The important role of the separation of church and state in last generation theology for seventh-day adventists

Abstract

This paper takes a contemporary look at the discussion and analysis of the concept of separation of church and state from a Seventh-day Adventist perspective. The separation of church and state means that the government should not enforce any specific religion on the population, and should not prohibit the population to follow any specific religion. The separation of church and state can clearly be seen in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. Philosophers like Locke strongly opposed the combination of church and state, and during the Dark Ages, where the church largely controlled the state, we can see how many people were killed by the Roman Catholic Church and its subsidiaries for following their consciences. History has shown us that in countries where religion and state has not been kept separate, there is persecution of the masses. The Bible, and Seventh-day Adventist Christian authors like Alonzo Jones and Ellen White, completely reject the idea of the state wanting to enforce religious rules on their people. These authors believed in the central idea of Last Generation Theology, which is that the last generation of Christians who are alive when Christ returns will live lives completely free from sin. In order to be encouraged Prajñā Vihāra Vol. 23 no. 1 January to June 2022, 109-121 © 2000 by Assumption University Press 110 Prajñā Vihāra Vol. 23 no. 1 January to June 2022 to be completely obedient to God in all areas that He requires, it is crucial to have the freedom to follow your conscience without the interference of the civil authority. The combination of church and state therefore seems to play a major role in the eschatology of Christianity as it relates to Last Generation Theology.