In part one of a two-part podcast on church and state, the hosts argue from 2 Kings 23:5–9 and Reformed political thought that the civil magistrate has a duty to promote true religion and suppress public blasphemy and idolatry, while remaining limited to outward matters and not usurping preaching, sacraments, or church keys. Using categories of principle versus prudential application (genus/species), they cite Reformed Christian Politics and figures and confessions including Turretin, Calvin, the pre-1778 Westminster Confession, the Belgic Confession, and Steven Wolfe to show this duty is historically Reformed. They distinguish separation of church and state from separation of Christ and state, reject ecclesiocracy while affirming God above the state, and preview applying these ideas to America, noting radical measures as theoretically permissible but presently impractical.
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