Friday, May 08, 2009
Render unto
I am currently engaged in an intense study of the foundations of Christianity in preparation for writing a book in a year or two (which will probably require an additional year or two). It has just crossed my mind that there is a fundamental issue that is often ignored when Christians, and especially mainline Protestant church leadership fails to see or consider when promulgating government participation in social programs.
Jesus urged taking care of the disadvantaged individually and voluntarily. Government programs take care of the disadvantaged by the use of coercion to obtain the means, and implied coercion in their distribution.
The causes of this confusion are related to the same issues that create a tension in Jesus teachings on the Law. There are fundamental requirements and there are behavioral requirements. Jesus emphasized the fundamental and relaxed the behavioral. At the time the focus was on the behavioral, e.g., the Pharisee examples. We are caught up in the same issue today--that somehow there is virtue in "helping" regardless of means. Never mind that virtue obtains only with free choice to exercise it.
There are pastors that have written books justifying liberalism in government using Christian doctrine. I suspect that somewhere down the line a proper approach, either via a major essay or set of essays, or a book will be needed (actually is needed now). The major theme would be something I preached on a few years ago--Render unto Caesar that which is Caeser's, and render unto God that which is God's. Or as I put it for the sermon: Don't render unto Caesar that which is God's, and don't render unto God that which is Caesar's.
Jesus urged taking care of the disadvantaged individually and voluntarily. Government programs take care of the disadvantaged by the use of coercion to obtain the means, and implied coercion in their distribution.
The causes of this confusion are related to the same issues that create a tension in Jesus teachings on the Law. There are fundamental requirements and there are behavioral requirements. Jesus emphasized the fundamental and relaxed the behavioral. At the time the focus was on the behavioral, e.g., the Pharisee examples. We are caught up in the same issue today--that somehow there is virtue in "helping" regardless of means. Never mind that virtue obtains only with free choice to exercise it.
There are pastors that have written books justifying liberalism in government using Christian doctrine. I suspect that somewhere down the line a proper approach, either via a major essay or set of essays, or a book will be needed (actually is needed now). The major theme would be something I preached on a few years ago--Render unto Caesar that which is Caeser's, and render unto God that which is God's. Or as I put it for the sermon: Don't render unto Caesar that which is God's, and don't render unto God that which is Caesar's.
// posted by Bill @ 10:35 AM 
