KEEP JESUS OUT OF YOUR SOCIALISM
From the words of Jesus and the New Testament, ministering to the poor
and the needy among us is the work of Christian individuals and the
church, not the secular government. Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord
is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. .
. ." Today's Religious Left wants to change that to, "He has anointed
the federal government to preach good news to the poor."
The Christian gospel is a message of salvation, not a message of income
redistribution and raising our neighbor's taxes. Jesus said that the way
to serve the poor is by giving generously of our own resources. "But
when you give a banquet," He said in Luke 14, "invite the poor, the
crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they
cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the
righteous."
The Religious Left is very generous -- with other people's money. In
fact, I believe the founder of the Religious Left was none other than
Judas Iscar**t. When Mary, the sister of Lazarus, anointed Jesus with
costly perfume just days before the crucifixion, Judas lectured her and
said, "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor?"
Notice that Judas put on a show of caring for the poor -- even though
the money was Mary's, not his! The motives of Judas, John 12:6 tells us,
were corrupt and self-centered -- and Jesus responded with a stinging
rebuke.
At least one of the Lord's disciples was a "social action Christian" in
the Sojourners mold: Simon Zelotes (Simon the Zealot). Just as
Sojourners president Jim Wallis was once president of the Michigan State
chapter of the militant Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Simon
Zelotes was a young political radical who attached himself to Jesus
because he thought Jesus would lead a revolt against the Roman Empire.
Simon saw Jesus as a political Messiah who would topple the powerful
while lifting up the poor and oppressed. But Jesus was not a political
Messiah. He didn't attack the Roman Empire. He did battle with the Evil
Empire of Satan himself.
Jesus didn't tell the Roman government what its budget priorities should
be. Why? Because His agenda was much larger than the agenda of Simon
Zelotes or the Religious Left. His eyes were fixed on eternity. He said,
"My kingdom is not of this world."
The Religious Left has missed the meaning of that statement. Yes, there
is a place for Christian social action -- but that place is in a
personal lifestyle of generosity and compassion to the poor. Jesus
didn't tell the rich young ruler to become a political activist and
affect public policy. He said, "Go, sell your possessions and give to
the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
It's true, there's poverty in America, and some of the poor can't lift
themselves out of poverty without help. Some are physically or socially
disadvantaged. Some are down on their luck. They need and deserve
Christian compassion and the good news of the gospel.
But a huge number of people receiving government assistance are
substance abusers, welfare c***ts, or chronically lazy. Doesn't the
Bible tell us, "If a man will not work, he shall not eat" (2
Thessalonians 3:10)? Why must the "makers" of society support the
"takers" of society? That's not compassion. That's theft. Wouldn't it be
more compassionate to encourage the takers to develop self-respect by
becoming productive citizens?
Would Jesus endorse government policies that encourage and enable
addiction, indolence, and welfare fraud? Certainly not. The Religious
Left should read His parables, especially the Parable of the Talents
(Matthew 25:14-30), the Parable of the Vineyards (Matthew 20:1-16), and
the Parable of the Tenants (Matthew 21:33-46). In those parables, Jesus
blesses hard work, personal responsibility, and the freedom to achieve.
Government programs can't separate the truly needy from the welfare
c***ts -- but private Christian charities can. Private charities are far
more effective than government at meeting needs, changing lives,
eliminating fraud and waste, and dispensing compassion. Our stance as
Christians should be pro-compassion, not pro-bureaucracy.
The place for compassionate Christian social action is in the church,
and in the lives of individual believers. When the church becomes a
political pressure group, telling the government, "Confiscate more
wealth from those who earned it and give it to those who have not," then
the church has formed an unholy union with the kingdoms of this world.
Income redistribution is not Christianity. It's Marxism -- and mixing
the two only pollutes the Gospel and betrays the Great Commission.
The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are
willing to work and give to those who would not.
Thomas Jefferson
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