Special Report
Christianity and the Welfare State
This is one area where the religious left insists on no separation between church and state — perhaps it should heed FDR’s warnings.
The old Religious Left and the new Evangelical Left rapturously support Obamacare, though some hardliners are sourly upset that it does not include a direct, British-style “single payer” system. Mostly they accept that the public option is an important first step toward their dream of government-controlled health care.
Religious Leftists admit to almost no limits on the state’s authority over the private economy, including health care, welfare and charity. Typically they cite a few Bible verses about “caring for the least of these,” and assume the Scripture is an automatic mandate for government control. Whether or note the state is actually the providential agency for all welfare and charity, much less whether it is pragmatically the most effective, rarely troubles these liberal religionists.
A recent argument comes from Jim Wallis’s Evangelical Left Sojourners, whose chief executive officer Chuck Gutenson decried resistance to endless statism as simply “selfishness.” But at least he did try to describe the Deity’s purpose for the state.
Gutenson admitted that “political conservatives” grant that Scripture requires concern for the poor but believe the obligation is upon individuals and not governments. A former theologian at Asbury Seminary in Kentucky, a Methodist school, Gutenson cited Colossians 1:16, which briefly describes “rulers and authorities” as having been, like all things, “created by him and for him,” i.e. God.
“The obvious implication is that ruling authorities are intended to serve God’s agenda,” Gutenson surmised. “Now, it would be passing strange to think that God had created/ordained ruling authorities to serve his agenda, but then conclude that one of the most consistent themes of scripture (concern for those on the margins of our societies — the poor, the widow, the orphan, etc.) is excluded from the purview of those ruling authorities.”
Conservatives often insist that caring for the needy should be “voluntary,” Gutenson noted. But he cited Old Testament civil laws that included debt cancellation and release of bondsmen that were not “options” but ruler-enforced considerations for the needy. Lest these commands be seen as limited to the ancient Hebrew theocracy only, Gutenson noted pagan Sodom was destroyed for having failed to “hear the cry of the needy.” God destroyed the city-state for its welfare failures, evidently.
Relying on this evidence, Gutenson concluded that “selfishness, the need to be in control — these are all reasons why we resist the fact that God ordains governments to have a role in caring for the least.” He admitted that these Scriptural arguments for government welfarism were not the best ones. But finding biblical arguments for opposing “government having a role in caring for the needy” is “much harder,” he insisted.
Separately on his blog, Gutenson asserted a “fundamental and irremedial tension between capitalism and Christian faith.” After all, the Bible, calls for “interest of others and not self-interest.” In contrast, “captalism elevates and sanctifies self-interest.” He concluded: “Christians, who make libertarian freedom the summum bonum have, I suspect, become much more Lockean political liberals than Christian.”
Gutenson of course is right that Biblical religion does not sanctify “self-interest.” But the biblical tradition asserts that humanity is sinful and innately motivated by it. Utopias that assume otherwise always fail. Free market systems often harness base passions and redirect them for the common good. Limited government similarly assumes that men are not angels and that no individual or group, no matter how noble, can be trusted with unrestricted control.
Liberal religionists like Gutenson with soaring collectivist dreams often deny, or at least struggle, with admitting humanity’s fallen nature. They also tend to ignore providential roles for non-state institutions like the family, church, and private philanthropy. Unrestricted welfare states tend to displace and sometimes extinguish these other divinely ordained agencies.
Gutenson cited but did not dwell on Romans 13, in which St. Paul declared that God had armed the state with the “sword” to uphold justice. The Religious Left, overwhelmingly pacifist, never likes this Scripture. Oddly, liberal religionists never seem to realize that the Welfare State is itself coercive and ultimately enforced with the sword.Franklin Roosevelt, a lifelong active Episcopalian, is the secular patron saint of 20th century American liberalism. But even he cautioned against unrestricted federal welfarism. In his first year of office, he addressed the Hyde Park Methodist Church in his New York neighborhood. “Last spring, when I went to Washington, there were many people who came forward with the thought, verbally expressed, that the government should take over all the troubles of the country,” he told the congregation. But he observed “that is not exactly the American way of doing things. Some countries in the world may find it more convenient to put all their burdens on one person, but we do not. So I took the position then, and I think the country has understood the reasons for it, that the Government of the Nation has a responsibility, yes, but a responsibility which should be exercised only if the smaller units of the country have done everything that they possibly could and if that everything has proved insufficient.”
