On May 1, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a Religious Liberty Commission, a move hailed by some as a defense of faith and decried by others as a threat to church-state separation. The commission, chaired by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and including figures like Franklin Graham and Cardinal Timothy Dolan, aims to promote “peaceful religious pluralism” and counter threats to First Amendment rights. Trump’s remarks, questioning whether church-state separation is “a good thing or a bad thing,” stirred the pot, prompting a flurry of debate.
In response to the commission, Luke Saint warned, “Every new government department…eventually tyrannizes those it was created to serve.” Saint’s right to be wary about bureaucratic overreach, and I want to add a critique from another angle. The entire church-state debate, as framed by pundits like Kelsey Dallas in her Deseret News piece, “Why Americans won’t stop debating the separation of church and state,” is a humanistic trap that Christians must reject outright.
The Deseret News article highlights Trump’s remarks, quoting him as saying, “They say separation between church and state … I said, ‘All right, let’s forget about that for one time.’” He added, “People of faith … are in the White House where you should be,” aiming to “bring religion back to our country.” Dallas’ piece notes polarized reactions: conservative faith leaders praised Trump’s embrace of religion, while liberals like Shannon Fleck warned, “This new commission will do more to increase bullying in schools, workplace conflict, and religious discrimination than it will protect our constitutional rights or our churches.” The article frames this as part of a broader clash over “what the Constitution says about separating church and state and what role the concept should play in policy debates.”
This framing, rooted in First Amendment debates, misses the biblical truth that the state serves Christ, not Caesar.
Dallas explains that the Constitution’s Establishment Clause bars Congress from “respecting an establishment of religion,” while the Free Exercise Clause protects religious expression. She cites Thomas Jefferson’s 1802 letter, which described a “wall of separation between Church and State,” where “religion is a matter which lies solely between Man and his God.” Her piece outlines two views: conservatives limit the Establishment Clause to banning state religions, supporting “church-state funding partnerships” like religious school vouchers, while liberals “believe government agencies and officials must avoid even passive endorsement of religious messages,” opposing displays like Ten Commandments posters. The Supreme Court’s recent rulings favoring public funding for religious schools and a case about Oklahoma’s St. Isidore Catholic Virtual School highlight the legal “mess,” as her article quotes an attorney: “This whole area of law is really a mess.” This constitutional tug-of-war, while well-documented, starts from the wrong premise: man’s law, not God’s.
In Seven Statist Sins, I call religious freedom a “Trojan Horse” that looks friendly but undermines Christ’s sovereignty. The church-state debate, as presented, assumes the state, not Jesus, holds ultimate authority. The Bible rejects this. Religion isn’t a private opinion confined to what goes on between our ears. It’s practical, encompassing actions like child sacrifice and idolatry (Leviticus 18:20-23). God didn’t grant Canaanites “freedom” to practice these abominations; the “land vomited out its inhabitants” (Leviticus 18:25). Yet the current debate over “religious freedom” accepts the Enlightenment notion that the state can neutrally mediate between faiths, granting exemptions until a “compelling governmental interest” prevails, as seen in the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. This is statism in pious clothing, and Christians who engage on these terms are playing a rigged game.
The conservative-liberal divide is a false choice. Conservatives, supporting Trump’s commission, settle for state-granted crumbs, content with a tiny corner of the public square. Liberals, like Fleck, fear discrimination but (unsurprisingly) miss the deeper issue: pluralism that legitimizes false religions. The fact is, all created religions are equal—equally false. The Satanic Temple’s claim that abortion is a “religious ritual” shows the bitter fruit: babies butchered under the guise of “religious freedom.” Neither side acknowledges that the state is under Christ, “the ruler of the kings on earth” (Revelation 1:5), tasked with punishing evil, not protecting paganism (Romans 13:3).
Jefferson’s “wall” is a particular stumbling block, and his Enlightenment rhetoric clashes with early American practice. Puritan colonies outlawed blasphemy, and in 1810, a New York judge upheld a conviction for disparaging Christ, citing “a gross violation of decency and good order.” Toleration meant freedom for Christian consciences, not a free-for-all for Molech-worshippers. Yet the debate often treats Jefferson’s letter as authoritative, ignoring that “the Bible is profitable for every area of life,” including civil justice. The Supreme Court’s “mess” proves my point: man-made law is full of loopholes, favoring the wicked. God’s law, to be applied by judges, not perverted by legislators, ensures justice.
Saint’s warning about government commissions turning tyrannical hits the mark. Trump’s commission, with its talk of “peaceful religious pluralism,” is another humanistic trap. It may promise protection, but it reinforces the state’s role as god, deciding which faiths get a seat at the table. Christians like Graham should know better than to cheer this. The commission’s multifaith makeup risks legitimizing idolatry, paving the way for more pagan exploitation.
The church-state debate’s future doesn’t hinge on Chief Justice John Roberts, as some suggest. It lies with Christians who reject pagan premises. Scripture commands rulers to “serve the LORD with fear” and “kiss the Son” lest they “perish in the way” (Psalm 2:10-12). Christians must proclaim Christ’s lordship over the civil sphere, not debate “free exercise” on Caesar’s terms. Trump’s commission and the constitutional quagmire are distractions. Christ doesn’t need a “wall” or a commission. He is the King who holds the whole world in His hands.
Chris Hume is the host of The Lancaster Patriot Podcast and the author of several books, including Seven Statist Sins. He can be reached at info@thelancasterpatriot.com.
