What does church discipline have to do with the separation of church and state? At first glance they seem a strange combination: one a relatively obscure church procedure, the other a hotly contested legal and political issue. But the two have been forced together as a growing number of churches find themselves in court. Behind these cases lies an almost forgotten history of the relationship between church and state, a story that matters to every American who cares about religious freedom and to every Christian who cares about the integrity of the church. Robert J. Renaud and Lael D. Weinberger begin with the biblical case for the separate jurisdictional roles of the church and civil government, then trace two thousand years of struggle to understand and apply those roles, before turning to the practical questions facing congregations and pastors today. With both legal and biblical fidelity, this book affirms the authority of church and state alike while demonstrating the lordship of Christ over all things. John MacArthur writes in the foreword that it stands in a gap he has long hoped to see occupied.