Complex sentence: What was at stake in these wars was the power of the state as well as the power of the church; competent authority, and the power to police those under its authority, leads to much of the debate over these wars.
Split into simpler sentences: What was at stake in these wars was the power of the state as well as the power of the church. Competent authority, and the power to police those under its authority, leads to much of the debate over these wars.