Christians are often told that they shouldn’t try to legislate morality and that they should keep religious values out of public policy. Sometimes it is phrased, “Christians shouldn’t force their values on others.” Just how true are these sentiments? What does the Bible say about how our faith and values should influence the law?

Many have debated the proper role of government in marriage. As Christians, we believe that marriage is fundamentally a spiritual institution, being a physical manifestation of a greater spiritual reality. At the same time, civilizations for thousands of years have acknowledged that marriage has a social or civil component to it. Should this be the case? How should Christians think about the government’s role in marriage?

The phrase “separation of Church and State” has been a frequent source of contention in the United States over the nature of religion in government and the public square. However, what does this phrase actually mean? Where did it come from? What is the proper relationship between the Church and the State, especially in the United States?

In recent years, people have questioned whether it is right to be patriotic, especially if one’s leader has policies or personal characteristics they vehemently disagree with. This has been especially true in the United States as our country has grown more politically polarized. Americans seem to have fewer values in common with one another, including whether or not to be patriotic. What does patriotism mean? Should Christians be patriotic?

Many current headlines make assertions about Jesus’s political views. Some even state that He was either a socialist or a capitalist. Both arguments—that Jesus was a socialist, and the alternative, that Jesus was a capitalist—have little founding in the biblical text. Jesus did not appear to communicate truths about which economic system should be advocated, but rather He often focused on how Christians should act within the governmental structures that they live in.