FDR told the Methodists that “before extending federal assistance to states or to communities, we ask the question: Have the people in this community done their share?” Communities can help the needy through their “taxing powers,” he said. But “they can do an enormous amount of work for the relief of suffering humanity through their churches.” The Federal Government should intervene to ensure that “nobody starves” only after local alternatives have failed, Roosevelt declared. “That has been the principle which we are trying to extend to all the work of our government, to see to it that every man and woman and, I might add, child has done his share toward the common good.” He concluded that the “men and women and children who make up the congregations of the churches have shown a splendid spirit in these days.”
Some may argue that FDR did not always abide by his own principle of limited government intervention. But at least he admitted the principle. The Religious and Evangelical Left rarely do.
About the Author
Mark Tooley is president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington, D.C. and author of Methodism and Politics in the Twentieth Century. You can follow him on Twitter @markdtooley.
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Pingback| 12.10.09 @ 6:32AM
Twitter Trackbacks for The American Spectator : Christianity and the Welfare State [ links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
donserge| 12.10.09 @ 8:35AM
I am not a theologian, however I have read the entire New Testament many, many times. I can not find any passage that says the government, not individuals, must care for the unfortunate. Methinks that too much education can be harmful.
tknight| 12.14.09 @ 3:51AM
Romans 13
1Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
3For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
4For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Psalm 72
1Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son.
2He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.
3The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.
4He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
5They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.
6He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.
7In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.
8He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
9They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.
10The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
11Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.
12For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.
13He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.
14He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.
15And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.
16There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
17His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.
18Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.
19And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.
20The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
Anvelope Iarna | 8.20.11 @ 2:10PM
Romans and Psalm are from Old Testament.
Ryan| 12.10.09 @ 8:41AM
Thus we see the dangers of not allowing scripture to dictate theology, and instead allowing theology to pick-and-choose which scripture we use. It's the continual danger of topical preaching (as opposed to expository preaching, though theology-first can still do the same damage in expository).
The only mandate for the state given in the New Testament is the sword - the OT civil instructions were for a specific people in a specific time and place (and were barely practiced in Christ's time).
I'm not saying that there is no role for government in charity - scripture does NOT prohibit that view - but to say that it does stretches the texts unnecessarily. It is the individual who is encouraged - and empowered only by the life-changing Holy Spirit, and not the human will - to sacrifice and give and care for the poor.
No, we are NOT to ignore "the least of these," and there are times where we probably even need to give without wondering to whom we are giving, but there is error in believing that scripture expounds anything regarding the state taking from those who have and giving to those it deems doesn't have.
Margie| 12.10.09 @ 7:52PM
"Thus we see the dangers of not allowing scripture to dictate theology, and instead allowing theology to pick-and-choose which scripture we use. It's the continual danger of topical preaching (as opposed to expository preaching, though theology-first can still do the same damage in expository)."
~Well said. Theology allows for all kinds of straying, and the "justification" thereof. When the truth is that: "First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation.." 2 Peter 1:20.
Bilwick1| 12.10.09 @ 9:06AM
The Social Gospel: Voodoo economics + the Cult of the State + holy-rollerism: the Superstition Trifecta.
What part of "Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Goods" does the Religious Left not understand?
Sue| 12.10.09 @ 9:08AM
I see government welfare as protecting the "weak" from the strong. The problem with our society today is we cannot identify the weak through our churches and other organizations. The government has identified the weak for us and helped themselves to our wealth and redistributed it among those they choose.
The other issue is what constitues a "gift." I see a gift of the most basic human needs, shelter, food, clothing, medical care as the most important gifts for the weak. The government sees "needs" as what society in general has and if the chosen class lacks it, they are determined to be "needy." For example, they "need" a car because taking a bus would be "stigmitizing."
I do believe our government is moving away from the "gift-giving" of necessities to the wealth redistribution of "wants."
This is why I give to my family and friends and those I know who have a real need - not want.
ChuckD| 12.10.09 @ 12:37PM
You hit the nail right on the head. I would only add that the Government also pays the people who do nothing but re-distribute wealth and pays them well. And the politicians who run the Gov. make sure they get re-elected by redistributing the wealth of other people to people who will vote for them. Nothing Biblical about this proces, at least not in a positive way.
