Responsibility to the poor: Government or Church? Part I

The Coach's Team ^ | 5/3/18 | Kevin Kookogey

[Oldpuppymax]

What is the duty of the Church concerning poverty? This is one of those areas where the Church has unfortunately surrendered its influence by either adopting the mission of the government or embracing the worldview of the culture, neither of which is consistent with what the Bible teaches.

The Bible, in fact, speaks very plainly about the poor. And since the duty of the Church is to preserve knowledge of God, it is incumbent upon us to correct misunderstandings regarding the proper role of God’s people in this and other areas. In so doing, we preserve a free and civil society for all.

As Christians, we are commanded to obey those authorities whose endeavors remain in God’s order. But when those authorities seek to emancipate themselves from the order that God designed by inserting themselves into all of life and making absolute claims on those it governs, it is the duty of the Church to stand athwart the usurpers.

We provided proper context for Romans 13, that most misunderstood passage of the Bible employed by those who would suggest that we make no distinction between a good government and a government that serves itself, explaining how Paul, Peter and all of the martyrs of the early Church surrendered their temporal lives to remain faithful to Christ in the face of demands that they render complete loyalty to Caesar.

Remember: Jesus Christ was not run over by a chariot; He did not die of cancer, nor was He convicted of theft or murder. Our Lord was crucified for a political crime against the Roman State. The King of the Jews was deemed a threat to Caesar because Rome would not tolerate any rivals to its authority, even if (or perhaps especially when) that authority...

[Fido969]

Ugh.

Factually terrible article. Don’t know where to begin.

[No_More_Harkin]

“Daddy says dice are wicked.”

[JimRed]

What kind of poor are we talking about? The unlucky-in-life poor or the self-made poor? Some people are simply not smart enough or talented at anything of value to others to rise out of poverty. The self-made poor sit around with a hand out and open, waiting for Uncle Sugar to fill it, and complaining that it is not full enough. Or through the use of drugs or alcohol render themselves unemployable.