Wall of Misconception

How often have you heard it stated on TV, in the press, or by an acquaintance that the wall of separation between church and state are words taken right out of the US Constitution? In fact, the First Amendment to the Constitution - what is popularly referred to as the establishment clause, the only part of the US Constitution that even deals with religion and faith contains no reference whatsoever to a wall of separation, or, for that matter, any sort of wording including the phrase separation of church and state. The only words in the US Constitution concerning this topic are found in the First Amendment, where it is written: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof... That s it. Yet these sixteen words have been elaborately interpreted by some as having a meaning that has no basis in the founders intentions or historic record. Where then has this mountain of contention come from, resulting in a wall of misconception between church and state, and indeed between God and government? The phrase wall of separation was coined by Thomas Jefferson in his private 1802 letter of response to the Danbury Baptist Association, wherein he reaffirmed the federal government s intention to protect the public s rights of conscience to believe and practice their faith without fear of interference from government. Several prominent citizens rights organizations will contend that this purported wall is being routinely breached by people of faith, yet others will assert that any action by the government to impede an individual s right to pray in school or at a public event, to display a Christmas tree in public or to say one nation under God in the Pledge of Allegiance is itself a violation of the First Amendment. In Wall of Misconception, Dr. Peter Lillback examines our nation's historic understanding of and the founding fathers intention in the relationship of our Constitution to matters of faith, ethics, and morals, taking into account the historical and biblical context as well as the concept s relation to today s culture. This is both the layman's and professional's definitive guide to the separation of church and state and, indeed, the separation of God and government.

PETER A. LILLBACK, PH.D., is the president of The Providence Forum, senior pastor at Proclamation Presbyterian Church in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and president of Westminster Theological Seminary, where he is also Professor of Historical Theology. He is the voice of Proclaiming The Word, a daily syndicated radio program, as well as The Proclamation Worship Hour. Dr. Lillback received a Ph.D. from Westminster Theological Seminary, a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary, and a B.A. from Cedarville University in Ohio. He is the author of the bestselling George Washington s Sacred Fire (Providence Forum Press), The Binding of God: Calvin s Role in the Development of Covenant Theology (Baker), Freedom s Holy Light With a Firm Reliance on Divine Providence (Providence Forum Press), and Proclaim Liberty: A Broken Bell Rings Freedom to the World (Providence Forum Press).