Biblical Perspectives
UCBP 101


The Unstable Marriage of Church and State: A Short History

Early Christianity (1st-early 4th centuries)
    Toleration and Persecution
    The Conversion of Roman Emperor Constantine (c. 313)
        Constantine, the founder of the Church

Church and State united, more or less (4th-16th centuries)
    What does it mean to be "Christian"?
    The Two Swords
    Who's in charge?

Reformations and Enlightenments (16th-18th centuries)
    Fractured church and fracture states
    New establishments
    A different model: Anabaptists and separation
        Persecution of Anabaptists

The American Experiment
    Religious diversity and toleration (or lack thereof) in colonial America
    Early Baptist perspectives
    The Constitution and the First Amendment
    A continuing debate