THREAD:

We need to talk about spheres of sovereignty.

God has given us three main ones.

Church, Family and State.

They are each separate and each have their own delegated powers and boundaries.

But when these boundaries are crossed, you get some serious problems...

When the STATE has authority over the FAMILY you get homosexual marriage, criminalization of homeschooling and massive state run foster care systems. We already have this problem in America and it's going to get a lot worse.

When the FAMILY has authority over the CHURCH you get weird patriarchal cults.

Think massive polygamous run LDS style cults or within protestant faiths, the Vision Forum style patriarchal cult. Churches run by families. Home churches where the leadership is family driven.

When the CHURCH has authority over the STATE you get Church-States like the Vatican or Islam run nations. This is why the Elders have the Keys to the Kingdom. When the state obtains these keys, and starts dictating sacrament requirements, worship methods, etc you get California

It's rare, but also possible for the FAMILY to run the STATE and when this happens, you get weird monarchical villages where the father is also the tribal leader and he impregnates women in the village as he pleases.

There are variations on all of these, but they are all bad.

Now we have a situation where the STATE is exerting authority over the CHURCH. The state is determining when and how to worship. How large the gathering can be, can they sing, take communion? Baptism instructions?

We see state run churches in China and NK.

and now we are at a time where we are seeing the very beginning of this within a once great Christian nation where the boundaries were clear. But they are no longer clear. It started with abandoning our kids to the state for education. Then the Church giving up mercy ministry...

to welfare departments and subsidized health care. Slowly, inch by inch, with every submission and abandonment of responsibility we get to the current crisis we are in.

And the frightening thing is that we allowed the STATE to cross that boundary so very quickly. Overnight.

We have to draw very hard, very clear lines in the sand and tell the state where their authority ends. Romans 13 applies to individuals. It does not apply to the entire institution of the Church. It can't. We have to be clear with this. Else we risk losing any distinction at all.