Mark| 12.10.09 @ 9:13AM
What the religious left fails to understand is that the same scriptures that sanction secular government also define its purpose; punishing criminals. No other purpose for government is mentioned anywhere in scripture. The same “religious” people who are advocating big welfare state government are also the ones who most often try to interfere with its real function of administering justice to criminals. The Bible also defines the poor as widows, orphans and the disabled.
Al Adab| 12.10.09 @ 10:21AM
Replacing the Kingdom of God with the Kingdom of Man coerces all, not just believers, into forgoing their own wishes for the demands of others. The Left continues to confuse a personal obligation with the obligation of the State. In fact the entire Left program is simply a cop out, a way to avoid the obligation we accept as believers and pass it along to coercive government. By making government the source of relief, they remove any obligation from themselves.
Pingback| 12.10.09 @ 10:44AM
Capital comments from State Senator Bob Odell | Democracy for New … | New Hampshire R links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
JP| 12.10.09 @ 10:56AM
Ryan hits on a point that I think most Catholics and Protestants can agree. Christianity is intensely personal. If one believes the scriptures as well as the long theological traidtions of the Jews and Catholics, we will all be held to account personally for our actions or lack thereof. Most of Christ's admonitions were to the individual and not to any institutions per se. Catholics have always believed that those who hold authority, positions of power, and high responsibility will be judged more severely than others. Whether we speak of parents, business owners, clerics, Popes, politicians, or military officers, God will bring all to account. This has been the teachings from the beginning and it has continued through the Protestant Reformation and beyond. For those much has been given, even more will be demanded.
It is in that Christian context of spirtual-cosmic responsibility that our ideas of justice are built. Whether it is a French landowner who abused or neglected his serfs in AD980, or a CEO who acted unjustly or abused his workers in 1908, or a politician who took bribes in 1999, Divine Justice will prevail in the end. For at least 100 years there was a sizable portion of our populace that was guided by the ideas of Divine Justice and the demands of personal responsibility that focused so much of the New Testament. The prohibitions against vice and immorality made by a preacher or a confessor carried much more weight than that of the police and man made laws. There are numerous examples of ancient traditions of Christian Charity (one of my favorites was the old Irish tradition of taking in uninvited boarders at Christmas time. I believe the Poles had something similar). Many faternal organizations such as the Lions Club and the Knights of Columbus have done immeasurable good. Most urban areas of the Rust Belt are filled with Catholic hospitals that turn no one away. Protestant organizations feed millions, provide free health care, and have outreach programs all over the nation.
The newer theology or lack therof has taken this all away, and what we are only left with are man-made laws with no cosmic or mystical ties to God. As a matter of fact, there seems to be little said about God, but plenty about Man. The only major religion that seems to take God seriously (at least in the public realm) is Islam. And if one looks at the current trends in Europe (Islamic evangelization of the "natives"), one can see the where are futre lies.
Appleby| 12.10.09 @ 11:01AM
Matthew 25, I believe, denotes this in the clearest possible terms.
"Matthew 25:31-46 (New International Version)
The Sheep and the Goats
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
P.S. Notice where the ones going to Eternal Punishment are standing?
Ken (Old Texican)| 12.10.09 @ 2:06PM
JP, Appleby,
Thank you guys. You brought mist to my eyes.
You know, I have always thought of "hell" as outer darkness away from the light of God.
I have never been able to picture the Creator of the Universe "punishing" tiny little twits like humans.
In my mind, "the fires of hell" ...is the simple knowledge in eternity that persons missed joy...forever.
Lord, that must burn like walking in a desert with no end.
I always remember then, that it was a choice to turn their own backs on goodness.
The Bible also teaches that in life... at least one time...The Holy Spirit...offers every single human being a choice...clear cut...with no ambivalence or confusion...or corners to duck into:
"Choose Love...Or Choose death."
For our love of the little ones, present and future, we gotta' shut down these, (pardon the shorthand), communist murderors, along with the murderous dictators sitting in Copenhagen this week with a majority of the votes.
KyMouse| 12.10.09 @ 3:29PM
Here's my understanding of Hell, Ken: Each person who is accountable for his/her sins is separated from God by those sins; i.e. since He is holy, nothing unholy can be with Him. The only way to be redeemed (made holy) is by His grace, through personal faith in Jesus (John 3:14-18). Unless we accept Jesus' gift of payment for our sins, our souls will retain our sin nature for all eternity. We will be separated from God for all eternity, in the Hell we deserve for those sins.
