Evening star., 1928-10-10
CHICAGO BISHOP SOUNDS
KEYNOTE OF CONVENTION
Rt. Rev. Charles p. Anderson Traces
Relationship of Church and State
i'm Cathedral Sermon.
Continued from First Page.l

NOCANNAA@NNNNN
which the Church specifically stands
and without which the strongest gov
ernment would topple like house of
cards. The Church is bound to teach
good citizenship and to recognize the Ma
ton as an institution having Divine
sanction. The state can claim on
Christian principles that the powers
that be are ordained of God and that
rulers are not terror to good work
but to the evil The relations between
the Episcopal Church and the Govern
ment of the United States have always
been cordial, although at the outset
there was some suspicion that an Epis-
copal church inherited monarchical
tendencies that were incompatible with
democracy That suspicion was not
we'll founded, for majority of the
Signers of the Declaration of Indepen-
dence and of the makers of the Con-
stitution were members of the Episcopal
Church.
1T has been said that there were
five men who made the American Ma
tion-Washington jefferson, Hamilton,
Madison and Marshall. They were
members of the Episcopal Church. as
were Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry,
John Jay. Robert Morris and other
stanch patriots. The striking resem-
blance between the structure of the
Episcopal Church and the structure of
the Federal Government has frequently
been noted by lawyers and historians.
Our public worship has always included
prayers for the President and Congress.
The Episcopal Church has been a
patriotic church and has enjoyed the
protection of the Government in its
freedom to worship God in accordance
with conscience and convention. 1t is
right that this should be said at this
time and place.
Nevertheless, the most ardent Ameri-
can patriot would have nothing but
6corn for the church if it did not look
to a higher source than any national
government for its religious authority
and sanction. He would be both
amazed and amused at the idea of
obtaining the approval of Congress of
our manner of worshiping God. Chris
tianity is not inimical to nationaliSm,
but nationalism has often been inimical
to Christianity. The Christian Church
is essentially Supranational and cath
plic in its character and outlook. Our
religious citizenship is in the Kingdom
Ct God Our political citizenship is in
4he United States of America. "A free
church in a free state is our ideal. 1t
Is an ideal that has never been wholly
realized in the older countries of Chris
tendon, and has never been severely
tested in our own. Render unto Cae-
6ar the things that are Caesars and
unto God the things that are Gods
said our Lord. At the. same time He
warned His followers that they would
he delivered up into prison and brought
before kings and rulers for loyalty to
I'D IonnnF1od r-I1 Hp
disciples rendered unto God the things
shat are Gods they were accused of
treason. When they were charged with
turning the world upside down and
having another King Jesus they could
not deny their allegiance to Christ, even
though they claimed loyalty to Caesar
also. When they we're accused before
the civil authorities of teaching Christ
and filling the city with His doctrine
there was only one thing that they
could Say--'We ought to obey God
EatIler than men, They took the con-
sequences and rejoiced that they we're
counted worthy to suffer shame for His
name
Story Of Conflict.
"The long, sad story of prosecutions
tn the early centuries of the Christian
era is simply the story of the conflict
between church and state, between
Christ and Caesar. Prosecutions sub
Eided only when the state became for
Enally Christian. Prosecutions may be
renewed II the state should again be-
come pagan. Even in Christian coun-
tries, there have been times when the
conflict between church and state has
been keen and relentless. This has
been true in Catholic France. Italy and
Mexico, in Protestant Prussia, in ortho-
.Elox Russia and in the recent impasse
Between the church and Parliament of
england. Nor are there lacking signs
n our own land of the free and home
of the brave of appeals to Caesar to
curb and fetter religious liberty. The
church has not always been blame
less in her conflicts with the state, and
it has endured much suffering which
cannot claim the blessing of having
been in the name of the Lord. But
the incidents and tragedies of history
do not release the church from its i'm
perative duty to claim religious free
dom and to suffer, if need be, in Sc
curing it. Stand fast therefore in
the liberty wherewith Christ hath made
ye free; and be not entangled again
with the yoke of bondage While
recognizing the might of the state in
the political realm, the church cannot
admit the omnipotence of the state in
the realm of conscience, nor its infalli-
bility in the realm of doctrine, nor its
jnpeccability in the realm of morals.
Nations operate under the sovereignty
of God, and should they set the law
of God at defiance, the church OF God
must fearlessly contend that righteous
ness alone exalteth nation and that
sin is a reproach to any people, Go
foIi hof
King HSrod And the day has not yet
come when the brilliant iniquities Of
the mighty should escape rebuke in
the name of the Lord. The state did
not create the church, nor society," nor
the family, nor public worship, nor sac
TamentS, nor religious orders, nor mis-
kionary societies, nor, until the church
led the way, hospitals and universities
and institutions of benevolence. The
church has done pioneer ""1Rk, against
all sorts of odds. in the things that
make for a kzTter World, and any at
tempt to coerce the church into con-
1ormity with national ideals or stand
ards would be an intolerable tyranny,
which, in the long run, would work
more harm to the state than to the
church.
THE church, however, cannot con-
sistently claim religious freedom for
itself unless at the same time it claims
freedom for the state. Church and
state are distinct in purpose and power,
but, since they overlap each other and
dovetal into each other, it is to the
interests of both that mutual friend
ship and cooperation should abound
The doctrine of a free church in a
free state contains witsir itself an
incurable inconlpathiEity. Ths reason
why there is so much controversy over
IL is that the two freedoms can never
be reconciled in theory. 1t can never
be more than hope that they will
work out more harmoniously in prac-
tice than on paper. Neighbors get on
best by keeping up their line fences