment in religious liberty that has shown the world the value of the separation of church and state. But today Baptist ranks are spotted with significant numbers who are convinced that their faith can be legitimately advanced with the help of government.

Today James Madison gets most of the credit for ratification of the First Amendment. His role was undoubtedly pivotal, but his involvement represents only part of the story. Thousands of others also worked for ratification, many of them members of the fastest-growing denomination in America during the late 1700s, the Baptists.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church grew out of a national revival of prophetic interest that swept the United States in the early and mid-1840s. Very much in the Protestant continuum, the church has reached out and become a worldwide phenomenon, with almost 13 million members today–966,774 of them in the United States and Canada.

Many Canadian parents believe that the worldview permeating the country’s public education system conflicts with their religious, personal, and moral convictions. So when the Ontario government introduced controversial legislation in mid-2001–legislation that called for private school tax credits–supporters of independent schools applauded the move. But critics decried the decision and argued, among other things, that funding independent schooling could not be justified when the cash-strapped public education system was drowning in red ink.

Should the Roman Catholic Church be forced to allow hecklers or protesters in the plaza of St. Peter’s Cathedral? Is it reasonable to expect a cloister to open its gardens to sunbathers? Cemeteries, courtyards, and gardens at religious sites are designed as oases of peace and reflection in a turbulent world. Because of their distinctive nature, such sites often also become popular tourist destinations.

In the Northeast, where I live, we have a saying: “If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute.” The same holds true in an interesting case involving the Main Street Plaza in Salt Lake City, Utah. Its legal briefs have more twists and turns than a Grisham thriller. The issues involved have slashed through the City of Salt Lake, dividing its fair citizens.

First Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” . . . and President Bush’s plans to fund “faith-based” social programs. Has it all been said? Probably. But I haven’t heard this reality set forth: Once religion is established, it will likely never be disestablished. Why be concerned? Because establishment diminishes the free exercise of religion.

Last fall the House of Representatives defeated a bill that would have allowed religious institutions and their clergy to endorse political candidates without risking their tax-exempt status. Proponents, though, vowed to resurrect the bill during the 108th Congress, which convened in January this year. Representative Walter B. Jones (R-N.C.) proclaimed in defeat, “We must not allow a government institution to have this kind of chilling effect over America’s churches. Today we took a very important step toward bringing the freedom of speech back to our pulpits. From the first day of the 108th Congress I will continue this fight, because I believe this, a battle that can be won and will be won. Congress must return First Amendment rights to our houses of worship.”