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Dr. Del Tackett is the author, architect and teacher for Focus on the Family's The Truth Project, a nationwide initiative designed to bring the Christian worldview to the body of Christ.
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More Than Ice Melting…
Posted on July 16, 2007
Filed Under Worldview |
I don’t know if anyone else gets exercised over this or not.
Evidently, the federal government has spent over $12 million on a bunch of ice that was originally intended to be used for Katrina hurricane victims. Well, it turned out the ice wasn’t really needed, so they transported it around the country, paying shipping and storage costs until someone decided that shipping and storing ice is very expensive. Now, after spending a boatload of the taxpayer’s property, it is left to simply melt away.
For those of you who know me and my stand on the biblical role for civil government, this is upsetting for a number of reasons. (I’m just venting, so stand back!)
One, the Scripture doesn’t call the civil magistrate to be the source of charity or benevolence. God has provided for that through other social spheres and when we follow that design, it is very effective and efficient. However, it should not surprise us how poorly it works out when the state gets involved in attempting to fulfill this role. The ice incident is only one of an inexhaustible list of examples.
Two, I am convinced that the primary motive behind the state’s involvement in benevolent activities is to expand its reach. The hunger for power and control within the breast of fallen man is nearly insatiable. If a people can be convinced that the state is their real savior, they will increasingly demand that it act that way: feed us, clothe us, heal us, teach us, sooth us, wipe away our every tear; above all, make sure nothing bad ever happens to us, and if it does, immediately show up to meet our every need. The state is more than willing to grow in power and might to fulfill the people’s call—at a very steep cost.
But, finally, it is this cost that troubles me most. Not just the higher and higher taxation that feeds the growing monster, but the cost on the individual. God has provided the means for charity and benevolence so that people in need can be truly helped and restored. Handouts rarely do either. It is personal involvement that provides the key ingredient to success in benevolence—more so than the buck. The more the state assumes this role, the less we are personally inclined to do so. We would rather the state take someone else’s money and do our benevolent work for us. That way we don’t have to get involved or get our hands dirty. But in the end, the savior state doesn’t really help the needy. That’s the whole point here. It merely creates a downward spiral of increasing dependency that will eventually destroy them and our society.
That’s why this stuff gets me so incensed.
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12 Responses to “More Than Ice Melting…”
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Del,
Based on today’s blog I would ask you to consider Ron Paul, candidate for President. He is the only candidate that believes the nation should be governed by the Constitution and that the power of the federal government should be limited to only those powers explicitly stated in the Constitution. He is a highly principled, straight-talking, and consistent “Constitutionalist”. If you are interested in finding out more about him he has a large presence on the Internet - Google, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, etc. By all counts he has an extremely small chance of winning the nomination but while he is still in the running he is a refreshingly sane voice in the midst of all the political pandering.
Thank you for all the time you put into FOTF, The Truth Project and this blog. I enjoy and am challenged by your work.
I pray that your father is doing well.
Kevin Cottrell
I live in Iowa and right now there are a ton of persons running for President coming into my state. This issue is one of great importance and it is interesting and somewhat scary at times to see what each one believes about the role of government.Some are clearly in the government is the savior camp . There is only one savior and it is not the government!His name is Jesus Christ!
Politics is leaderhip, and many evangelical Christians believe that the state should do what they believe Jesus would do. Is there any evidence in the Gospels or the Pauline Epistles that they are mistaken?
Generally, what does the Ten Commandments, in the context of Old Testament teachings, say regarding the state re-distribution issue?
Del, I’m going through the Truth Project, In my church, Have your heard about today’s scandal? In L.A. Clergy settlement Finalized In court? When I watch the new reports, I was thinking about what Is evil, I know from your dvd series that Evil was the result of adam’s sin romans 5-12.That we mankind Are responsible for this. I was outraged, when I found out that Cardinal Mahony moved the accused Priest to different parishes, so the priest can could go ahead and ASSAULT more victims, This I find to be extreme evil, I’m real disgusted at this person!!! your comments
I would propose that there are two ways in which the state taking over the role of benevolent work affects the people.
One is as Del mentioned, people get lazy and say the state is taking care of it, I don’t need to do anything.
The other, is that people become cynical towards the whole idea. There are several reasons. We all know the state is inefficient in its ability to care for the needy. We also know that there are multitudes that take advantage of the system and are in fact not needy but sluggard’s. It becomes difficult to tell the needy from the greedy. Finally, the state in its effort to expand its control, continually changes what the definition of needy is. We recently had a state rep trying to pass a law that air conditioning was a right and should be provided to everyone and we live in one of the northern states.
God’s designs are perfect; man’s designs are woefully inadequate.
What are you a libertarian? Yeah, me too.
Hear, Hear! I agree and am incensed as well. Most of this started with the “New Deal” that Roosevelt started. I am sure his motives were pure but it ratcheted up our spending and made the government grow to levels the founders never desired. It is a mess now and doesn’t seem to be getting better.
We need to be on our knees praying for revival and ask God to grant us a spirit of repentance throughout our land {in and out of government}.
I still believe with God’s help we can save the “American Experiment” if Christians would be more involved in the process and if Christian’s who hold public office would be true to their Christian convictions and not get swayed by the allure of power!
With God all things are possible.
Appreciate your vent- you said it well.
Debbie Smith
have you ever thought of running for president? you should! wait…you couldn’t get elected. you actually make sense! sorry to get your hopes up!
I too am incensed with the traveling ice story. Your comment, “The state is more than willing to grow in power and might to fulfill the people’s call—at a very steep cost” causes me to think about our broken healthcare system. Does the state have a legitimate role in healthcare? I recently saw the movie Sicko and would enjoy your comments on it if you are so led in the future. I did send an email to (FOF)Plugged In asking if they would be reviewing the movie and they said not.
Allow me to recommend St. Augustine (City of God), John Howard Yoder, and Stanley Hauerwas for your reading pleasure. If only more [any?] American evangelicals would read such greatness…
Wow! I am a child of the welfare system & must say that I thought it was a way of life, that it was perfectly normal to let the government take care of you. Thank God I know better now. And I truly see a major flaw in the system as it is even with all the reform they have done. I recently read where someone thought they should do a urine test on people receiving government money. I thought it kind of made sense but wouldn’t work as it would not detect lazy people (like I used to be).
Thank you for sharing your life & ideas. Our prayers to your Dad & family.
If you wish to truly examine the system and its failures, may I suggest a book, a little out of print, but is still obtainable,” Uncle Sam’s Plantation” written by Starr Parker a woman who was trapped in the system for years and got out. It decribes how people are fooled into believing that either party wishes them any good. It chronicles the overall failures of the system, President Bush got it right; welfare reform was necessary, just as Dr Tackett got it right when he said that the church must step up and fulfill her role in society, it’s the only way people will ever see the love of Christ in action!
God Bless