Several years ago, at the request of a university professor, I spoke to his political science class. He had asked the class at the beginning of the semester, "Do you believe there is a place for religion in politics?" Only one member of the class believed there was a place for religion in politics.

I shared with his class that all of life is religious, for everything in life is influenced by our religious beliefs. The atheist, who believes there is no God, is influenced in everything by his religious beliefs. His legislative proposals are based upon a morality that presumes there is no God, while mine are based upon the belief that there is a God to Whom I must give account.

The students agreed that America’s political system is based upon the concept that all people are allowed to have their voices heard in our government. The obvious question then, is this, "Should someone be precluded from being involved in government because of his or her religious beliefs?" The answer clearly is, "No!"

The next question is, "Should people of faith be required set aside their deeply held religious and moral beliefs to be involved in government?" That answer is also obvious, for to do so inhibits the practice of religious belief in America. The professor later shared with me that he asked his original question on the final exam, and all the students but one believed that there was a place for religion in politics.

As we look for a fundamental understanding of Christians’ involvement in the government of the United States, we must go back to some understandings of the foundations of America. Our founders were clearly influenced by their religious beliefs. In fact, it was their religious beliefs that formed the foundations of our constitution.

The Puritan preacher, John Cotton, in 1636, concluded his sermon with Isaiah 33:22, "The LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us." In his sermon, he recognized the three branches of government, but also emphasized, "Let all the world learn to give mortall [sic] men no greater power than they are content they shall use, for use it they will: and unless they be better taught of God, they will use it ever and anon…."

Our founding fathers, understanding the sinful nature of man, knew that power must be limited. God, who is the Judge, Lawmaker, and King, is perfect, and can assume all three powers in Himself. However, man, who is sinful by nature, must have a limitation of power, or power will be abused. Thus Cotton, in his sermon also stated, "It is necessary therefore, that all power that is on earth be limited, Church-power or other…."

While many people point to the Bill of Rights as protecting the rights of the American people, the design of the Constitution was intended to protect the rights of the people. It defines the type of government we have, giving a balance of power between the judicial, legislative, and executive branches of government. The power was further limited by the design of the government, granting only certain powers to the federal government, and the balance to the states and to the people.

We have a government that has limited power. That is why freedom has been maintained. The understanding of a limited government is based upon the understanding of biblical responsibilities of government. As Rev. Cotton stated in his sermon, "It is therefore fit for every man to be studious of the bounds which the Lord hath set: and for the People, in who fundamentally all power lyes [sic], to give as much power as God in his word gives to men…."

Founding Father, John Winthrop, the first Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, said, "For we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us; so that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work…and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world."

William Tyndale, who translated the Bible into English, wrote in his forward that this book would cause a government "of the people, by the people, for the people." In his Gettysburg address, Abraham Lincoln made reference to this by stating, "[T]hat we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Because of the impact of the Scriptures, we have a government "of the people, by the people, for the people" in the United States. While the statement made by some Christians, "But Jesus and His disciples were never involved in lobbying, drafting legislation, or even politics" is true, it does not take into consideration the government of Jesus’ day. Rome was in control of the homeland of the Jews. Caesar did not provide a government "of the people, by the people, for the people."

Because Jesus and His disciples had no say in government, and were not by constitutional contract "the government," they did not have the same responsibilities as we have today. Our founding fathers, because of the experience of religious oppression, wanted to make certain that our government could not have the same type of religious oppression as the European governments had.

Even the protestant state governments of John Calvin and Martin Luther, persecuted people of the other faiths. All they had ever seen was government controlled by the churches. Therefore, the reformers fell into the same error in persecuting religious people who did not agree with them.

That is why the First Amendment clearly states, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…." Our founding fathers did not want a state religion. The interpretation of the courts has swung far beyond the thoughts and intentions of the founding fathers today. While we agree, that there should not be a national or state "church,’ it was definitely the intention of the founding fathers to give free religious expression to the American people in the political or governmental arena.

Today, with the revisionist histories, many Americans do not realize that impact of God’s Word on the founding fathers. Few understand that over 50 of the 56 founding fathers held orthodox Christian beliefs. That is not to say they were all Christians, but does indicate they were strongly influenced by the Word of God in the formation of our nation.

The first Attorney General of Illinois, Robert Ingersoll, grew up as the son of a Presbyterian preacher. He rejected the Word of God and became an avowed agnostic. He even went so far as to travel and debate Christians, trying to prove that Christianity was not true. He believed there was no place for religion in government. By the 1930’s, this philosophy became the policy of the mainline churches. As new churches and organizations began to grow apart from the mainline denominations, their focus was on the preaching of God’s Word. Politics was left to the world.

When politics is left to the world, the prevailing philosophy will be anti-Christian in sentiment. Today we see the result in a Supreme Court that has thrown prayer out of the public schools, legalized abortion, thrown Bible reading out of the public schools, removed the Ten Commandments from the public arena, allowed obscenity on the airwaves, and legalized gay marriages.

We have seen Christianity trodden under foot of men. Why? "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." Because Christianity has failed to carry out its stewardship in the arena of politics in the United States, we are now being trodden under foot.

A senior at a conservative Christian college called to ask me about her social studies teacher’s comment, "You cannot legislate morality." He obviously knows little about government, for the government legislates morality (or immorality) in all legislation. Which of these areas of public policy do not legislate someone’s morality: Abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, cloning, the death penalty, marriage, divorce, adoption, parental rights, education, homosexuality, religious freedom, justice, and taxes?

God intends that government legislate morality. Romans 13 tells us, "For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil."

We are "a City upon a Hill, the eyes of all people are upon us…." Will God’s people fulfill their responsibility in America?