Opening the church to the populace to vote on election days is not a concern to some. But I’m sensing, thinking, and feeling that maybe it should be.

That’s because I’m a proponent of the separation between church and state; particularly when it comes to activities within the actual church edifice itself.

Allowing the public to come in for this kind of civic enterprise is allowing Caesar’s kingdom to come in. I say this because when Jesus gave an explanation as to the paying of a poll-tax, He said one should give to Caesar what is his, and to give to God what is His (Matthew 22: 17-21). That indicates to me that there are two separate kingdoms on this earth, with a separate set of responsibilities to each.

That leaves the matter of where should we exercise those responsibilities. That brings to mind the outburst of Jesus’ righteous anger. It was directed at those using the temple building itself for other than God’s kingdom activities (Matthew 21: 12, 13; Mark 11: 15-17; Luke 19: 45, 46). Of course, it wasn’t voting that upset Him; it was market place activity.

But there seems to be a principle that connects the two. It’s obvious that Jesus considered the temple to be within God’s kingdom. He stated that subjects of that kingdom have the responsibility to treat the temple as a house of prayer. It’s inferred that it should be set aside as a holy place for only the activities of God’s kingdom.

All this is not to say that the two kingdoms can’t ever work together. They can and have – quite wonderfully too – in areas like disaster relief and helping the poor and homeless. Situations like this fall within God’s will to help the needy and helpless.

But to bring into the church building itself, government operations that are solely the province of Caesar, takes away from the presentation of the building as a holy refuge.