For the longest time, when Christians have thought about political engagement, they have often begun the discussion with the question: what is the biblical role of government? This is not a completely irrelevant question, but it does seem to start in the wrong place and ultimately get things backwards. Before one can answer questions about the place of government, it is necessary to consider how it is that God has created us to live together. Before we begin to formulate public policies and institutions, we should consider what those policies and institutions are supposed to accomplish.
From Scripture and from the writings of the Christian tradition, from the early church until the present, there is a wealth of material from which to get a picture of the shared life God intends for creation. It is, to put it most succinctly, a life characterized by relationships of mutual inter-dependence -- neither dependence nor independence. And these relationships of inter-dependence are to be motivated by a deeply heartfelt desire to elevate the interests of the other over our own. Yes, I know that runs counter to our natural inclinations, but the call of Jesus on the matter is very clear. In fact, as Jesus says, we are to love our enemies as we love ourselves (Matt 5:43-44, for example).
We all know that Jesus said to do to others as we would have them do to us, and we all recall that he enjoined us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Yet, how much time have we spent looking at how these are played out within the Biblical narratives? How many recall that there were a pair of periodic economic re-levelings commanded within Scripture? In one case, every seventh year, God commanded that all debts, regardless of what was left outstanding, were to be forgiven (see Deut 15). In the other, every 50th year, all lands were returned to their ancestral owners (see Lev 25). It sure seems God cared deeply about avoiding the accumulation of great wealth in the hands of a few, and commanded steps that prevented it. Or, how about many have reflected on the command that farmers not "maximize profits" by picking their fields clean. No, they were to leave some fruit and grain behind, for the poorest to gather for their own sustenance (Deut 24). Caring for each other took precedence over profit maximization. Moving forward to the New Testament, we find a case of a hard-working farmer who had a very productive and successful year (Luke 12). His response to his success? Well, in contemporary parlance, he planned to build bigger barns, store his produce, and retire early. In God's sight, however, this was foolishness and the man received the harshest judgment in response. The problem? The man did not see that his "success" was a blessing from God, a blessing not to be hoarded for his own good, but rather a blessing to be shared with those less fortunate. We could then move on to the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16), a case where the Rich Man's primary reason for falling under God's judgment was that he had the resources to help poor Lazarus, but he turned a blind eye. Wherever you look in Scripture, the picture is the same -- God intends us to use our resources, in whatever form, to ease the suffering of others. Whenever God gave instructions for laws that were to govern humans, prescriptions to "care for the least of these" were front and center.
Now, I realize we live in a day when Randian objectivism is receiving attention -- in some ways, having new life breathed into it. One only need ponder the recently released movie based on Rand's Atlas Shrugged. Yet, even though some self-identified Christians have spoken favorably about the ideology underlying that book, there can be little doubt but that no two books could be farther apart in their basic message about our shared, public lives than the Bible on the one hand and Atlas Shrugged on the other. The life pictured in Scripture, the life I have characterized as one of "mutual inter-dependence" does not come easy to us, easily encouraged in our selfishness as we are. Nevertheless, it is the life pictured in Scripture and one that we, as Christians, ought to embrace and promote at all levels of our lives.
In my new book, Christians and the Common Good, I give many more examples of the sorts of Scriptures one might bring to bear on the issue of our shared life, and how God intends that to be structured. From there, and only after the previous work, do I delve into the question of the sorts of policies and institutions that would be conducive to our living together in ways that all flourish. In the final chapter, I draw "tentative" conclusions on a number of policy issues, because the goal is more to open a conversation than to close it, more to offer possible solutions that guarantees, and more to give examples than prescriptions. If you get a chance, give it a peruse and join my on my facebook page for the book.
Michael Shermer: Atlas Shrugged, But You Shouldn't
Steve Mariotti: Remembering Ayn Rand
Jonathan Kim: Atlas Chugged! The Inevitable Atlas Shrugged, Part 1 Drinking Game
Greg Mitchell: New Atlas Shrugged Film Booed Off Planet by Critics
Atlas Shrugged - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
YouTube - Atlas Shrugged Trailer
'Atlas Shrugged': From Fiction to Fact in 52 Years - WSJ.com
The idea of land being privatized is a very modern idea. This view became more popular (especiallÂy among the ownership class) with the beginning of industrialÂization which was a time when, in Britain, the commons were being privatized for commerce which led to mass poverty, starvationÂ, and food riots.
