Churches and States

In the final days of the Republican presidential primary earlier this year, Mitt Romney found himself battling against two very different opponents representing opposite ends of the Republican spectrum: Ron Paul and Rick Santorum. Paul is a libertarian who calls for a minimal state at every turn, opposing everything from drug laws to the invasion of Iraq. But social conservatives like Santorum favour a morally interventionist state, one that says you cannot have an abortion or marry someone of the same sex. While Paul and Santorum represent two arguably incompatible perspectives on the role of the state, most Republicans—including one Mitt Romney—try to embrace both, despite the inherent tension and contradictions between them. American conservatives like a low-tax, minimal welfare state that yet spends heavily on the military and law enforcement, and many see no irony in fighting any attempt to regulate guns while furiously trying to ban dirty pictures.

Jason...