Keeping First Things First: The Manhattan Declaration 15 Years Later

Fifteen years ago, a group of Christian leaders announced The Manhattan Declaration, a statement of Christian conscience authored by Chuck Colson, Dr. Timothy George of Beeson Divinity School, and Dr. Robert George of Princeton University. The statement clarified where Christians must stand on three fundamental issues. Over 500,000 signers agreed, committing to stand for the dignity of life, the sanctity of lifelong marriage between a man and woman, and for conscience that is ultimately allegiant to God and not the State. 

At the time, Chuck Colson described the purpose of the Manhattan Declaration this way: 

The Manhattan Declaration is a wake-up call—a call to conscience—for the church. It is also a crystal-clear message to civil authorities that we will not, under any circumstances, stand idly by as our religious freedom comes under assault. 

His words about abortion, which predate the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, were prescient. However, he underestimated—as most of us did at the time—how much the public commitment to sexual freedom and moral relativism would overwhelm pro-life sentiments.  

The Declaration notes with sadness that although “public sentiment has moved in a pro-life direction,” pro-abortion ideology “prevails today in our government.” Both in the administration and in Congress, there are many “who want to make abortions legal at any stage of fetal development, and … provide abortions at taxpayer expense.” 

Looking back, one of the more interesting things about the Declaration is what it did not say. Though there was robust discussion at the time about whether to include clarity about men and women, the radical transgender movement was still fringe enough to be considered a distraction to the statement’s purpose. It’s a case study of just how quickly something so unthinkable can become unquestionable within a cultural context. 

And yet, the central purpose of the Manhattan Declaration was not to preach to the wider culture. It was to clarify Christian conviction where it wavered the most. Among the many prophetic lines in the declaration, none were more important than the last sentence: 

“We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar’s. But under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God’s.” 

The question about the depth and degree of Christian commitment in the face of the state asserting its power over conscience remains fundamental to nearly every major cultural conflict today. Voices in academia, the media, or activist groups have always held strange and dangerous ideas. However, it’s a different story when these ideas take hold in a government that sees its role as determining reality, binding conscience, and punishing dissent. Worse still is when Christians are unable to discern truth and unwilling to resist lies. Far more concerning than state officials naming the church as non-essential and proclaiming Christian beliefs as outdated and dangerous, is when Christians do. 

This is why it’s vital we put first things first and know what those first things are. Downstream issues matter, but if we don’t get the upstream principles right, whatever flows from there will be polluted. Christians must be clear about the value and dignity of every life, from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. Christians must maintain that lifelong marriage between a man and a woman is a creation of God for the good of His image bearers and the stewarding of His world. And we must know that our conscience belongs, first and foremost to God and not the state. After all, He is the source of our rights and the One to whom our allegiance ultimately belongs.  

Anniversaries should not only prompt memories, but also self-reflection. If the threat to these first principles is indeed greater than 15 years ago, it has more to do with the lack of clarity and conviction inside the church than the threats we face from the outside. 

To read the Manhattan Declaration, visit manhattandeclaration.org.