Who Needs God When You Have Government?
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
We need a surgeon general’s warning: “This government program may be hazardous to your spiritual health.”
Jesus said we’re to render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, and unto God what is God’s, so it’s clear we have responsibilities both to God and to government. You could fill whole libraries with the volumes that have been written on this rich and vital topic. But what do we do when Caesar attempts to usurp the place of Christ in our hearts?
Sometimes, as when Nebuchadnezzar commanded the people of God to bow down to his golden image, the answer is simple—you obey the Lord and leave the consequences to Him. But sometimes the challenge from those who rule over us is far more subtle. Instead of facing a fiery furnace, we may encounter a temptation that, at its heart, says, “In government we trust.”
That seems to be the conclusion of two psychology researchers who say that better government services are correlated with lower levels of strong religious belief, both in the U.S. and internationally. Their study’s title says it all: “Religion as an Exchange System: The Interchangeability of God and Government in a Provider Role.”
“If a secular entity provides what people need, they will be less likely to seek help from God or other supernatural entities,” the researchers say. “If the benefits acquired in the religious exchange can be acquired elsewhere, religion becomes less useful.” They add that, when it comes to social stability, “the power and order emanating from God can be outsourced to the government.”
Now to my mind that’s a fairly cynical take, as if the only reason people turn to God is for what they can get out of Him. But I know it has an element of truth. God in His sovereign mercy sometimes uses our physical and emotional needs to awaken in us our desperate spiritual need for Him.
But if all our felt needs are met by government, what room will God find in our hearts for Him? I’m not here to argue against effective and targeted government programs, which are good things, and I’m certainly not saying that the church ought to keep the poor in misery. But what I am saying is that the church needs to continue to be the church. God has designed the world so that people are best served, and He is most glorified, when government keeps its place and His people do His work in His way.
My colleague John Stonestreet reminds us of the Catholic social teaching of subsidiarity, which holds that “functions of government, business, and other secular activities should be as local as possible.” The more local we can be, the more loving and effective we can be. The government can start a program, but it cannot love.
Then there is the Reformational concept of “sphere sovereignty,” which Chuck Colson summarized as “society giv[ing] equal respect to all the social structures ordained by God. Family, church, school, business—each has its own distinctive task that no other group can do. The role of the state is to protect these little platoons so they can carry out their God-given tasks.”
That’s often not what happens, as government takes over more and more areas that belong to others—including God. As John says, “In the absence of rivals or challenges to its authority, the reach of the modern state will not and cannot be checked. It will expand to fill the void left by the absence of intermediate institutions like the family, local communities, and the Church.”
So the challenge to God’s people to this encroachment by Caesar couldn’t be clearer. We must strengthen our families, the churches, and our communities. We must stop sitting around waiting for “the government” to “do something.” We need to do something—support a pregnancy care center, feed the hungry, visit the sick, teach the ignorant, befriend the lonely—and proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ with our lips and in our lives.
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“My colleague John Stonestreet reminds us of the Catholic social teaching of subsidiarity, which holds that “functions of government, business, and other secular activities should be as local as possible.” The more local we can be, the more loving and effective we can be. The government can start a program, but it cannot love.
Then there is the Reformational concept of “sphere sovereignty,” which Chuck Colson summarized as “society giv[ing] equal respect to all the social structures ordained by God. Family, church, school, business—each has its own distinctive task that no other group can do. The role of the state is to protect these little platoons so they can carry out their God-given tasks.”
That’s often not what happens, as government takes over more and more areas that belong to others—including God. As John says, “In the absence of rivals or challenges to its authority, the reach of the modern state will not and cannot be checked. It will expand to fill the void left by the absence of intermediate institutions like the family, local communities, and the Church.”
So the challenge to God’s people to this encroachment by Caesar couldn’t be clearer.”
Umm, the government actually exists, just thought I'd make this rather pertinent point! Morning HA, donut?
Actually, the challenge to "god's people" is to prove there's a god!
Local government is fine for some laws, however uniform laws throughout the land ensure equality, commonalty, uniformity and unity.
I have had to relocate for a couple of reasons in my life because the "local" government was substandard and had failed to meet even sustainable standards of industry and or education.
Each state left entirely to it's own devices would result in a hodgepodge of responsible and irresponsibly ran state governments. Resulting in some states being better at some parts of governing than others. Some states would be great, some would be OK and some would right out suck. The people in the states that suck would soon start relocating to the states that did get shit right and those states would soon be burdened with the influx, in the long run possibly devaluing the entire country.
No a strong federal government is needed in today's society more than ever to unify, grow and control the country.
BTW, No particular GOD was never really invited into the American Government anyway for a real good reason. No one seems to be able to prove their GOD is real.
including me.
The last thing we need is a strong overbearing national government. The states are the laboratories of democracy. As it is people do move from one state to another over a variety of issues. Business climate and taxes being a big motivator now.
I agree, we do not need nor want a strong Overbearing government . We want and need a strong responsible federal government.
Leaving everything up to each state's own desires and strengths and weaknesses as the main government promotes the division of America not our unity.
We will never be unified if the bi coastal states and cities impose their viewpoints and wishes upon all of us. Nor would the cities be happy if heartland flyover America imposed our values on their day to day lives. This is why we should go back to the enumerated powers for the federal government and leave the rest to the states and to the people. A strong federal government imposing one size fits all solutions from one side on the other is the surest way to fuel divisiveness, division, and even rebellion from the other, no matter which side is doing the imposing.
iI fully agree, for 241 years our leaders and our country have been coming to terms with the differences on our society, they used to do a thing they called compromising. I think that still has a shot.
Compromising means live and let live. Let people who have certain preferences in their lives vote with their feet and live where they feel most comfortable. What will you suggest next, maybe compelling all states to be compulsory union or right to work uniformly? Maybe compel all states to have the same state income and sales taxes and all locations the same property taxes? Does it bother you that people choose one state to live in over another because of their right to work status, regulatory environment, tax policies, energy policies?
I suggest we stay with the constitution. It seems to have worked pretty well for years.
Proselytizing.
Why did they take the puke emoticon away? Deleted, Skirting {SP}
Off Topic "BF"
The only rational way you can state that God exists is to have all knowledge that can be know, otherwise it’s only conjecture and fairy tales.
Going to make it my new go to in every seed that proclaims gods existence. Thanks livefreeordie, for the inspiration.
In God we trust. The national motto. One nation under God, indivisible.....
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Which wasn't part of the original motto and wasn't added until the 1950's. And only added as a response to communism and due to pressure from religious groups.
Dwight Eisenhower forced the issue in 1954, in part due to McCarthyism, adding the phrase to the Pledge.
Coins had the phrase since the Civil War as God was declared to be on each side of the conflict.
Again Dwight Eisenhower prevailed upon Congress to add the " In God we trust " to paper currency starting in 1956.
Actually, god on the currency then was only optional and not mandated by the government. The Founding Fathers conspicuously did not put god in the motto.
It is a part of it now and as long as we are one united country it always will be forever more.
The point is it wasn't always a part of it. That alone says something, especially where the Founding Fathers were concerned.
Have a blast!
Religion is simply a form of government with a particularly invasive methodology of indoctrination, generally speaking.
If one is Islamic, Jewish, Hindu, Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran, or Church of England that might have truth to it. For the rest of the Protestant World, not so much.
It very much is the case for Protestants as well. Also, are you suggesting that people of Hindu, Jewish, etc....faiths are all Protestants as well? Based on how you wrote that response, it definitely seems that way.