A Movement for the Union of Church and State by Dudley Marvin Canright

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 28, 1869

A Movement for the Union of Church and State.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

From the first it has been the faith of S. D. Adventists, that Church and State would unite in this Government, and make oppressive laws in religious matters which would finally culminate in making the image to the beast. Rev. xiii, 11-18; xiv, 9-12. All along, indications of this have been growing stronger and stronger. Many now are thinking and talking much about it; much more so than is generally supposed. A few days since a number of the friends of this movement met at Oskaloosa, Iowa, a few miles from here, and organized a State National Reform Convention. The facts developed by this Convention are very interesting to Sabbath-keepers. I have them from Prof. Carpenter, who attended it, and also from the Progressive Conservator, a paper of that city, from which I copy the following, of Nov. 10, 1869:

“The recent Iowa State National Reform Convention, held in the city of Oskaloosa, Iowa, Nov. 3 and 4, 1869, was one of the most important fanatical demonstrations ever held on the American Continent. The depth and extent of the tendency towards a union of Church and State, is not conceived by innocent millions, who are already within the clutching grasp of the demon Fanaticism. At the aforesaid Convention, many of the leading sectarian divines were in attendance, and the proceedings of their deliberations developed the fact, that many of the leading Radical Republican politicians of the country are already friendly to the move, and have unequivocally committed themselves in favor of a religious amendment to the Constitution of the United States.”

Again: “Few of our people are aware of the depth and extent of the current of fanaticism which is drifting us towards a union of Church and State.” “The Christian Statesman, published at Philadelphia, is one of the leading organs in the movement. In a pamphlet emanating from that office we find the following:

“The National Association whose object is to secure a recognition of Almighty God and the Christian religion in the Constitution of the United States ask for the substance of the following amendment: We, the people of the United States, (acknowledging Almighty God as the source of all authority and power in civil government, the Lord Jesus Christ as the ruler among the nations, and his revealed will as of supreme authority, in order to constitute a Christian government,) form a more perfect union,” &c.

The above amendment to the Constitution is what this party now aim at. But it does not intend to stop here, as is plainly declared. But to obtain even this, a previous step is necessary, viz., the churches themselves must unite. This they are trying to do. Says the Conservator, “The Church Union, (another paper in favor of this movement) published at the head of its editorial column, the following:

‘BOND OF UNION.

“We, the undersigned, believers in the doctrines of the holy Scriptures as set forth in the Apostles and Nicene Creeds, do hereby pledge ourselves to secure, under God, an open communion, and the recognition of one evangelical ministry, by the interchange of pulpits, thus to make visible the unity of the church. And we furthermore solemnly pledge ourselves to stand by each other in securing these ends.”

“Now the indications are, that a union of Church and State is intended to follow a union of churches.”

In 1829 petitions were sent to the Senate of New York, to have the mails stopped on Sundays. A committee was chosen to consider the matter. They reported against the petition, and their report was finally adopted by the United States Congress. This report truthfully says, “Extensive religious combinations effect a political object.” “All religious despotism commences by combination and influence; and when that influence begins to operate upon the political institutions of a country, the power soon bends under it; and the catastrophe of other nations furnishes an awful warning of the consequences.” These are solemn truths, and it would seem almost prophetically uttered as to the course of this country.

On this the Conservator remarks: “Hence the proposed union of the churches must first be effected before we can have the proposed amendment. Hence, ‘Church Union’ is only another name for ‘Church and State.’” This is certainly true; hence we can see the significance of all this effort that is so generally being made to unite the different churches. None of them propose to lay aside their respective creeds; but simply to act in harmony wherever they can find a point on which all can unite. When they do this, they can influence the politics of the country as they please. The following from the Church Union shows what is aimed at: “If we are Christians let us make no hypocritical pretension of founding our government on Christian principles. If we are, and believe they should govern our whole life, let us have them incorporated in the basis of our government, and the national policy shaped to them. Let no one hold an office of trust or profit whose life has not been conformable thereto.”

Here we have it in plain English. No one but Christians to hold any office. But who shall determine who are Christians? Why the ruling churches of course. All others will be branded as heretics, and all rights denied them. This is where we are surely drifting.

Among other resolutions passed by the above Convention, was the following, which shows that “the stability of our Christian Sabbath” is one prominent object with them: “Resolved, That we as a Convention petition Congress to take the necessary steps for the amendment of the Constitution so as to contain an explicit acknowledgment of God and his law, and of Jesus Christ as governor amongst the nations, in order that thereby as a nation, we may commit ourselves to the guidance and safe-keeping of Him from whom comes all promotion, and that thereby also there may be a definite warrant for the stability of our Christian Sabbath and national Christian observance.”

When this shall be accomplished, then, woe to those who do not regard the “Christian Sabbath.” The law of the land will supply what the law of God has omitted—a law for the first-day Sabbath. On this point the Congressional Committee truthfully said: “Among all the religious persecutions with which almost every page of modern history is stained, no victim ever suffered, but for the violation of what the government denominated the law of God.”

This party already stigmatizes its opposers as infidels, atheists, &c. A prophecy of all this uniting and confederating together is found in Isa. viii. May the Lord save his people. D. M. CANRIGHT.

Monroe, Nov. 14, 1869.