“Christians must avoid having their judgment controlled by political enthusiasms, being especially careful of this when the political ideology to which they are drawn appears just, reasonable, and friendly to the faith. This is not a prescription against patriotism, nor does it mean that all political persuasions are created equal—far from it—but that the church of Jesus Christ stands above and apart from every earthly institution and association in such a way that its members are continually responsible to discern, and to separate, what belongs to God and to Caesar. The idea of division between church and state was not invented by [Thomas] Jefferson for the Danbury Baptists, but taught by Christ to Peter; the question for Christians is its nature not its existence.

“This is painful for those who love their native lands, and are thankful for them, but who in all times and places are called upon to acknowledge the priority of their citizenship in heaven. They must subordinate what state interest teaches them about their enemies—and other things—to the harder precepts enjoined upon them by their Master.”

—S.M. Hutchens
Touchstone (November/December 2010)