Cracks in the wall? Changing attitudes toward the separation of church and state among Southern Baptists.

While Baptists have held the concept of the separation of church and state since the early seventeenth century, perhaps the most mature Baptist confessional expression is found in The Baptist Faith and Message, the official confession of faith of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).

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The Baptist Faith and Message now exists in three editions (1925, 1963, and 2000). (1) Interestingly, the only revisions in the article on religious liberty in three editions are the numeration of the article, punctuation, and the capitalization of pronouns for the Deity. The wording is otherwise identical in all three editions. The article reads:

   God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from
   the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to His
   Word or not contained in it. Church and state should be separate.
   The state owes to every church protection and full freedom in the
   pursuit of its spiritual ends. In providing for such freedom no
   ecclesiastical group or denomination should be favored by the state
   more than others. Civil government being ordained of God, it is the
   duty of Christians to render loyal obedience thereto in all things
   not contrary to the revealed will of God. The church should not
   resort to the civil power to carry on its work. The gospel of
   Christ contemplates spiritual means alone for the pursuit of its
   ends. The state has no right to impose penalties for religious
   opinions of any kind. The state has no right to impose taxes for
   the support of any form of religion. A free church in a free state
   is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and
   unhindered access to God on the part of all men and the fight to
   form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without
   interference by the civil power. (2)

This article is consistent with the historic, traditional Baptist view of religious liberty and separation of church and state.

A Significant Shift

Historically, Baptists have cherished and carefully guarded the First Amendment as the guarantee of religious liberty. Separation of church and state has been an unchanging principle, and Baptists of all kinds generally have supported it with one recent exception-those Baptists who are part of the "conservative resurgence" that began in the SBC in the late 1970s. The objective of this movement was to use the presidency of the convention and its appointive powers to take over the convention's agencies and institutions, including its mission hoards and seminaries. Leaders of the movement executed a ten-year plan through which they ensured the election of like-minded Baptists to Southern Baptist boards until a majority was established that could then take control and make significant changes within the convention, especially in the seminaries.

After the takeover was complete, attempts began to revise The Baptist Faith and Message in order to make it more consistent with the views of the new majority. The convention adopted a revision of the document in 2000, and even though the article on religious liberty was left unchanged, a shift occurred in its interpretation by Southern Baptist leaders and in their attitude toward the separation of church and state.

While several indicators clearly demonstrate this shift, this article focuses on one particular indicator: convention resolutions, those non-binding statements that express the opinion of the majority of messengers to a convention session on an issue. Based on the polity and practice of Southern Baptists, each local congregation is autonomous and free to hold and express its own views, and thus, Southern Baptists as a whole may not have changed their views. Yet, the convention's official expressions through its resolutions have indicated a change of view among the leadership and among the majority of messengers attending annual convention meetings since the mid-1980s.

Since its establishment in 1845, the SBC has adopted more than eighty resolutions on religious liberty and/or the separation of church and state. (3) These statements have dealt with a wide variety of related issues, ranging from general statements of affirmation of these concepts to their specific application to matters such as taxation, public funding for private and parochial schools, appointment of ambassadors to the Vatican, appropriate expressions of Christian citizenship, persecution of Christians in other countries, and specific legislation or court rulings that impact religious liberty and church-state separation.

Earlier Resolutions

Prior to the 1980s, affirmations of church-state separation were cast in strong language. For instance, a 1964 resolution adopted in Atlantic City, New Jersey, stated:

   Our leaders and our people have firmly rejected the use of the
   coercive powers of government in the realm of religion. Baptists
   had much to do with the writing of the First Amendment into the
   Constitution of the United States and have been in the forefront in
   preserving the religious liberty that our nation has enjoyed. We
   have unflinchingly declared our desire for separation of church and
   state in resolutions, in sermons and in policies and practices. (4)

This same resolution appealed to Congress "to allow the First Amendment ... to stand as the guarantee of our religious liberty," and to "oppose the adoption of any further amendment to that Constitution respecting establishment of religion or free exercise thereof." (5)

