So I’m still mired in a Facebook debate about the election, this time in response to this article:
http://townhall.com/columnists/KenBlackwell/2008/11/03/obamanomics?page=full
I probably get a bit pointed in my responses below, but like I say, it’s been a long election season.
(Working hard to give a measured response here…) It still shocks me how often “Christians” are double-minded about this stuff. “Conservative Christians” seem to like treating the U.S. like a theocracy (which, last I checked, it’s not) when it comes to “moral” issues like abortion and, from their point of view, gay marriage, but are outraged when more “liberal” Christians want to use the power of the state to bring about justice, included the much maligned- but entirely Biblical- “spreading the wealth around.” Ever hear about Jubilee, folks? That’s in your Bible too. If all Christians focused as much on loving and serving the “least of these” as Jesus and Scripture do, we’d have little to disagree about.
- My friend replied on 3:43pm November 4: “Please Robert, show me some scripture from the Bible. I would like to know where you are getting this. I do not see in the Bible where the government is spreading the wealth. I do see the Lord wants you to give to the poor.”
I then go on to say:
Here you go: Exodus 21:2-6, Exodus 23:10-11, Leviticus 25:1-7, 18-22, and Deuteronomy 15:1-11, 12-18. In the theocratic society of the First Testament, God’s special concern for the poor was so pronounced that provisions were made in the Law for a Sabbath Year. After six years of working the field, God’s people were to let the land lie fallow. This served a number of purposes, including taking into account what we would now call “environmental concerns” (apparently God’s a tree-hugger; go figure), and more importantly, providing for the poor. During the Sabbath Year the poor were permitted to harvest whatever grew of its own accord, thus insuring they had something to eat. More importantly, all debts among neighbors were to be forgiven (there’s that pernicious” spreading the wealth around” by “government”- since it was written into the Law, after all).
- http://www.americancatholic.org/newsletters/sfs/an1005.asp
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yovel
- http://www.jubileeresearch.org/jubilee2000/comment/bono1512.html
- http://www.one.org/