Contrary to the Livid Left, Jesus did not tell the government to care for the poor
By Gary Abernathy
No, Jesus did not make caring for the poor a government job
Approval of President Trump’s “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” last week prevents the 2017 tax cuts from expiring, provides additional tax relief for workers and senior citizens, allows for additional deductions for charitable contributions, and contains many other provisions good for taxpayers across the board. Even the New York Times acknowledged that the bill provides tax relief for just about everyone, not just for the rich.
To pay for tax and spending reductions — “pay for” being one of those Washington euphemisms for showing on paper what seldom happens in reality — the bill reduces the Medicaid program that was irresponsibly expanded, fiscally speaking, via the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) of 2010. Medicaid is not being rolled back to the degree that Democrats and others are claiming. Along with cutting waste and fraud, the changes mainly require people to work, or demonstrate they’re looking for work, or prove they’re citizens in ways that should have been required from the beginning.
But now come the usual accusations against Republicans of hurting the poor to help the rich, and the usual coupling of Republicans with the notion of Christians falling short, in the eyes of the left. Claiming that Republicans are turning their backs on Christian doctrine is always a confusing charge when it comes from people who are the first to raise the alarm if they perceive the political right as imposing their Christian values on government in areas such as abortion, LGBTQ issues, school vouchers, books found in school libraries, and so on.
But there is one area where liberals think that it’s perfectly fine for the government to embrace biblical teachings: caring for the poor. They may choose to ignore 90 percent of the Bible, including many of Jesus’s own words, teachings and admonitions, but they’ve committed to memory anything to do with caring for the poor and downtrodden.
Hence, the Medicaid changes included in the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” have resulted in accusations of “hypocrisy” from the Livid Left toward Republicans, unleashing a wrath that goes so far as to suggest that the GOP is on a fast track to the depths of Hades.
Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post is among those standing in the pulpit, Bible raised high, as she suggests that Republicans who voted for the bill are in danger of eternal damnation.
“By now, surely, we should stop saying America is a Christian nation. Jesus Christ and the religion he inspired are all about helping the poor, the meek, the hungry, the homeless,” she preaches. “If Republicans are representing themselves as Christians while cutting essential aid to the neediest among us, then we might infer that they’re all going to hell.”
Yikes!
In fact, as those bothering to read biblical teachings on caring for the poor know, absolutely nowhere in scripture — including in the New Testament, where Christianity’s founding doctrines are taught by Jesus and others — is the government assigned the task of “helping the poor, the meek, the hungry, the homeless.” In fact, expecting the government to use tax dollars to accomplish these tasks would arguably be a dereliction of duty by Christians and the church.
At every point that caring for the poor and needy is addressed throughout the Bible, the admonitions are directed at individuals and churches. Very little is even said about the government, other than the well-known instruction to “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”
Otherwise, the importance emphasized throughout scripture of feeding the poor, sheltering the homeless, providing clothing to the needy, caring for the sick and for prisoners, and much more are directed always at individuals and churches. Never does Jesus or any other Christian leader say, “Pay your taxes so that your government may feed the poor, care for the sick and provide shelter for the homeless.” It cannot be found.
There’s a reason for this. Caring for our fellow citizens involves personal commitments of time and resources. Personally performing such services is spiritually more fulfilling for the one providing assistance than for the one receiving it. Christians who sit back in their recliners convinced that they have done their job to care for the poor because their tax dollars are providing such help through government programs are fooling themselves and missing out on a spiritual blessing.
In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul tells early church members that Jesus said it is more blessed to give than to receive — not to give taxes to the government to step in and do the work of the church, but to give directly to those in need.
Americans in general, Christian or not, should feel a responsibility to care for our neighbors in need without expecting a government program to do the job. Family members should care for each other, and most do. We should be aware of the circumstances of our neighbors and offer our assistance when necessary. And we should participate in the efforts of churches, synagogues and other non-governmental organizations that feed, clothe and provide medical assistance for those who need such things. Countless churches devote themselves to providing for the needy, both here at home and through mission services abroad.
