Should Government care for the Poor?

Few Christians I know dispute that the Bible contains calls to help the poor. Even -- indeed, especially -- the most strict Biblical literalists must see this. My conservative Christian friends, however, tend to say that this is best done privately, not by the government. The government is wasteful; churches and private organizations are more efficient. Do they have a point?

First, I think there is a distinction between two Christian calls: mercy and justice. What justice means is a subject of debate, but certainly government must be involved in some ways. Crime is an obvious example, but justice involves action in the economy as well. Without government regulation, Enron insiders would still be pocketing millions while private investors lost their shirts. Without government loans and programs, only the relatively privileged (like yours truly) could go to college. Other programs related to justice, like affirmative action, are more controversial.

But where we all seem to agree is that Christians are called to show mercy to the "poor, the orphans, the widows," and others incapable of helping themselves, for whatever reason. Here is where conservatives say that private citizens and private individuals should take the government's place.

Maybe they're right -- maybe mercy is most "efficiently" shown by the church, not the government. But socially involved conservatives that I've talked to agree that the church is falling down on the job. If social welfare programs disappeared, is there really enough church commitment to take care of all the poor, disabled, and even addicted that would be forced onto the streets? If not, do we just let them fend for themselves? WWJD, anyone?

If you think churches should take over the business of mercy from the federal government, then my challenge to you is to do it. Advocate for ministries of mercy in your churches. Get involved. I need to do more of this, too, so this is also a challenge to me.

And if you want examples of conservatives doing just that, check out these guys: http://www.safehouse-outreach.org/home.htm. They're putting their money -- and their lives -- where their mouths are.

Anyone else?