The fool's hostility to the knowledge of God leads to a mind that no longer serves its original purpose, that of discovering the works of God and co-laboring with Him, giving Him glory. The depraved mind of a fool instead serves a different purpose, the advancement of an idol god largely defined by unrestrained lusts. This episode unpacks the usurpation of the mind in service of idolatry. Paul notes that unbelieving Gentiles "walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart." (Ephesians 4:18) Working backwards through the quote, Gentile hostility to the knowledge of God, based on "hardness of heart" makes them ignorant and disqualifies them as participants in the life of God. Without the knowledge of God (deliberately suppressed), the mind can't possibly serve its original purpose. The understanding is darkened, the mind itself a futile faculty, cut off from the life of God. The consequent "depraved mind" exists to service the idol identity grounded in the big three ("the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life"--1 John 2:16) "Sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness" (Ephesians 4:19) is relatively easy, for the conscience, acting on the inner law of God, has been largely deactivated. The Holy Spirit has given the fool over to a depraved mind that is "callous" and resistant to correction. The litany of character defects in Romans 1:29-31 is predictable: "full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful."
The Dynamic of Politics and Power in the Carnal Christian
This episode highlights potential abuse of power by carnal Christians in government. Sanctified believers identify substantially with Christian values and motivations, and the wisdom that characterizes their decisions is pure, gentle, reasonable, and without hypocrisy. (James 3:13-18) On the flip side, James warns believers that "strife and selfish ambition" are the fruits of earthly, natural, and demonic wisdom. Paul calls Corinthian believers "mere men" because their carnality was evident in strife and jealousy. (1 Corinthians 3:3) Taken together these Scriptures are a sobering reminder that Christians can operate according to a demonic agenda when they engage worldly and carnal values. Coupled together with the corrupting allure of power, carnal Christians in government tend to operate according to wisdom that is "earthly, natural, and demonic," instead of the wisdom from above, that is "pure, gentle, reasonable, and without hypocrisy." Partisan and demonizing rhetoric from professing Christians in government underscores the prevalent carnality that is sadly justified by an appeal to Christianity. A so-called "Christian state" would only exacerbate the present hypocrisy.
Clash of the Kingdoms
This episode mostly contrasts the essential characteristics of the kingdom of darkness and those of the kingdom of Christ, pointing to inevitable conflict in a so-called "Christian state." All men are naturally born into the kingdom of darkness, driven by "the big three," "the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life." (1 John 2:16) Once a person becomes a Christian, he/she progressively identifies more with the Kingdom "big three": "righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Romans 14:17) Unfortunately many believers in the U.S. are at best "carnal Christians," in which worldly identity markers largely predominate over Kingdom characteristics. The episode then posits a grossly optimistic scenario in which 51% of American believes are substantially sanctified, motivated and identifying with the kingdom of Christ. Specifically Christian laws generated by a "Christian state" would inevitably produce a clash of the kingdoms, where the Big 3 of each would naturally collide in the public sphere. The ostensible solution, enshrined in the establishment clause of the Constitution, prohibits Congress from setting up a national church-state establishment presiding over all.