Articles
A WALL OF SEPARATION
January 1, 1802, President Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Baptist Association of
Danbury, Connecticut. They had written him to congratulate him on his election, and to
commend him for protecting religious freedom. At the time, the Congregationalist church, under
control of the Federalist Party, was the established church in Connecticut.
In his letter, Jefferson affirmed the right of conscience as an inalienable right.
Commenting on the first amendment to the constitution, he said:
Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between
Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or
his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only,
& not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the
whole American people which declared that their legislature should
“make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof,” thus building a wall of separation between
Church & State.
Since that time, Jefferson’s words have been twisted and misapplied. Daniel Driesbach,
of American University, traces Jefferson’s metaphor in American history. He notes that
Jefferson’s metaphor, “wall of separation between Church & State,” would inhibit actions of
both the church and the state, while the first amendment to the constitution is only a restriction
on the state—“non-establishment of religion.” The courts have consistently used Jefferson’s
metaphor to censor religious expression, contrary to the constitution as well as Jefferson’s
“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be
salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of
men” (Matthew 5:13). The church as salt and light must have an impact on our world. Use your
freedom to speak out for the cause of Christ! B.Johnson