No doubt many will disagree with this viewpoint, but it makes sense to me and seems biblical.
Ken (Old Texican)| 12.10.09 @ 7:42PM
KYMouse
...Pretty much the way I understand it.
One thought. A Prof of mine once asked for a "definition of the term Sin" singular capitalized.
We students floundered around for a while before we began to get close...We were all thinking "sins" plural with a little s.
Finally,
Our prof let us off the hook...he suggested that "Sin" capitalized singular..."turning one's back on Truth".
That definition changed my whole life.
JP| 12.10.09 @ 8:02PM
"No doubt many will disagree with this viewpoint, but it makes sense to me and seems biblical. "
KyMouse,
Even as a Catholic I find little fault in what you wrote. The only thing I have to add, is to never underestimate the Divine Mercy of Christ.
Ryan| 12.11.09 @ 8:16AM
It's pretty universal among those of us who believe scripture is Truth, and I think you're completely Biblical in those thoughts.
NC77| 12.10.09 @ 2:49PM
Good point. Also see Ecclesiastes 10:2 NIV
It says (I paraphase here) that the wise man's heart inclines him to the right. But the path of a fool is inclined to the left.
I posted the scripture on the Sojourner blog site discussion board for the article under discussion here. A few people gave tempid responses to it.
Ash| 8.28.10 @ 4:24AM
That is probably reading a bit too much into it, surely you don't think that the Religious Left wants the government to do the charity for them? That's ridiculous. I could consider myself part of the Religious Left or Evangelical Left, I suppose, I'm more of a moderate, let me add a different viewpoint to the conversation. We in no way want government to do the charity for us, many people on the left are very involved both in giving money and giving our time to causes (Some people try to use statistics to say conservatives give more money, but that fails to recognize what "liberals" do as volunteers, or the proportion of the irreligious among each, conservative tend to have more money to give.) A big idea however, is that in modern day society, churches cannot do everything that the government can do, in Hurricane Katrina, most relief work was from the government, religious organizations just do not have that kind of money or organization to do as much. Being that we live in a democracy and not a tyranny social programs can be justified through the collective vote of the people, the community just on a larger scale. Think of it as a larger church group you pay dues to and meet on how to distribute that money to other ministries of the church. Ancient Israel itself enforced a welfare system.
Not to say that our democracy is perfect or that the welfare system is perfect. Our government could be well more democratic, could start by dismantling some of the systems that only seem to allow for 2 parties. Welfare has issues, such as when potential jobs pay less than the welfare check, yet doing away with it is not the solution, it can and has been reformed. I know some people on welfare, and trust me, most don't like it, its embarrassing, you may know some yourself, but they may not have told you. Most people on welfare are out of a job, and look hard for new work, or they are disabled and cannot work. Few are characteristic of stereotypes that some American conservatives want to cling to.
In Christ,
A Christian brother
Merely of a slightly different political persuasion.
Pingback| 12.10.09 @ 11:26AM
The American… links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Dawn| 12.10.09 @ 11:37AM
Oh my goodness... Where to begin? I think the religious left operates under a profound misunderstanding of human nature and, as has been pointed out here, a misunderstanding and misapplication of scripture. Have they never read or spent time with the book of Job? Do they not understand that the way human beings learn most things is through painful experience? Have they never heard the saying that sometimes it's cruel to be kind?
Many years ago, I made a financial mess of my life. My parents had more than enough money to bail me out of it; even though I was an adult, virtually all of my friends thought my parents should step in and fix my problem. Instead, they did the most genuinely kind and loving thing they could do: they let me work it out myself. They respected me enough to let me fall so that I would learn how to get up; they loved me enough to let me grow, to let me see myself as I really was, to let me become a more fully human person.
In this culture, it's not just the welfare state that robs people of this necessary opportunity. I teach college freshmen and sophomores whose parents have seen to it that their children never fall down. Ever. As a result, their children are terrified of even the smallest failure. And in a genuine twist of irony, they are narcissistic precisely because they have no sense of self. They know neither strength nor weakness; they know neither their better angels nor their bitter demons. They are, in fact, irresponsible -- literally, incapable of responding to life.