In fact, it’s not unreasonable to suggest that if the same amount of money spent on Medicaid by federal and state governments was instead donated by individuals to churches and other private organizations to do the same work, it would be done more comprehensively and efficiently, with a lot less spent on administration and overhead.
Either way, claiming that rolling back government services such as Medicaid is contrary to the message of Jesus is to woefully misunderstand or intentionally misrepresent such teachings. In my humble opinion, religious leaders who join in making such claims are among those who have apparently lost the ability to read what the Bible clearly states — but I won’t condemn anyone to hell who disagrees with me.
At any rate, the separation of church and state is an important feature of our government. We should be careful to protect that concept — including when it comes to caring for the poor and needy.
Crucial to end billions in ‘renewables’ subsidies and credits
In my latest column for The Empowerment Alliance, I discuss the fact that while supporting affordable and reliable energy is important, it’s just as important to end subsidies and credits to prop up so-called “renewables.”
But breathing new life into tried-and-true energy resources is only half the battle. Just as important is putting the brakes on the disastrous expansion of so-called renewables like wind and solar when their existence depends on subsidies and other life-support measures. The vaunted “all of the above” approach to energy is reasonable only when “all” are able to compete on a level playing field and demonstrate they are reliable and profitable.
To be sure, there are instances where alternative energy is effective and economically sustainable – particularly at the micro level. Many homeowners have chosen to install rooftop solar panels to assist in their household power needs. Micro wind turbines are being utilized in limited capacity to perform such tasks as pumping water or charging batteries. In both cases, the technology is cost-effective for the intended limited purposes. But the large-scale wind and solar farms that have sprouted up across the country are almost wholly supported by government subsidies and tax credits.
And while the ‘Beautiful’ bill that emerged from Congress may not do everything it could have to end the subsidy madness, it’s far preferable to what might have been.
But even if it’s not ideal, the bill that comes out of the current Congress will still represent a comparative about-face from the draconian mandates, subsidies and credits for alternatives foisted upon us by the Biden administration. However imperfect the coming budget bill might be, our energy future will indeed be big and beautiful compared to what could have been.
You can read it in its entirety at this link.
Random thoughts on this and that …
Texas flooding. The flooding in Texas and the lives lost is a terrible tragedy, and the nation and much of the world are sending prayers and condolences. The loss of young children is an unimaginable horror. It is sad that finger-pointing is already underway. When natural disasters strike, there’s an understandable human reaction to try to find someone to blame. We live in an often dangerous and unpredictable world, and sometimes there’s only that. But there is plenty of time to figure out if and how warnings or prevention could be better. For now, we unite in our grief.
A good ‘Beautiful’ quiz. I seldom find reason to commend the New York Times these days, but I’m happy to point everyone toward a Times questionnaire that helps answer how the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” impacts your pocketbook. It might be surprising to the Times that most people who take the quiz will discover that nearly everyone benefits.
Another viewpoint on USAID. For those who have only been reading handwringing stories about the demise of USAID, here’s a piece from the Daily Wire that provides more balance on the situation.
Elon prediction: Here’s a prediction — Elon Musk and Donald Trump will become good buddies again within a few weeks. Musk’s talk of forming a third political party is nonsense, which he is smart enough to realize soon if he doesn’t know it already. And after alienating the left and then the right, and suffering serious business setbacks, his only smart choice is to head back to MAGA Land. Watch for it.
‘MAGA Republicans Are Already Normal’ — for yourself or for that friend or loved one who can’t fathom Trump
“MAGA Republicans Are Already Normal — And Other Shocking Notions” is a great addition to the library of MAGA Trump supporters, or the perfect gift for non-MAGA friends and loved ones to help them make sense of the 2024 election results. It’s available on Amazon. Buy it here.
The book (actually much thicker than the illustrations above indicate — the hardcover and paperback are each 453 pages) is a compilation of many of the nearly 200 columns I wrote for the Washington Post from 2017 to 2023 (and a handful of columns I wrote about Trump for The (Hillsboro) Times-Gazette from 2015 to 2017). The columns cover a variety of topics, but they particularly focus on Trump’s rise to political prominence and help explain his appeal.
Here’s a link to a website dedicated to the book.
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