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."