In other resolutions, modifiers describing separation of church and state included "total," (6) "absolute," (7) and "complete." (8) This separation was referred to as a "basal principle," (9) a "cherished principle," (10) and a "priceless and cherished principle." (11) A 1953 resolution affirmed that "Southern Baptists stand firmly for the separation of church and state, and have repeatedly affirmed this stand," and resolved "That the Southern Baptist Convention reaffirm its unwavering devotion to the separation of church and state." (12)

The Shift Begins

In June 1983 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the convention adopted a resolution that signaled a subtle shift in outlook. (13) Whereas earlier resolutions had focused on both the establishment and free exercise clauses in a balanced fashion, urging government neutrality toward religion and guarding against entanglement of government and religion, this resolution, while expressing concern for both clauses, cited a perceived erosion of the "historic principle of government neutrality toward religion." The 1983 resolution called on Southern Baptists "to oppose efforts to use governmental institutions and processes to promote the particular interests of a religious constituency or by favoring those who believe in no religion over those who have a faith commitment." (14)

Influencing Factors

What set the stage for this shift that was beginning to take place? Several influencing factors may be identified. First, a series of Supreme Court rulings beginning in 1962 gave rise to the perception among many people, including many Southern Baptists, that the First Amendment was being interpreted by the court in a way that favored non-religion over religion, thus abandoning the historic neutrality toward religion. For instance, with the Supreme Court's decisions in the case of Engel v. gitale (1962) (15) and the combined case of School District of Abington Township v. Schempp and Murray v. Curlett (1963), (16) state laws requiring religious exercises in public schools were ruled unconstitutional as government sponsorship of religious exercises. (17) The court established the three criteria of the Lemon Test in the 1971 case of Lemon v. Kurtzman: (1) government actions must have a secular purpose, (2) they must neither advance nor inhibit religion [in their primary effect], and (3) they must avoid excessive entanglement between church and state. (18) The Lemon Test became the standard for the application of the establishment clause of the First Amendment.

Second, out of frustration over some occasional legal decisions which, in Jim Spivey's assessment, "favor hostile separationism and seem to encourage relativistic humanism, immorality, and irreligion," some well-meaning but misguided persons such as David Barton have attacked the whole idea of church-state separation, labeling it as a myth and calling for the recreation of a "Christian America"--in effect the creation of a theocracy. (19) Through the popular influence of television ministers like Pat Robertson, Barton's views and the views of other Christian Reconstructionists, including R. J. Rushdoony and Gary North, have found at least some sympathy among some Southern Baptists, particularly those of a more fundamentalist bent. (20)

Third, and not to be underestimated in this perception of the court's hostility toward religion, was the influence of Jerry Falwell. Originally, an Independent Baptist who proudly wore the label of fundamentalist, Falwell led the Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, to contribute financially to the work of the SBC in the 1990s, thus embracing the convention. Through the years, his friendship with and influence on Southern Baptist presidents elected since 1979 has been common knowledge. (21) Preaching in a chapel service at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in August 2004 at the invitation of President Paige Patterson, Falwell said that his dream for the newly established law school at his own Liberty University was to "train men and women in the legal profession to be legislators and judges ... who can help bring this nation back to God and back to the faith of our fathers." He then asserted that "runaway judges" were "expelling God from schoolhouses and now courthouses" in an attempt to "create a secular nation out of a Christian nation, which [the] founders clearly intended." (22)

Fourth, the influence of the SBC, which is the largest non-Catholic religious group in the United States, is significant politically. Since the fundamentalist shift in the convention, the political right has heavily courted the religious right, especially Southern Baptist leaders. One cannot help but ask whether this majority status and access to political power have converged with the influences of Reconstructionism and Falwell to set the stage for what has been at best a shift in emphasis and at worst a radical departure from the Baptist heritage of support for religious liberty and separation of church and state.

