What is a Real Bailout?
by Kathy Brown on July 13th, 2009 | 1 comment
There looms on the horizon another big financial bailout. Christians have a variety of “takes” on a government rescue. It’s a difficult subject to wade through. It seems even harder than the dilemma of bumping into someone living on the street who is obviously hungry and apparently addicted to drugs. In that case, the individual’s heart and head work together to decipher the Lord’s command to give to the needy.
When a Believer decides taxes should be promoted to resolve social ills, there must be recognition of a few complicating factors:
(1) The Kingdom of God is not this world system. Jesus did say to pay taxes, but He made it clear that His primary purpose was to usher in a new realm which is separate from the world system; it is the Kingdom of God.
(2) There are three distinctive institutions, as designated in Scripture: the church, the family and the government. They intersect sometimes, but they have different functions.
(3) Supporting taxes is buying into the understanding that a non-believer will most likely administer how the revenue will be used. Since government is not the church, its spending will fuel secular humanist ideas. (Foundational Presupposition Chart)
(4) The worldview promoted by federal, state and local funds will be largely reflect the secualar worldview. Church sponsored activities have been excluded from public funding, due to a misunderstanding of "separation of church and state".
(5) Rewarding bad behavior with money, without linking it to redemptive change, is not ultimately beneficial. As Jesus told disciples to go out and give to the poor, He was speaking to Believers, who give in His name as a representative of Him and His call to repentance. Christ did not teach us to give to an unbeliever so they can give to a person in need.
(6) Willingly advancing the tax system means money is confiscated from wage-earners. This leaves the private sector with less as providers of jobs and enterprises that offer incentives for others to join in on using their gifts and talents for the community.
(7) Making Christians “generous” is not the purpose of taxation; in reality, there is less for charity once taxes are taken. Along with the extraction of one’s hard earned money goes the freedom to decide how to use it.
(8) Whenever government officials handle other people’s money, the endless revenue stream appears to fuel their appetite for spending. Although there is no such thing as a Money Tree, it seems to grow outside the White House.
(9) God has given America a unique Constitution. It was based on Biblical principles that are timeless; in it there are boundaries for the government.
For someone without a Christ-centered life, government is the avenue for social solutions. For those with a Biblical worldview, only a change on the inside can really address the issues that cause poverty, pain and strife. Often, that realization comes in the hard times, and we need to be equipped to bring them the One and Only real Redeemer.
Next entry: Toasting the Frog
Previous entry: Mother Nature and Father Time
1 Comment Add your comment
Kathy Brown July 29th, 2009
Here is more on the subject: http://redletterliving.net/
back to Blog Archive