Before going on any further, my friends and readers who tilt a little toward the left might want to stop reading after this first sentence.
I saw this article posted on Yahoo News the other day, and a few of my clergy friends linked to it on their Facebook pages:
http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/02/income-inequality-in-america-chart-graph
The title (for those who didn't click on the link) was, "It's the Inequality, Stupid"--posing the argument that what ails the U.S. is inequality among income, wealth, and taxation.
Now, I will grant that each should pay his or her fair share in taxes. Our nation needs roads, bridges, schools, a safety net for those who fall upon hard times, etc. I'm not sure anyone would argue that fact. I do know folks would argue what a fair share is. For instance, in none of those charts did it show that almost 50% of Americans do not pay any income tax at all. (That's the hell of using charts and statistics to prove your point. It's easy to pick out the ones that support your cause yet leave out inconvenient ones.)
But, I need to stop right now before getting into the politics of who should and shouldn't pay. Governments argue about such things, and while that kingdom is answerable to God in the long run, it is not governed by Him at this point. The church is about another kingdom, and has no business butting into such affairs unless the government passes laws compelling people to act against God's command.
So, I will turn from politics to address an underlying assumption that some Christians hold in regards to wealth--that equality of wealth is the way things should work. This train of thought basically comes from a group which identifies itself as the Christian Left. This movement started in response to the Christian Right. Both of these groups have delved into politics in the U.S. and seek to instill Christian values into the government's way of doing things. Both sides are worthy of scathing critique, and for this post, I'm going after the Christian Left.
Let's build the usual argument for economic justice as presented by the Christian Left--i.e. that wealth should be evenly distributed amongst all people.
1. The prophets in the Old Testament warned the nation of Israel about mistreating the poor, the widow, and the orphan. They called for justice from the wealthy who ignored these folks, and if they were not taken care of, God would punish the nation.
Critique: The argument is absolutely sound on one level. Indeed, this is what the prophets spoke. Loudly and clearly. But, the prophets spoke to a theocracy. The king of Israel was a representative of God on earth. If that king didn't adhere to the laws of God, then the nation would be punished because it wasn't honoring the true leader of the nation. This is very important to remember in our case. Why? Because if we want to hold our nation accountable to God's law, then we must consider it a Christian nation--through and through. And as a Christian nation, those who would wish to fight for equality in wealth, should also be fighting for Christian prayer in school, extremely limited access to abortion (rape, incest, endangerment to the life of the mother), and the allowance of religious themes monuments and decorations in the public square. Christianity should be named the preferred religion of the country, and while we would definitely welcome people of other religious faith traditions--and people of no faith tradition--they must understand and adhere to the fundamental laws which we believe govern such a nation. If folks are unwilling to define the U.S. as a Christian nation, then we must take the other route which says this is not a Christian nation and cannot be held accountable to Christian principles and understandings. The church cannot call the shots with government, but it must be working within society to promote God's Kingdom, sometimes at odds with the government.
2. Many of the teachings of Jesus call for the care and compassion toward the poor and needy. Addressing someone's hunger and poverty without addressing the root cause of that hunger and poverty is simply a band aid and doesn't solve anything.
Critique: Again, a sound argument. It is the truth. However, I argue those who wish to address the root issue don't dig deep enough. Most critique capitalism and the structures of society which institutionalize poverty and racism and injustice, etc. But they don't go deep enough. At all. The root cause of hunger and poverty and racism and injustice isn't government and society structure--it's our fundamental nature as human beings. Simply put, the root cause of all those things is sin. To fully eradicate poverty and injustice and racism and hunger one must eradicate sin. Good luck. Wonder if that's why Jesus said, "You will always have the poor with you." Not an abdication of responsibility. Just the truth. No matter what type of structure or government a society puts into place, it will be flawed. There will be those who slip through the cracks. There will be those who become victims. There will be those in power and those who are powerless. It is the church's job to create, as best as it can, an alternative reality where there are no more hungry, thirsty, homeless, etc. We haven't managed to do it completely in 2000 years. I'm not optimistic we'll ever get there, but we're called to try because of the great love God has shown us.
