Dear Editor,
It seems to me that the Christian community is being driven into a frenzy over a worldly, human court decision. Way too many people are up in arms over something that has no effect on the Kingdom of God.
Before I try to explain I want you all to take a deep breath and relax.
For some reason the Christian community has been led to believe that America is some sort of Christian Nation. This nation was founded upon Christian principles back in the late 1700’s. Way back then, the people of this nation were coming out of “The Great Awakening.” This was a major spirit revival that swept across our small nation of people who, for the most part, had a life foundation built upon the God of the Holy Scriptures.
The Declaration of Independence, in which we are now celebrating, was actually a declaration of dependence upon Divine Providence. The signers, for the most part, were Christian individuals with a life foundation built upon the Holy Scriptures.
But that was then. Let’s jump ahead to 1962.
In 1962 our nation changed. The separation of church and state was instituted in a major way with the abolishment of prayer in school. This was just the beginning of what is now the fundamental principle of our education and governmental systems.
Don’t go overboard and do not be surprised. The reality that we were being subjected to and are continuing to witness is the division between two separate kingdoms that reside in the same place.
The Holy Scripture makes us aware of the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world. These two kingdoms oppose one another yet must share the same living quarters for a set amount of time which only God knows.
So, what is actually happening in our nation is a slow but sure separation of the two kingdoms.
Because, according to Scripture, only a few will find the narrow road, the majority of people, in our democratic union, are not yet citizens of the Kingdom of God. Since they do not acknowledge God or obey God, they live their lives according to the standards of this world which are continually being changed to suit man’s desires.
We, who are citizens of the Kingdom of God are aliens, strangers and foreigners in the world. Yes, we live here, but we are slowly being pushed out of the world’s educational and governmental systems because the majority, in our democratic union, will not acknowledge God. Therefore, when the things that are happening in our midst continue to happen, we should not be surprised, perplexed, frustrated or angered. We should see that God’s Word is true and everything is going according to His plan.
See, the world is God’s threshing floor. This, being the time of harvest in our area, should make great sense. The reapers go into the ripe fields and cut down the wheat stalks. The gleaners then separate the wheat grain from the chaff. The wheat is separated out and taken to a storage facility. The chaff is ground back into the soil, burned up or used as bedding for animals to defile.
Jesus used this illustration to tell us about the Kingdom of God being saved out of the kingdom of the world’s fire.
Now that you understand that there is a major separation going on, don’t be alarmed. Be thankful that you are a part of God’s saved Kingdom and not still a part of that which will be separated out and thrown into the fire.
We Christians need to understand that we are not trying to save the world system. We are calling people of the world to come out, be separated unto God and enter into His Kingdom.  
Pastor Thomas R. Swain
First Church of God
Great Bend