Later Resolutions

The effects of these influences began to be evident in the mixed nature of Southern Baptist resolutions beginning in the late 1970s. Prior to that time, Southern Baptists staunchly supported public schools and strictly opposed any government funding of private or parochial schools. In the late 1970s, however, resolutions called for the consideration of support for private church schools. In 1982, Southern Baptists adopted a resolution opposing tuition tax credits for private schooling, while they passed a resolution supporting a constitutional amendment for prayer in public schools. (23) A 1984 resolution resolved that the convention "reaffirm the doctrine of our forefathers of separation of church and state which should not be interpreted to mean, however, the separation of God from government." (24) Another resolution in 1986 declared "support for the full and free exercise of religious liberty" while in the same sentence voicing "concern about the suppression of religious expression and Christian views in the United States"; the resolution further decried "interpretations of Supreme Court rulings which deny the right of voluntary prayer and Bible reading in the public schools." (25)

By the 1990s, while lip service was still being paid to historic Baptist support for religious liberty and the First Amendment, a different interpretation of the principle and its guarantee clearly emerged. A 1993 resolution declared that religious freedom had "suffered severe erosion in the last half of [the twentieth] century, especially in America's public school policies, partly as a result of errant interpretations of the First Amendment Establishment Clause to require extreme 'strict separation of church and state,' which can accommodate only arid secularism in public school policies rather than accommodating religious pluralism." (26)

The resolution referred to the Lee v. Weisman decision as being "lopsided" in favor of "'strict separation' rather than religious freedom," and called on "the courts and public officials not to blur the distinction between government action, which the Constitution may prohibit, and private religious expression, which the Constitution must protect." (27)

A 1997 resolution asserted that prohibiting the display of the Ten Commandments in public buildings was "clearly discrimination against religious expression," and called for "a Religious Freedom Amendment to the U. S. Constitution which would prohibit this and other types of discrimination against persons based on their religious expression or belief." (28) Another resolution in 1999 stated that "many Supreme Court decisions have diminished the opportunity for the free exercise of religion in the public square." (29)

Conclusion

The "Church and State" link on the "Position Statements" page of the SBC's official web site offers a position that is consistent with this shift:

   We stand for a free church in a free state. Neither one should
   control the affairs of the other. We support the First Amendment to
   the United States Constitution, with its "establishment" and "free
   exercise" clauses.
      We do, of course, acknowledge the legitimate interplay of these
   two spheres. For example, it is appropriate for the state to enact
   and enforce fire codes for the church nurseries. It is also
   appropriate for ministers to offer prayers at civic functions.
   Neither the Constitution nor Baptist tradition would build a wall
   of separation against such practices as these. (30)

Considering this and other recent Southern Baptist resolutions about church-state separation, C. Welton Gaddy has observed that the shifts have run parallel to "the emergence and dominance of a strong ultra-conservative faction in Southern Baptist life. A strict separationist view of church and state ... was significantly debated and divisively eroded." (31) Although the official stance of the convention has not gone as far as W. A. Criswell's infamous "figment of some infidel's imagination" remark, (32) the SBC SBC has made a significant shift away from the historic Baptist view of religious liberty and separation of church and state.

This article is excerpted and adapted from an article published in Forum on Public Policy, Volume 4, No. 1, 2008, Church and State: Separation in Decline.

(1.) Southern Baptist Convention, "Comparison of the 1925, 1963 and 2000 Baptist Faith and Message," http://www.sbc.net/bfm/bfmcomparison.asp, accessed June 27, 2007.

(2.) Ibid.

(3.) A searchable database of all SBC resolutions is available at Southern Baptist Convention, http://www.sbc.net/resolutions, accessed June 2007.

(4.) SBC, "Resolution on Religious Liberty (June 1964)," http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID = 940, accessed June 24, 2007.

(5.) Ibid.

(6.) SBC, "Resolution on Religious Liberty (May 1916)," http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=912, accessed June 25, 2007.

(7.) SBC, "Resolution Concerning Freedom of Religion (May 1941)," and "Freedom of Religion (May 1938)," http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=540, http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=538, accessed June 25, 2007.

(8.) SBC, "Resolution Concerning Religious Freedom (May 1940)," http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=1046; "Resolution on Tax (May 1936)," http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/ amResolution.asp?ID=1044; "Resolution on Religious Liberty (May 1913)," http://www.sbc.net/ resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=909, accessed June 25, 2007.

(9.) SBC, "Resolution Urging Care in Safeguarding the Principle of Separation of Church and State, May 1939)" http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=925, accessed June 25, 2007.

(10.) SBC, "Resolution Suggested Establishment of Diplomatic Relations with the Vatican (May 1942)," http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=928; "Resolution on Taxation (May 1961)," http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=543; "Resolution on Religious Liberty and Education (May 1961)," http://www.sbc.net/ resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=937, accessed June 24, 2007.

