Josh on Theology Thursdays: Church, State, and COVID-19 Yesterday I had the pleasure of joining Lutheran pastors James Smith (Trinity Episcopal and St. John’s Lutheran in Three Rivers, Michigan) and Chris Laughlin (Messiah Lutheran in Constantine, Michigan) for their “Theology Thursdays,” which they post to their congregations’ Facebook pages while we keep social distance due to COVID-19. We talked about Church and State issues during COVID-19. It was a fun conversation in a difficult time. Go here to watch the hour-long conversation.
Our conversation focused on the following questions:
- What does Lutheran theology—especially Martin Luther—teach about the obligation of a Christian to support the state?
- In the face of orders from state and local government prohibiting gatherings, some churches have refused to cancel worship. Some governments have even excluded religious organizations from these orders. Does the Free Exercise Clause or similar authority (e.g., RFRA, state constitutions, state RFRAs) require exceptions to allow for gatherings for worship? Might the Establishment Clause prohibit them?
- To ease the impact of the COVID-19 shutdown, many government aid packages have been offered, and more are likely to come. Are religious organizations eligible for this aid? If so, do religious organizations risk losing elements of religious freedom in exchange for accepting this aid? Are there other reasons to decline the aid? Might the Free Exercise Clause be used to protect churches from giving up freedom for this aid? Could the Establishment Clause prohibit this aid?
- Is the relationship between church and state in the United States becoming more antagonistic? What are the consequences of this?