Even in an age that denigrates Christian faith when it comes to basic morality, we have politicians (and others) who fall back on it for whatever expansion of government they want to see.
The whole Religious Left is like this. They point to Scriptures that tell us to help the poor and disadvantaged, but with a twist—we are to use the power of government to carry out Jesus’ commands.
The problem becomes more complex when it shows up in those who claim to be conservatives. Take Ohio governor John Kasich, for example. As he runs for president, he hits conservatives over the head with his version of the Bible:
The Biblical admonitions to help the poor are real; the method whereby that should happen are real as well. In every case, the command is to individuals, as God wants to work on our hearts. And in the Old Testament, it is clear that the poor are not to receive mere handouts, but they are to do some work toward what they receive. We’re told when we reap the harvest of our field, we are to leave the corners for the poor so they can come in and glean for themselves.
That’s the principle.
Yet today we’ve set up a system that mechanically hands out checks without any regard to the character of those who get the checks. The government is a huge dispenser of funds that people, over time, become accustomed to receiving, and if the dispenser slows down at all, they become enraged.
We have created a culture of dependency, which is the opposite of what God wants to develop in the hearts of both givers and recipients.
Those on the Religious Left are doing a disservice to the Gospel with their constant demands for more government aid. They are helping lead people away from the Truth and are erecting an idol of government power.
You know what else I see? Sometimes, those who yell the loudest at conservatives for being hardhearted toward the poor are hardhearted themselves toward the most deserving of our care—those innocent children in the womb. They rail on about helping the poor, yet turn a blind eye and a deaf ear toward the atrocity of abortion.
Take the log out of your own eyes, please. Not only will you then see who deserves help, but, hopefully, the best way to offer that help. The true Christian spirit is that of giving from the heart, not depending on a government bureaucracy.