This has horrifying and multiplying consequences; but perhaps the most important is that no person can give himself to his Creator without having a self to give. We can look to the Creator himself for the ultimate example of this: the Word made flesh, Jesus, who gave himself to us...
It is heartbreaking to consider where the logic of the Jim Wallises of the world leads. The welfare state will eventually lead to the Gulags, as it always has historically when it is not stopped; fundamentally, it leads us to become creatures who can not submit nor reconcile with our Creator.
NC77| 12.10.09 @ 3:12PM
Dawn,
You are a very insightful person and you can express your insights well.
You commented,
"This has horrifying and multiplying consequences; but perhaps the most important is that no person can give himself to his Creator without having a self to give. We can look to the Creator himself for the ultimate example of this: the Word made flesh, Jesus, who gave himself to us..."
Absolutely profound. Have you thought of writing Christian books?
NC77| 12.10.09 @ 3:12PM
Dawn,
You are a very insightful person and you can express your insights well.
You commented,
"This has horrifying and multiplying consequences; but perhaps the most important is that no person can give himself to his Creator without having a self to give. We can look to the Creator himself for the ultimate example of this: the Word made flesh, Jesus, who gave himself to us..."
Absolutely profound. Have you thought of writing Christian books?
Margie| 12.10.09 @ 7:40PM
"Have they never heard the saying that sometimes it's cruel to be kind?"
Dawn,
That ref. is: "Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy." Prov. 27:6.
~Excellent comments.
Dasboot| 12.10.09 @ 12:31PM
The ten commandments state: "though shalt not steal." Which is what the government does to me to 'help the poor and needy'.
ChuckD| 12.12.09 @ 10:54AM
Dasboot,
Well said. And then the government doesn't actually 'help the poor and needy'. They make them dependent on the government so they'll continue to vote for them. It's all about power and greed.
Pingback| 12.10.09 @ 12:57PM
The American Spectator : Christianity and the Welfare State Federal Me links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Dean | 12.10.09 @ 1:32PM
"The obvious implication is that ruling authorities are intended to serve God's agenda," Gutenson surmised. "Now, it would be passing strange to think that God had created/ordained ruling authorities to serve his agenda, but then conclude that one of the most consistent themes of scripture (concern for those on the margins of our societies -- the poor, the widow, the orphan, etc.) is excluded from the purview of those ruling authorities."
Should we assume from this that the Evangelical Left will join the Pro-Life movement to vigorously defend the right to life of the unborn? As God is the creator of all life and the one who knew us before we were born, it is certainly critical to His agenda is to see that man does not end life in the womb.
Ash| 8.28.10 @ 4:07AM
The Evangelical Left is generally pro-life, they hold much in common with the Catholics, liberal on economic issues but often conservative on social issues.
Pingback| 12.10.09 @ 2:10PM
Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie Secretly Celebrate Five-Year … | Brad Pitt Celebrity Monit links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
fundamentalist| 12.10.09 @ 2:14PM
Gutenson: “According to Scripture, from early on til the end, the biblcal call for those who would follow God is to be motivated by the interest of others and not self-interest.”
Guteson: “Captalism elevates and sanctifies self-interest; we are told to have the mind of Christ in elevating the interests of others over ourselves.”
Actually, you’re confusing self-interest with selfishness. Self-interest can include helping others. It’s in my self-interest to have a good reputation in the community, to obey the law, to care for my family and friends. And it’s in my self-interest to submit to God, repent and obey, which means helping the poor. Selfishness means only thinking of me to the exclusion of all others. Capitalism does not elevate self-interest; it merely assumes it as a matter of fact for any rational person.
Adam Smith first proposed the idea that in a free market, self-interest would limit selfishness more efficiently than any government could. That’s because selfish people bribe government officials to pass laws giving them special treatment, such as monopolies. The selfish use the state as a tool to fill their lusts. However, in a free market, the competitors of a selfish businessman will drive him out of business. Self-interest will force the selfish businessman to restrain his selfishness.
It’s absolutely ridiculous and ignorant to equate self-interest with selfishness because Adam Smith was a moral philosopher first. His “Theory of Moral Sentiments” was intended to demonstrate how we can achieve a moral society, that is, one free from selfishness as much as possible. “Wealth of Nations” was Smith’s application of “Moral Sentiments” to the sphere of commerce.
