WHY WERE PASTORS ‘LAYING HANDS’ ON RICK SANTORUM IN TX?
Trick question? Because they don't have a robust doctrine of the two kingdoms.
Please tell me you forgot the “sarcasm” tag.
As a fellow Calvinist (ARP), I'm one of the few people on Free Republic likely to recognize the “two kingdoms” reference.
I'm not really keen on civil magistrates receiving laying on of hands from the church in formal investiture ceremonies, if that's all you mean... the family, church, and state are all separate spheres of God's sovereign authority ... but I don't see a problem with pastors praying for a candidate for the civil magistracy to have wisdom, discernment, etc.
On the other hand, if you advocate the kind of “two kingdoms” stuff being taught out at Westminster Theological Seminary in California, well, let's just say I'm disappointed to see WTS-CA’s influence spreading even onto Free Republic.
The Reformed faith has a very long history of political engagement. Maybe WTS-CA’s location in California and their earlier fight against theonomy has caused them to overreact and decide there's no hope left to bring a Christian witness to secular politics. Okay, perhaps I'll grant their point in the context of the People's Republic of Kalifornia; maybe it is a waste of time to try to bring a Christian worldview to society and maybe Christians need to focus only on personal conversion and discipleship.
However, lots of other places in the United States are much better than that, and I see no reason we should not try to bring a Christian witness to the political realm when we can do so.