What is the Establishment Principle?
The Establishment Principle is that biblical principle which states that God is sovereign over secular and ecclesiastical affairs, and He has established a relationship between these two sovereign spheres in which the state and the church are to acknowledge each other as God-appointed, to mutually support and encourage each other, but not to interfere in each other’s God-given province.
This church-state relationship has had a rocky history in world affairs. The balance of power between each sphere has swayed backwards and forwards over the centuries. In England the relationship is Erastian (the state having ultimate authority), while in Scotland the correct balance, developed during the 16th century Reformation and 17th Covenanting period, has been altered in recent centuries by the 1843 Disruption and the growth of the Voluntary Principle (the American model) in which the church and state are considered to be so separate that the modern ungodly mantra “religion and politics don’t mix” prevails.
However in recent decades a new form of ‘establishment’ is growing up in Britain. The national churches in Scotland and England are in decline and being challenged by the multi-faith agenda in the name of multiculturalism. Hospital chaplaincies are slowly asserting their authority over other forms of Christianity, and now at the 2012 London Olympics a multi-faith team of chaplains will be on hand, while the Christian Lord’s Day is brushed aside by a swipe of the Chancellor’s hand.
Christians should take note of this new religious establishment being developed as the new “state religion” for our country. It is another form of Erastianism, promoted by the Erastian arrangement in England and the dogmatism of those Westminster politicians who do not understand the Establishment Principle.
The Establishment Principle is that biblical principle which states that God is sovereign over secular and ecclesiastical affairs, and He has established a relationship between these two sovereign spheres in which the state and the church are to acknowledge each other as God-appointed, to mutually support and encourage each other, but not to interfere in each other’s God-given province.
This church-state relationship has had a rocky history in world affairs. The balance of power between each sphere has swayed backwards and forwards over the centuries. In England the relationship is Erastian (the state having ultimate authority), while in Scotland the correct balance, developed during the 16th century Reformation and 17th Covenanting period, has been altered in recent centuries by the 1843 Disruption and the growth of the Voluntary Principle (the American model) in which the church and state are considered to be so separate that the modern ungodly mantra “religion and politics don’t mix” prevails.
However in recent decades a new form of ‘establishment’ is growing up in Britain. The national churches in Scotland and England are in decline and being challenged by the multi-faith agenda in the name of multiculturalism. Hospital chaplaincies are slowly asserting their authority over other forms of Christianity, and now at the 2012 London Olympics a multi-faith team of chaplains will be on hand, while the Christian Lord’s Day is brushed aside by a swipe of the Chancellor’s hand.
Christians should take note of this new religious establishment being developed as the new “state religion” for our country. It is another form of Erastianism, promoted by the Erastian arrangement in England and the dogmatism of those Westminster politicians who do not understand the Establishment Principle.
- 30 Mar 2012: London 2012: How do the Olympics handle religion?. Problems with religion at the Olympics.