I would expect someone in Mr. Gutenson’s position to be better informed about church history. The church has always maintained the sanctity of private property as ordained by God. Theologians debated the just price for over a thousand years. By the 1600's church scholars, especially those at the school of Salamanca, Spain, had determined that the only way a just price can be determined is in a free market. Those godly men were the first promoters of free markets since Moses. Their teachings reached the Dutch Republic through Lessius and Grotius.
No state protected property against theft by the king and nobility until the Dutch Republic of the 16th century. The godly leaders of that small nation took the Bible seriously and strove to create a nation built on Biblical principles. To protect property with the degree of respect that the Bible commands, the Dutch created institutions to protect property in a way that no other nation in history had. Those institutions included free markets, the rule of law, equality before the law, as well as honest courts and police. Free markets are absolutely necessary for the implementation of property rights; otherwise they remain just a nice idea. The rule of law is essential, too; otherwise chaos ensues. The English adopted the Dutch system after the Dutch Prince, William of Orange, became King of England in 1688. Later Karl Marx labeled the system “capitalism.”
As for the requirement that the state take care of the poor, I would challenge that interpretation of scripture as being very unsound. The only government that God created was the nation of Israel under the judges. In the laws of that nation (the Torah), God commands the people to take care of the poor out of their free will offerings to the poor and to the temple. No where did he command the state to take by force from the wealthy and give it to the poor.
Yes, the state is one of God’s instruments for exercising justice on the earth, but giving to the poor has nothing to do with justice and everything to do with charity. Charity is charity only when it is freely given of one’s own property. Taxation for redistribution to the poor is not charity, but theft. The end does not justify the means.
The sole purpose of government is to make sure justice reigns. It does so by protecting live, liberty and property. The state does not do the work of the church. The work of the church is to provide for the poor and promote the faith. If you want the state to begin doing the work of the church, then why stop with providing for the poor? Shouldn’t the state go back to burning heretics and unbelievers as well? Shouldn’t we execute adulterers?
Ken (Old Texican)| 12.10.09 @ 7:49PM
fundamentalist,
Splendid expression of truth. Thank you.
ChuckD| 12.12.09 @ 11:07AM
Excellent post. This article is so good because the thought process of Gutenson is laid bare in his own words. The man equivocates and doesn't even know he is doing it. Now wonder liberals don't make sense. And your comment points out the equivocations in Gutenson's words.
Self-interest does indeed not mean selfishness.
"Taxation for redistribution to the poor is not charity, but theft. The end does not justify the means."
I couldn't agree more with this comment and would add that the taxation is not for only redistribution to the poor. It is for paying the big salaries of the people who redistribute the taxes and decide who is poor.
This redistribution of wealth process leads to the establishment of an ever expanding, corrupt, and greedy bureaucracy whose "self interest" is dependent on having as many poor people depend on it as possible.
Gutenson, and the rest of the evangelical communists, make it sound as though our tax money was going straight to starving widows and orphans. It that were the case, they might have a little more of my respect.
Kishego| 12.10.09 @ 4:32PM
WOW, great commentary on this from all,
Thank You !!
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Margie| 12.10.09 @ 5:19PM
The bottom line reason the so-called Christians back Obama is because they allow sin in their own lives. Obama is their perfect leader, since it isn't Christ.
How can a Christian back a lying man, Obama? It is either because they are deluded (which is self-imposed, ultimately), or they are consciously aware.
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"And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Insasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Matt. 25:40
Jesus defined very specifically who His brothers are. They are those who obey his Father. If you don't obey his Father, his Father is not your father, and you are not His brother.
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I don't understand why different religions reps haven't got the same opinion on the matter. Why they all think and look in other way.
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Firma de curatenie Bucuresti | 5.12.10 @ 9:04AM
I have the same opinion about it. If you don't support any of the candidates, why do you still live in this country. It's a tough life for most of us. Better I buy an island and I become the president over there. Nobody else to steal my money.
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Clara elektrische Zigaretten | 10.25.11 @ 4:21PM
I am not a theologian, however I have read the entire New Testament many, many times. I can not find any passage that says the government, not individuals, must care for the unfortunate.
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Avocat | 10.26.11 @ 10:43AM
One state cannot make charity. State must take care from the helpless people.
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