3. The earliest believers sold everything they had, and distributed to whoever had need. We need to do so as well. (Acts 2)
Critique: First, show me a person who articulates this who actually does it. Most of the rhetoric you hear is that a person should take the average income for a person in the U.S., live on that much and give the rest away. Good thought, but that's not what Jesus calls His followers to do. Neither is that what the church did in the days after Pentecost. They sold EVERYTHING and gave EVERYTHING away. That was the radical nature of discipleship. If you really want to follow Christ and do what He commanded. Give it all away. Then come talk about economic justice. Seeing such a thing happen would be a miracle in and of itself. Why? Well, anyone want to tell me what happened to the church in Jerusalem just a few short years after they put this into practice? Anyone want to tell me what happened to the church in Jerusalem when Jesus didn't come back in a few weeks and people ran out of property to sell and redistribute? There are a few major hints in scripture and in historical sources. In Romans, Paul talks about taking up collections to remember the poor in Jerusalem. Apparently, famine hit, and the church in Jerusalem fell upon very hard times because they had absolutely no resources or way to produce income. They had sold it all and had nothing. They became dependent upon other churches who had folks who would give of their wealth and who were willing to help out. Idealism is a wonderful thing. It probably would have worked out if Jesus had returned immediately, but it didn't. And it still won't. The church is still dependent upon those who are willing to give from what they have earned. St. Paul even addressed this little problem in the book of 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13:
6Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us. 7For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, 8and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. 9This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. 10For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. 11For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. 12Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. 13Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.
Yes, you saw Paul right. Work for a living. Earn your income. Some will earn more than others. That's just the way the world works. Even Jesus didn't promise equality in income and results in His teachings.
But both Jesus and Paul urged Christians to be generous, and that means a church should never stop working for justice and an end to hunger and an end to racism and an end to poverty. It's part of our job. We can critique governments to no end. We can call them toward compassion and justice. Those of us who have the opportunity to vote can and should do so with our Christian faith leading us to candidates and representatives who share our ideas. But, I think we need to realize, inequality isn't the problem.
There has never been a time in recorded history when everyone was equal.
Wait.
Amendment to that statement.
There was only one time in biblical history when everyone was equal: the Garden of Eden.
And we know what happened.
As a consequence, we know sinfulness entered the world as did the idea of equality in the world. Man was placed over woman and over creation, etc. etc.
Christ came along and promised a return to the conditions of Eden, but that reality would be brought along at a later date--when He returned to make all things new.
We have a vision of what that will be like, and that's important. Why?
Well, we live with a foot firmly rooted and grounded in that vision AND we live with a foot rooted and grounded in the reality of the world in which we live. In the world, but not of it.
Our churches should be a real-world constructions of the reality of the Kingdom of God--where no one hungers or thirst or has need. Where one cannot tell the difference between rich and poor. Where the haves share with the have nots. It never has been a perfect process, but this is where we seek to implement Jesus' teachings.
We hold onto this reality even while having another foot squarely planted in a world full of injustice whose structures will not allow equality. And no matter how much we try to tinker with such structures, we will never result in equality for all. History shows us that beyond a shadow of a doubt. Every single society or micro-society which has tried to exist based upon equality has failed. And there have been many.
In fact, I would argue that Jesus never, ever tried to induce his followers to radically change the world. Spice it up, sure. But radically overthrow existing governments and principalities and powers. Not a chance. Nowhere to be found. (Unless you want to pick and choose which parts of Jesus' teachings in Scripture you think are "authentically Jesus" and which are "not so much Jesus". I don't quite have such divine powers.)
I'd argue the Christian Left (just like the Christian Right) is suffering from the delusion of Christendom--the time when Christianity had the power of and over government. Bad things happened then. Bad things will continue to happen if the church ever receives that power again.
As Lutherans, I believe we need to stick to our confessions:
12] Therefore the power of the Church and the civil power must not be confounded. The power of the Church has its own commission to teach the Gospel and 13] to administer the Sacraments. Let it not break into the office of another; let it not transfer the kingdoms of this world; let it not abrogate the laws of civil rulers; let it not abolish lawful obedience; let it not interfere with judgments concerning civil ordinances or contracts; let it not prescribe laws to civil rulers concerning the form of the Commonwealth. 14] As Christ says, John 18:36: My kingdom is not of this world; 15] also Luke 12:14: Who made Me a judge or a divider over you? 16] Paul also says, Phil. 3:20: Our citizenship is in heaven; 17] 2 Cor. 10:4: The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the casting down of imaginations.
20] When, therefore, the question is concerning the jurisdiction of bishops, civil authority must be distinguished from 21] ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Again, according to the Gospel or, as they say, by divine right, there belongs to the bishops as bishops, that is, to those to whom has been committed the ministry of the Word and the Sacraments, no jurisdiction except to forgive sins, to judge doctrine, to reject doctrines contrary to the Gospel, and to exclude from the communion of the Church wicked men, whose wickedness is known, and this without human force, 22] simply by the Word. Herein the congregations of necessity and by divine right must obey them, according to Luke 10:16: He that heareth you heareth Me. 23] But when they teach or ordain anything against the Gospel, then the congregations have a commandment of God prohibiting obedience, Matt. 7:15:
--Article 28
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