In response to your comment, I don’t think I was too harsh on socialism. I think I stated the facts pretty faithfully; it is the job of churches and local communities to maintain charity, not the federal government. This is true for 2 reasons:

(1)The Constitution never grants any power to the federal government remotely like the powers with which it is given by socialism.

(2) The role of government extends only to politics, not to charity. What the government can give without legal authorization (i.e., without being authorized by our Constitution), it has the power to take away without authorization.

Even a single breach of the Constitution, though motivated by good intentions, is nevertheless illegal, and, as Alexander Hamilton wisely noted in The Federalist #25:

“Wise politicians … know that every breach of the fundamental laws, though dictated by necessity, impairs that sacred reverence which ought to be maintained in the breast of rulers towards the constitution of a country, and forms a precedent for other breaches where the same plea of necessity does not exist at all, or is less urgent and palpable.”

Davy Crockett, as a US Congressman, had some wise words to say about this subject.

We are not a democracy, or a democratic republic. We are (ahem, were) a CONSTITUTIONAL federal republic, ruled by LAW and not by MAN. What the American people feel they want at the moment does not matter. We have “democratic” or “popular” elements in our political process, but the word of the people is not to be the law of conduct of politicians.

“I must admit that, as a Christian, I sometimes find myself supporting a position which seems to somewhat run against the grain of my political theorizing.”

Why?? Isn’t the Christian worldview supposed to be the basis of our political theorizing? And what is the Biblical view? Why do Christians constantly give the responsibility to insure the sanctity of life, of marriage, of insuring charity, etc., to the government, where it does not belong, and not so much to the Church, where it DOES belong?

Yes, I believe that we should love mercy, as God commanded in Micah 6:8, but he said “do justice” first; justice is more in the realm of government than is mercy, although the government is not prevented from being merciful. It’s highest priority, however, is law. But when the government becomes too “merciful,” justice and morality are compromised. When more and more people rely on the government’s charity (which is funded by the billions of tax dollars, coming out of the incomes of workers — this is theft and is immoral, as well as unconstitutional), they become lazy and irresponsible. If people are in need, the Church is well able to take care of them. It is more moral for the government to stay in its place (since men with more power are prone to abuse it more), than it is moral for it to perform all the moral functions that Christians should be performing.

The guy who runs this blog gives some details of this.

This is not a soundbite response, but I hope it answers you to you satisfaction.

I can’t help feeling, however, that you are a little overly harsh on “socialism.” I don’t deny that far too many people in our nation today look to government for a solution before looking to their own resourcefulness (a troubling sign for a democratic republic, to say the least), but I must admit that, as a Christian, I sometimes find myself supporting a position which seems to somewhat run against the grain of my political theorizing. True, the government is, at its base, a means of upholding the rule of law, and as such “it does not bear the sword in vain.” However, the government in a democratic republic is also the means by which an educated citizenry works together to accomplish the greater good.

I believe this greater good can and should include such things as a healthy economy, a decent standard of living for all citizens, the opportunity for a quality education, etc. I understand that a strict view of limited government may oppose many such things as outside the proper realm of government; rather than look to the government for a hand-out, people should help themselves. Well and good. The moral dilemma as I see it, is that while I can not make decisions for others, I can choose the way in which I live my own life. And I feel compelled not only to do justice, but to love mercy as well. And sometimes mercy just doesn’t quite level with sound theories of government.