A lecture on campus Wednesday night may spark controversy over the “high intensity” issue of the separation between church and state, said Steffen Schmidt, university professor of political science.

Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, will present the Institute of National Affairs lecture, “One Nation Under God? Where to Separate Church from State” at 8 p.m. Wednesday in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.

Lynn is a lawyer and an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. He has argued the issue on television and radio venues such as the “Today Show,” “Nightline” and “60 Minutes.”

Pat Miller, director of the ISU Lectures Program, said Lynn is very active in the political arena. She also said the lecture should be interesting because of Lynn’s experience as a minister and lawyer.

Hannah Schoenthal-Muse, senior in liberal studies and a member of the Institute of National Affairs, said she is excited about Lynn’s lecture.

“He’s a very interesting person and is very outspoken that there is a separation of church and state,” she said. “He’s definitely someone I admire. I think it’s very important for people to be informed on this issue.”

Lynn wrote in an article titled “One Nation, Under Controversy” that, as a minister, he supports a person’s right to believe or not believe in God. However, he did not condone public institutions leading students in religious displays.

“There are places in American society where this type of religious instruction is appropriate. They are called houses of worship,” he wrote.

Robert Lowry, associate professor of political science, said there are two views on the issue of separation of church and state. The first is that government should have no involvement with religion whatsoever. The second is that government shouldn’t favor or discriminate against a particular religion, but it shouldn’t ignore the existence of religion.

Lowry said both of these views receive criticism from the public. The first view point is seen by some as discrimination against all religion while the second is seen as the government favoring the idea of a religion.

Schmidt gave the example that people who agree with the first view may believe Bible study groups shouldn’t be allowed to meet on school property or students shouldn’t recite the Pledge of Allegiance with the term “one nation under God.” On the other hand, he said people who support the second viewpoint claim the Constitution — and the founding fathers of the country — never meant for religion to be banned from public places.

Lowry said he used to support the first view, although he said he’s becoming more pragmatic about the issue. He said when the issue is brought up, the question arises of whether it’s really something to get overly excited about.

“Now, if I don’t like [a religious message], I ignore it,” he said.

Schmidt said he believes there should be a separation of church and state, but in order for the government to make good decisions, it must take religion into consideration.

“Religion is a huge part of American life,” he said. “It would be foolish for government not to take that into consideration when it makes decisions.”

Schmidt said Lynn’s lecture will address the question of just how separate church and state should be. He said the issue has resulted in a big political war and hopes Lynn’s lecture will result in a lot of good discussion.