Politics & the Church
Five theological frameworks on church and state — from Theonomy to Anabaptist withdrawal — evaluated against the texts they claim and their historical track records.
The Fundamental Tension
The New Testament contains all three of the following texts. They are not contradictions to smooth over: they mark the real terrain that every theological framework must navigate.
"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God."
The obligation of submission
"We must obey God rather than any human authority."
The limit of submission
"On her forehead was written a name, a mystery: Babylon the great, mother of whores."
The state as beast
Historical Arc: 30 CE — Present
How the church has related to political power across the centuries — with honest failures included alongside the triumphs.
Pre-Constantine (30–312 CE)
Constantine & Augustine (313–430 CE)
Reformation & Radical Wing (1517–1600 CE)
American Founding & Modernity (1776–1989 CE)
Five Theological Frameworks — Preview
Each framework receives full treatment in the "Frameworks" tab. Here: one sentence per framework.
The OT civil law binds all nations today.
The US has a special covenant relationship with God.
Church and state are distinct spheres; the Gospel does not govern the state.
Engagement and justice — with realism about fallen power.
The church is the politics; withdrawal from state power is faithfulness.
Framework Note — Filter 3 Applied Symmetrically
This exhibit does not take a partisan political position. All five frameworks — from Theonomy to Anabaptism — receive identical treatment: core argument, biblical texts, historical precedent, and honest critique. The empirical claims of Du Mez and Whitehead/Perry are evaluated on their evidence. Stark's counter-argument is presented as genuine counterweight, not token balance. No framework is dismissed without engaging its actual argument.