(11.) SBC, "A Statement (June 1940)," http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/am Resolution.asp? ID=926, June 25, 2007.

(12.) SBC, "Resolution Concerning Use of Tax Funds and Tax-Supported School by Religious Organization (May 1953)," http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp? ID=933, accessed June 24, 2007.

(13.) SBC, "Resolution on Religious Liberty (June 1983)," http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=953, accessed June 24, 2007.

(14.) Ibid.

(15.) For a brief summary of this case, see The Religious Freedom Page, "Engel v. Vitale," http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/court/enge_v_vita.html, accessed June 24, 2007.

(16.) For a brief summary of this case, see The Religious Freedom Page, "Abington School District v. Schempp and Murray v. Curlett," http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/court/abin_v_sche.html, accessed June 24, 2007.

(17.) William M. Tillman, Jr., "Religious Liberty," in Has Our Theology Changed? Southern Baptist Thought Since 1845, ed. Paul A. Basden (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1994), 314.

(18.) Ibid, 314-15.

(19.) Jim Spivey, "Separation No Myth: Religious Liberty's Biblical and Theological Bases" http://www.bjconline.org/resources/pubs/pub_spivey_separation.htm, accessed June 25, 2007. For a point-by-point refutation of Barton's views, see Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, J. Brent Walker, "A Critique of David Barton's Views on Church and State," http://www.bjconline.org/resources/pubs/pub_walker_barton.htm, June 22, 2007.

(20.) For an in-depth description of Christian Reconstructionism and its influence on some pockets of the religious and political right, see The Public Eye Magazine, Frederick Clarkson, "Christian Reconstructionism," http://www.publiceye.org/ magazine/v08nl/ chrisrel.html, accessed June 22, 2007. See Tillman, "Religious Liberty," 325, which also notes this growing affinity with Reconstructionism.

(21.) Ed Hindson, "Jerry Falwell's Political Legacy," http://www.nljontine.com/index.php? option=com_content&task=view&id=731&Itemid=307, accessed June 22, 2007; National Liberty Journal, "Vines Leads Memorial Service," http://www.nljonline.com/ index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=726&Itemid=307, accessed June 22, 2007.

(22.) Ken Camp, "Falwell offers vision for America, advice at SBC seminary," August 26, 2004, http://www.abpnews.com/1781.article, accessed July 2, 2007.

(23.) Tillman, "Religious Liberty," 322.

(24.) SBC, "Resolution on Christian Citizenship (June 1984)," http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=343, accessed June 24, 2007.

(25.) SBC, "Resolution on the First Amendment and Religious Liberty (June 1986)," http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=554, accessed June 24, 2007.

(26.) SBC, "Resolution on Accommodation of Religious Expression in Public Schools (June 1993)," http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=876, accessed June 24, 2007.

(27.) Ibid.

(28.) SBC, "Resolution on the Display of the Ten Commandments in Government Buildings (June 1997)," http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=589, accessed June 24, 2007.

(29.) SBC, "Resolution on Public Discourse and the Free Exercise of Religion (June 1999)," http://www.sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=959, accessed June 24, 2007.

(30.) http://www.sbc.net/aboutus/pschurch.asp, accessed June 24, 2007.

(31.) C. Welton Gaddy, "Religious Freedom: Achievements and Challenges," Baptist History and Heritage 25, no. 1 (Jan. 1990): 26.

(32.) Criswell stated in a televised interview with the CBS Evening News on August 23, 1984: "I believe this notion of separation of church and state was the figment of some infidel's imagination." See Tillman, "Religious Liberty," 306. The quote from Criswell's interview is also documented at The Baptist Standard, "A brief timeline of W. A. Criswell's life and ministry," January 14, 2002, http://www.baptiststandard.com/2002/ 1_14/pages/ criswell_timeline.html, accessed June 24, 2007. See Pam Parry, On Guard for Religious Liberty: Six Decades of the Baptist Joint Committee (Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys, 1996), 45.

Mark E. Gaskins is senior pastor of Jonesboro Heights Baptist Church, Sanford, North Carolina.