About Church and State

American politics is generally a ludicrous institution, and American Christians of late truly epitomize this.  We serve a Lord who commands us to feed the hungry, give shelter to the homeless, clothe the shivering, heal the sick, and visit the imprisoned, and I've seen Christians running food banks, homeless shelters, clothing closets, medical clinics, and prison ministries.  

Many Conservative Christians would like to thus pretend that government has nothing to do with fulfilling the clear commandments of the Matthew 25...Jesus's teachings were about individuals, not governments!  This disregards a really important point about the philosophy of government, and a crucial reality about effective Christian Non-profit organizations.

1. Christians in Government are still Christians: Government exists to address the collective needs of the population in a manner that's in accord with the will of the population.  As American Christians, God gave us a gift to be able to elect officials who represent us, so I expect that He will hold us accountable for electing officials who take food, healing, and housing from the least of us.  

Christians in government have been given a gift of authority and it's incumbent on them to use it a way that glorifies the Kingdom, rather than hurting our witness.  It's easy to consider "government" an anonymous black hole, but at its best, it’s the people of a country helping other people in an organized structured way.  We have to fight for good government, but that's NOT synonymous with small government.

2. Government often works through Christians: Pulling aside the curtains, most of the non-profit agencies you love can do their work thanks to financial support from federal, state and local governments.  Private philanthropy can play a significant role in their work, but serving government grants and contracts designed to promote community wellness is a cornerstone of the most effective non-profit organizations, Christian and otherwise.  Christian officials can do a lot to serve the Kingdom by identifying Christians doing effective service work and helping them be the salt and the light.  

There's an argument that Christians make that government should shrink and cut taxes, so they could give more away, but that's de facto insane and actually runs counter to the Old Testament's teaching about tithes. (Tithes were mandatory, and supported effective church, governance, alms, and savings)  The simple fact is that money given back via tax cuts seldom funds increased philanthropy; instead, it goes to increased personal consumption, retirement savings, and other stuff.  There's no substitution effect, and certainly not at the scale required.  

I’m always looking to vote for government that effectively honors and serves the least of us, seeking the good of the city, rather than just fighting against itself, and I hope you are too.