The baptism of the state

Daniel Larison has a very provocative post on the claim, often made by the Religious Right (or the “theocrats” as their detractors call them), that “liberalism-in-the-first-sense” (think the Anglo-Saxon tradition, constitutionalism, limited government, free-markets etc.) is inextricably “Christian,” or else that such a system doesn’t function well without a Christian populace. The American Right often uses this idea (which is a half-truth at best) to combat “secular humanism” and “liberalism-in-the-second-sense.” But as Larison points out, it can just as easily work to grant the Left-liberal welfare state a religious aura that it does not deserve — and at a time when Christians should be criticizing and attacking the state not legitimizing it. We certainly got a taste of this with Pastor Rick Warren’s invocation at Obama’s inauguration.

From Taki.