An examination of the history of the intersection of Christianity, state power, and ideology as a means to understand the nature of the question of the relation of church as an institution and state. This exercise is not meant to be exhaustive. An important distinction is made by Saint Augustine of the Visible and Invisible churches. The former being the institution of the church as seen in the human built structures both of brick and bureaucracy, while the latter being the individuals who have been truly changed by the message of Jesus Christ. While it will be impossible to say where that line may fall in any given era, the consideration in question is more concerned not with the state of lives after death but with lives as they happen in society, and as governed by ruling bodies secular or religious.

A little about myself I am a Christian of protestant persuasion though I am open to thinking critically about the nature of things. I am chronically curious about why things are the way they are, how they work, and how to make the world a better place. To that end it is my hope to examine the question of Church and State in the world wide historical context in an effort to demonstrate the problems that arise at the intersection of power and belief, but also to demonstrate where positive alternatives exist in the lives of individuals to make the earth look a bit more like heaven.