The way I read scripture, I see a mandate for government, the church, and individuals to care for the poor. That the mandate exists for individuals does not negate the mandate for the other two.
The Founders knew their scripture and structured the entire Constitution on the Christian ethic. Why, Danny, didn't the Founders include some reference to a Christian American government's scriptural obligation with regard to charity, then, setting forth a place for it in the way the American government was set up?
I'll tell you why. Because the Founders saw ZERO scriptural mandate for the Federal government to provide charity for the poor. You do, but they sure as heck didn't.
The Founders understood that government is a FORCE. As a force, is a "dangerous servant and a fearful master." That is what the Founders understood. Dangerous -- use sparingly. I am a "conservative" -- I want to be conservative in the use of government, the same way I'm conservative as to how much junk food I eat.
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
If you look at the first Congress acts, you find some acts of charity. They provided for sick and disabled seamen and military. They provided for certain widows and orphans. They gave away land. They forgave debts of people who had had misfortune. They provided bankruptcy laws.
I didn't look it back up, but I believe the second congress gave aid to the indians and provided disaster relief to certain cities.
they didn't make specific provision for it because Congress had all the authority they needed to act as needed.