On July 4th, we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, which established the United States of America. It was comprised of the first 13 colonies established along the Eastern Seaboard in chronological order of their founding: Virginia (1607), Massachusetts (1620), New Hampshire (1623), Maryland (1634), Connecticut (1635), Rhode Island (1636), Delaware (1638), North Carolina (1653), South Carolina (1653), New York (1664), New Jersey (1664), Pennsylvania (1681), and Georgia (1733).

Thirteen years after the Declaration, James Madison wrote the “Bill of Rights;” the first ten articles of the United States. The first, and to many, the most important was the first amendment which established the separation of church and state. While the words “separation of church and state” are not directly contained in the first amendment, two clauses clearly established the principles of this separation. The first clause prohibits the government from establishing any official state religion or endorsing any one religion over another. The second clause protects the right of individuals to practice their faith, or hold no faith at all, without government interference.

The First Amendment, while written by Madison, was largely the result of the work of two prominent Colonial Baptists; John Leland of Virginia and Isaac Backus of Massachusetts. Both men urged Madison to include religious freedom as a prominent tenant based on their own personal and religious history. Both men were familiar with the precedent set in Massachusetts in 1638 when the “State” church banished Roger Williams for espousing Baptist beliefs. Williams established the first state in the union based on the concept of religious freedom – Rhode Island.

As Baptists today, it is crucial that we hold tight to the first amendment lest the government, local or national, compromise our right to worship, or not worship, as we each choose. It is also imperative that we not try to impose our religious beliefs on any other individual or group.

The freedoms that were worth fighting and dying for 250 years ago are no less important today. Let us continue to insist that the church and state are both of immense value, but they should never become the entwined.

Happy 250th!

In Christ, Pastor Sharon