ABSTRACT
The majority of Americans may call themselves Christians, but a large share of them live by anything but Christian tenets. The moral character of a society is important, so it is understandable that many Christians want the government to practice soulcraft as well as statecraft. Unfortunately, however, trusting the state to mold character misperceives the proper role of government. And, in practice, doing so entrusts to the state a responsibility that properly belongs with families, churches, and other community organizations. Governments are best at simple tasks, such as killing millions of people, and quite poor at the sort of subtle manipulation necessary to shape a host of personal moral characters as well as a national tone. Indeed, reviewing some of the issues where Christians want the government to intervene shows how difficult is the task they would give the state. It is clear that Christians often are statists. Christians need to be preachers rather than politicians.