Thomas Paine grew up during this period and saw it firsthand. He turned it around by arguing ownership rights are, at best, based on human rights and, at worst, opposed to human rights. Paine was in the tradition of Natural Rights which he saw as preceding civilizatiÂon. In 'Agrarian Justice', he argued that God created the earth for all and that ownership was a necessary evil of civilizatiÂon. He pointed out that the massive wealth disparity and oppressive poverty wasn't seen among the Native Americans.
Poverty and wealth are unnatural conditions created by civilizatiÂon and so it's the responsibiÂlity of civilizatiÂon (i.e., governmentÂ) to remedy the problems created. Right at the beginning of the country, Paine was proposing an early version of social security to alleviate the problems and anti-democÂratic tendencies of a plutocracyÂ.
How could the biblical teaching on government be even remotely irrelevant to a Christian?
As Christians all we have, our talent, time and material wealth is God given to be used for the good of the Church and the whole world, but Christ never gave us the authority to use coercive powers to take anyone else's wealth for charitable endeavors. Christians may have to endure despotism we should not be the author of it.
Quit telling God what He's saying and listen to Him rather than your learned political opinions. Taxation is not thievery, no matter how much you try to argue that it is. God ordained that governments should do it, and He also commanded Christians to comply as something that is "owed" to the one who taxes. (Romans 13) Therefore, taxation is a completely acceptable practice from a Biblical standpoint, especially when that taxation is performed in such a way as to discourage/prevent the hoarding of wealth by the wealthy and to protect and serve the weak/impoverished. If you don't accept this, just read the Old Testament. This kind of thing wasn't just some voluntary "charity", it was The Law. God essentially says of all this (quite socialistic) stuff that he commanded, "If you keep My statutes, and do what I have commanded this day, then I will continue to uphold and bless your nation."
So, basically, any nation that practices a system of taxation that looks Biblical in its prevention of wealth-hording and its concern for the poor, you have just equated with despotism. In doing so, you proclaim to all the world that your politics is more important to you than the Biblical testimony and the example of Christ on this matter, for you hold taxation to be evil over and against the word of Scripture.
F&F!
I was listening to ..I beleive it was Pawlenty as a guest when my local Christian radio station began syndicating the 'Focus On the Family' radio show. that to me was the most maddening thing about the experience. They'd ask Pawlenty questions regarding cutting aid to the poor and how that reconciles with his Christianity and both he and the interviewer would completely skirt the issue and make some ideological talking point instead.
It's just disappointing to me sometimes to see the depth of the corruption that the RELIGIOUS right has had on Christianity as a whole these past 30 some years. Now we're at a point where Ayn Rand, or at least her philosophies much more popular and enticing even amongst Christians than anything you can find in the bible.
One Christian Ethisist labeled American individualism as the "great american protestant heresy." Thanks to Calvin, Rand, Friedman etc, American Christians like Ken Lay could say they're doing the lord's work (at Enron) while ripping off their brothers and sisters. The link up between evangelical Christianity and the Republican party, Rand disciples and Birchers, has only made ministering Christ's love to a cynical population more difficult.
They don't like us or want to be us, and they have good reason to feel that way. We have become the very thing Jesus railed against, oppression of the poor, the elevation of the rich, church and state in alliance, legalists who believe their version of Christianity is the only right way, materialism, building big churches, Christian record labels and bible publishers owned by multi-nationals. Evangelical Chrisitianity has sold out to business, not God's work. In another words, we are the Pharisees Jesus was talking about, and we are so blind we don't even know it.
Besides 2000 years is a long track record on against the scale of human history and understanding
I think you're a little off on this one. Randian Sociopathy has been active for decades and now that we're in a gigantic social and financial mess it is finally getting more attention. Let's hope that it is enough to wake us up, expose this infection to the sunlight and maybe we can pull our country out of the morass that Rand's admirers created.
I read a Rand book many years ago - it was shallow crap.