An Attempt to Reflect Biblically On The Role of Government & Shutdown Crisis

       Jim Wallis is the leader of Sojourners, an evangelical social justice community in Washington, D.C.  Wallis is outspoken about the need for women and men of both political parties to come together and pursue the Common Good rather than partisan or ideological wins & losses.  Wallis knows his scripture and reads them with an eye toward what others have called 'The Hole In Our Gospel'--God's deep desire that his people lift up and provide for the poor and oppressed in their midst.  In any case, in a recent blog post Wallis talked as clearly as I've heard in this whole political debate about the biblical understanding of government and its purpose.

I've excerpted a portion of the blog for your edification.  If you want to read the entire post, please do so at:    
 http://sojo.net/blogs/2013/10/03/why-government-shutdown-unbiblical
I am predisposed to agree with Wallis, but even if I weren't, Wallis forces me to step back and ask exactly what the Bible does teach about government as well as my calling not just as a citizen of the Kingdom, but as a citizen of the nation I have made my home.  See what you think.

"The Bible speaks clearly about the role of government, and that is what really is being challenged here. It's time for those people of faith who want to shut down the government to read their Bibles. …

"This kind of crisis should cause people of faith to fast and pray and read their Bibles. And whether or not you are a person of faith, you might find it interesting to see what the Bible says about the mess we are now in.

"The biblical purpose of government is to protect from evil and to promote the good -- protect and promote. Government is meant to protect its people's safety, security, and peace, and promote the common good of a society -- and even collect taxes for those purposes. Read Romans 13 by the apostle Paul and other similar texts. The Scriptures also make it clear that governmental authority is responsible for fairness and justice and particularly responsible to protect the poor and vulnerable. Read Isaiah, Amos, Jeremiah, the Psalms, and even the book of Kings to see that God will judge kings and rulers (governments) for how they treat the poor. And it wasn't just the kings of Israel who were held accountable for the poor, but also the kings of neighboring countries -- all governments. That's what the Bible says; so let me be as clear as I can be.

"… First, to be hostile to the role of government is unbiblical according to the Scriptures. Second, because of their hostility to government, many of those who are promoting this crisis are also hostile to the poor, who are supposed to be protected by the government. They blame the poor for their poverty instead of asking how government can protect the most vulnerable and even help lift them out of poverty.

"The facts and the faces of those who suffer first and worst from these crises must be lifted up -- and that is the role of the faith community. Already, thousands of children are losing their Head Start programs, mothers with children are losing WIC (Women, Infants, and Children program), and many of those most dependent on their paychecks are now losing them.

"Jeremiah, speaking of King Josiah, said, "He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well." The subsequent line is very revealing: "'Is that not what it means to know me?' declares the Lord" (Jer. 22:16). Of Solomon, the Scriptures say, through the words of the queen of Sheba, "Because the Lord loved Israel forever, he has made you king to execute justice and righteousness" (1 Kings 10:9). Psalm 72 begins with a prayer for kings or political leaders: "Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king's son. May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice. ... May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor" (Ps. 72:1-4).

"There is a powerful vision for promoting the common good here, a vision of prosperity for all the people, with special attention to the poor and to "deliverance" for the most vulnerable and needy.

"That vision of "common good" is what we have lost, and there is nothing more important in our public life than to find it again.

"For people of faith, government is never ultimate but needs to play the important and modest role of servant. The criteria for evaluation and judgment of civil authority is whether it is serving the people, whether it is guarding their security, whether it is maintaining a positive and peaceful social order, whether it is helping to make the lives of its citizens better, and, in particular, whether it is protecting the poor. To be opposed to government per se, especially when that opposition serves the ultimate power of other wealthy and powerful interests, is simply not a biblical position. Transparency, accountability, and service are the ethics of good government. "Of the people, by the people, and for the people" is still a good measure and goal of civil authority.

"But people of faith will ascribe ultimate authority only to God, to whom civil authority will always be accountable."

Bishop Coyner's Response to Government Shutdown

       The following is an excerpt from our United Methodist Bishop of Indiana, Mike Coyner.  He publishes a regular blog about issues facing the larger church and world entitled, E-pistles.  I thought today's was excellent and so I've copied a portion of it and posted it below.  If you'd like to see the entire post, please do so at:
        The Government We Deserve

       "I read all of the complaints about Congress and the President in our current government “shut-down” and the arguing over Obamacare and raising the national debt. I hear all of those complaints, and I tend to agree with most of those complaints (what a mess we have in Washington, created by our elected leaders), but if we look a little deeper we have to admit that “we get the government we deserve.” 

      Let me explain:  Our US government is designed to create such stalemates. Our founders did not trust government, so they created a government with so many “checks and balances” that it is hard for any political party to take charge and rule (or simply govern). We have branches of government, a two-house Congress, and an active judiciary which inserts itself into the legislative processes. Our US government was designed that way, so it should be no surprise that we have political divisions in Washington, and on state and local levels. In addition to our system of branches of government, we Americans also tend to elect different political parties to control the White House and Congress. Every time we elect one party into power over both the White House and Congress, in the very next election we typically undo that -- and put the minority party in control of at least one house of Congress. We have done that now. We have elected one party in the White House and Senate and another party in the House. We get the government we elect, and we get the government we deserve.

