Citizen Commentary
A fraternity brother of mine made a great comment in response to OFB’s republished article I did on Politics and Theology. It was both insightful and helpful in clarifying my intent, so I want to post that short conversation here. Thanks for the challenge, Chris! These are the kinds of conversations I live for…
Chris:
You had to know I was going to post on this
“Both liberals and conservatives have forgotten that it is not primarily the government that should care for widows and orphans, but the church (James 1:27, and over 40 other verses).”
Expand on this.
Why is this the case? Do these verses make it so? Why shouldn’t society (and by that I mean all of society, not just Christians) be held accountable for the plight of its poor and oppressed? Call me a socialist (because I might be
My response:
Hehe, I’m glad you did, Chris.
“Why is this the case?”
Yes, the verses make it so in application to the church. I should have been more specific in saying “Both liberal and conservative CHRISTIANS…” because the Bible is their guide. I think it is ALSO true for all people in an objective sense, but I definitely don’t expect non-Christians to necessarily agree… does that make sense?I think that society should absolutely be held accountable for the plight of it’s poor. Many of the physical needs can only be addressed by the size and power of larger institutions (like government), so I’m not calling for inaction at all.
What I am calling for is two-fold. 1.) That the government (like the church) is filled with jacked up, corruptible people. Thus we should not put our full hope or faith in it’s ability to solve the world’s problems and should not be surprised when it doesn’t. And 2.) that many people (Christians and non-Christians) consider their vote a sufficient means for helping the poor and oppressed. Honestly, I think it’s a copout that people will passionately lobby for policy changes but will not reflect that policy with action in their life (I used the pro-life / pro-choice feud as an example in my article). It’s hypocrisy, pure and simple.
This world needs a lot of healing: physical and spiritual. The government has been inconsistent in the former and is unequipped to do the latter. The Church’s mission (according to Christian scripture) is to do BOTH. Sadly, we have contributed to a false dichotomy and relegated the church to only the latter. But healing is comprehensive and both are within the scope of the church’s mission, and we should be FAR more active in partnering with our communities, government, and individuals in working toward that goal. We Christians could use a wakeup call, so I appreciate your comment immensely because it proves that point.
In short, I support government action and intervention, but encourage ALL people not to rely on it. Hehe, if anything, I know I’m preaching to the choir (you) as someone who is actively working toward serving the poor and oppressed. You embody the kind of life-service that does not rely on (but does appreciate) government aid.
Anyone else have any thoughts about the role of government? Church? Individual Christians?
*UPDATE*: The St. Louis Post Dispatch Civil Religion blog just posted this article on how NOT to help the poor. Talk about perfect timing!
Posts
Oooo, what an interesting/powerful topic.
It is difficult to find truth in the Post-Dispatch blog post, because I know people who were assisted by those programs and other government assistance programs. Like, not just helped financially, but in many other ways. I also get suspicious when people start talking in big, overarching terms and statistics. I get the feeling that these people maybe sit around thinking and reading more than getting out and doing. (not the people in that video on the blog post, specifically; just in general)
Having said that, amidst this time of serious discussion of change in our political system, it is very cool to read discussion about new ways to show kindness, compassion, and caring for other human beings.
I know someone who goes into the underbelly of St. Louis once a month to talk to the homeless people who live in the abandoned buildings and sewer systems. She just goes and talks with them, sometimes bringing some bread or rice or something. I really admire that, because she has taken the steps in her personal life to do what she demands from her church and her government.
that seems to be part of what you are talking about, here.