For 2,000 years, Christians have worshiped God and followed Christ in an extraordinary variety of political circumstances. They have lived under Caesars and kings, republics and parliaments, democracies and dictators.
The church has survived — and often thrived — without dependence on any particular political system. No form of government is sacred.
Yet as our nation celebrates its 250th birthday, I am especially grateful for the American experiment in self-government and for the enduring gift of religious liberty it has helped secure.
Because religion — or the absence of religious belief — often lies at the very core of a person’s identity and understanding of the world, religious freedom is widely recognized as a fundamental human right. Human rights rest on the conviction that every person possesses inherent dignity and worth.
Carol McEnytre
As a Christian, I believe this dignity is God-given. Every person is created in the image of God, beloved by God and therefore entitled to equal rights and freedoms. While democracy is most commonly associated with free and competitive elections, healthy democracies do more than provide a mechanism for choosing leaders. They also safeguard the fundamental rights that flow from human dignity, including freedom of religion and conscience.
In the United States, our Founders sought to safeguard religious liberty through the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Article VI of the Constitution prohibits a religious test for public office. The First Amendment declares that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
Together, these protections are meant to prevent the government from establishing an official religion, favoring one religion over another, or coercing religious belief. They also protect individuals’ freedom to practice their faith openly or to hold no religious belief at all. I am grateful our Constitution does not privilege Christianity or any other religion. While I long for people to come to know Jesus, I know genuine faith cannot be coerced.
My parents raised me in church and taught me about Jesus, but at some point, every person must decide for themselves what they believe. When I was 10 years old, I walked the aisle of Spring Hill Baptist Church and gave my heart to Jesus. I was baptized shortly thereafter and made the profession, “Jesus is Lord.”
It was the sincerest commitment a 10-year-old could make. As a college student, I went to bedside Baptist for a time, just sleeping in on Sundays. Ultimately, I decided to recommit myself to Christ and the church. Since then, I have continued to give my life to Jesus, and my love for him has deepened.
“Faith begins with, and requires, the voluntary surrender of one’s heart.”
Faith begins with, and requires, the voluntary surrender of one’s heart. My years in pastoral ministry have reinforced this truth. I have had many conversations with people whom I longed to convince of God’s goodness. At times, I wanted so deeply for people to believe that I tried to reason and persuade them into faith, but without their desire and cooperation, it never works. Genuine belief requires a willing heart.
Christians have not always lived into this truth, and history contains painful examples of attempts to coerce faith, like the Crusades and Doctrine of Discovery. Yet my experience and, more importantly, the example of Jesus point in another direction.
In Jesus Christ, we see the fullest revelation of God, yet he refused to coerce the human heart. When many in his hometown of Nazareth rejected him and even tried to throw him off a cliff, Jesus went elsewhere. When the rich young ruler chose his possessions over discipleship, Jesus allowed him to walk away. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus invited people to follow him but allowed them the freedom to choose.
I worship a God who knocks at the door of the human heart, longing to be invited in, but refuses to force it open. Baptists refer to this God-given ability and responsibility to choose as “soul freedom.”
In the ultimate act of self-giving love, Jesus died on the Cross, rather than using force or violence against human beings. The Cross reveals a God who chooses suffering over coercive power. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer puts it, “God lets himself be pushed out of the world onto the Cross.”
Thus, to coerce faith through the sword or the state is not merely a violation of human rights, it is a contradiction of the character of God. Freedom of conscience and religious liberty are more than constitutional or even human rights; they are God-given gifts. God desires free and willing worshippers. As Baptist historian Walter B. Shurden declares, “To deny freedom of conscience to any person is to debase God’s creation.”
“The Cross reveals a God who chooses suffering over coercive power.”
The principle of soul freedom and the experience of persecution at the hands of state-sponsored religion in England is what sparked the Baptist commitment to religious liberty. In 1612, Baptist layman Thomas Helwys penned perhaps the first plea for complete religious freedom written in English. Boldly sending a copy to King James I, he declared, “the king is a mortal man and not God” and “therefore has no power over the immortal souls of his subjects.”
Helwys argued for the religious liberty of all people, including atheists, Muslims, Jews and “whatsoever.” He understood the relationship between God and an individual can only be freely and personally chosen. The government should not have authority over religious conviction, because it cannot reach the human soul.
These convictions made Baptists some of the most steadfast champions of religious liberty in early America. At a time when many colonies maintained established churches and restricted dissenting faiths, Baptists argued that genuine faith never could be compelled by the state.
Baptist preacher John Leland was among those who urged James Madison to support constitutional protections for freedom of conscience and religious liberty, helping to shape the principles that would ultimately find expression in the First Amendment. Grounded in this legacy, faithful Baptists continue to defend religious liberty not only for themselves, but for all people.
This summer, as we gather for parades, watch fireworks and wave flags in celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday, may we also renew our commitment to preserving and strengthening these freedoms for future generations.
No form of government is sacred, but I am profoundly grateful for our country’s historic commitment to religious liberty. In protecting the freedom to believe, worship, question or refrain from belief altogether, we honor the dignity of every person, respect the voluntary nature of faith and reflect a truth Christians have long affirmed: God desires willing devotion, not coerced allegiance.
Carol McEntyre serves as senior minister of First Baptist Greenville, S.C., and is a former moderator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. She holds a master of social work degree from the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University, a master of divinity degree from George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University and a doctor of ministry degree in worship, preaching and spirituality from Drew University.
Discussion Questions
- The author begins by noting Christians have lived under many different forms of government throughout history. Why do you think Christianity has been able to survive and grow under such diverse political systems?
- What is the relationship between human dignity and religious liberty? How does the Christian belief that all people are created in the image of God shape our understanding of human rights?
- The U.S. Constitution protects both the free exercise of religion and freedom from government-established religion. Why are both protections necessary?
- The author writes, “Genuine faith cannot be coerced.” What experiences from your own life support or challenge this claim?
- Baptists have long argued that religious liberty should be defended for all people, not just Christians. In what practical ways can Christians support religious freedom in their communities today, especially for people whose beliefs differ from their own?
Previously in this series:
What is democracy? | Caroline Smith
The church as school for democracy | Emily Hull McGee
Democracy as the practice of loving our neighbors | Mary Alice Birdwhistell