     But it goes deeper. All of the traits in Washington that we decry are actually an outgrowth of the messed-up values in our whole culture.

    We complain about over-spending by Congress, but the average American household is spending 103% of their income.

    We complain about the rising debt level, but the typical American is increasingly in debt (and that is even mirrored in our churches which are increasingly in debt).

    We complain about the culture of entitlement, but the typical American has an “entitlement” attitude (just watch the way people drive over the speed limit, cut off others in lanes, and ignore simple traffic rules – all of that reflects an attitude which says “I am entitled to break the rules that I don’t like.”).

     We complain about the rising cost of healthcare, but most Americans are over-weight, out of shape, and in poor health by virtue of lifestyle choices.

    We complain that the politicians are not able to work together, but Americans seem to be more and more disagreeable and unruly (If you don’t believe that, just go to a Little League baseball game and watch the behavior of the parents. Or watch a local school board meeting and listen to the inability of people to listen politely to those with whom they disagree. Or you can even see that unruly behavior in some church meetings.).

     We complain that our government too quickly resorts to the use of violence and unauthorized force, but our whole culture is becoming more violent as witnessed by the violent video games we allow our children to play and as witnessed by the shootings and crime in both our cities and our rural areas.

    My point is this: we can complain about the government, but we get the government we deserve. We get the government we elect. We get the government that reflects the unhealthy trends in our whole American society.

     What is the answer? I believe it is to be honest about the nature of human sin (a word which we seldom use, even in church). We have to confess that we all are the root of the problems we see in Washington. We have to quit destroying good and decent people who run for office. We have to elect persons who reflect the “higher” American values. And we have to pray that God will forgive us for choosing the government we deserve."

What I Would Have Written If I Had The Time

Instead of writing a front-page article for this newsletter, I am going to put my energy elsewhere. I’ve been praying for Steve and Judy Burton, grieving with them over the loss of their ten-year-old grandson, Ethan, hit by a car while checking the mail last Friday afternoon. I just now learned that one of our beloved saints at St. Andrew, Ilah Notestine, has gone to be with Jesus. I look forward to having the privilege of helping celebrate the life God has shared with us in Ilah. It’s a very big Sunday this week with our first ever Homecoming Celebration and I wouldn’t mind being able to put together something special, preaching-wise, for that event. Sure, there’s also all the usual suspects as well: a new Bible Study to put together, important meetings to prepare for, hospital visits to make, recommendation letters to write, and all the other unplanned things that pastors have to plan for.

So much for a front-page newsletter article.

Some of you have heard this song and dance from either Pat or me before. How it is almost impossible at times to keep a balance between all the important responsibilities that a growing congregation puts on a pastor. When you’re working on a sermon you feel guilt—that you should be out visiting or getting through the mountain of pink ‘please call’ notes piling up on your desk. But when you’re out visiting, you feel like you’re shortchanging your sermon or Bible study preparation. Too many things can come between me and one of the true joys of ministry—spending time with my parishioners who need prayer, counsel, or an encouraging word from their pastor. Deadlines, meetings, administrative concerns, and minor brush fires of all shapes and sizes can eat up all of the time you have available.

So much for a front-page newsletter article.

I had a friend in seminary who was one of the few pastors who was actually honest about his shortcomings in the pulpit department. He told me once that he wasn’t much of a preacher on Sunday morning. He wanted to be judged by the “sermon” he preached throughout the week as he went about the task he loved of tending his flock. He told me that what gave his Sunday morning sermons any power at all was that they were just extensions of what he had been “preaching” to his  congregation all week. I never heard him preach from the pulpit, but if he pastored others half as well as he befriended me, then he must have been a regular Billy Graham or Max Lucado. When the demands are heavy and the time for sermon preparation is light, I always remember what he said.

Every once in a while it’s okay not to have a front page newsletter article.

A pastor’s calling can be a demanding one sometimes. But I’ve long since discovered that most of the women and men I am privileged to serve also have demanding callings/careers. Even the most prepared teachers have to wing it sometimes; even the most devoted husbands and fathers have to sleep through some soccer games and school plays when they work second or third shift; the most persuasive sales people are sometimes left without all the information they need to close the deal. The good news for all of us is that how we go about fulfilling our responsibilities and performing our job duties day in and day out is the strongest testimony to our worth and achievement. The most important work we undertake is the daily effort to maintain our integrity, to honor our word, to treat the people around us with respect and kindness, and to live out our faith in the best way we can. We are called to bloom and bear fruit wherever we’ve been planted, each and every day.

In the end, none of us are judged on a single day’s production quota, sales pitch, student presentation, class lesson, or sermon we deliver. It is who we are before, during, and after each and every one of the critical moments that define who we are in the eyes of God—and for the most part, in the eyes of others. It is an insight we pastors—and all of God’s people—would do well to ponder every now and then.

Still though, it is a shame that I didn’t have time this week to write an article for the newsletter. I have no idea what Laurie will put on the front page