![\"420px-Bloch-SermonOnTheMount\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/656\/2016\/03\/420px-Bloch-SermonOnTheMount-268x300.jpg\")
In this post, I respond to\u00a0David Schell\u2019s<\/a> post \u201cIs Socialism Unbiblical?\u201d<\/a> which is itself a response to a post entitled\u00a0\u201cDear Liberal \u2018Christians\u2019: No, it\u2019s Not \u2018Christian\u2019 for the Government to Redistribute My Money,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0written by Courtney Kirchoff<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Before we get going, I want to note that Schell\u00a0does a tremendous job\u00a0responding to the tone of Kirchoff\u2019s post, so as far as that goes, we\u2019re in complete agreement. Truth be told, I\u2019m not sure Ms.\u00a0Kirchoff\u2019s post merits\u00a0a response. I\u2019m writing this primarily for the opportunity to interact with Schell\u2019s ideas. I am grateful to Schell\u00a0for writing a challenging\u00a0article that gives solid, Biblical evidence for why a Christian can with sincerity believe that socialism is the Christian political ideal, or at the very least, why\u00a0it\u2019s a tenable position for a Christian to take.<\/em><\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Kirchoff\u2019s primary argument is the anarchist-libertarian claim\u00a0that taxation is theft \u2013 and therefore government aid to the poor cannot be charity. However, the only evidence she gives for her claim is an analogy of a mugging, which, without any other arguments to support her position, is a textbook example of the false analogy logical fallacy.<\/strong>\u00a0She doesn\u2019t bother responding to the most obvious of counterpoints: the US Constitution and Social Contract Theory<\/a>, i.e., \u201cit\u2019s not theft because you\u2019ve tacitly consented.\u201d\u00a0David, however, chooses not to address these problems. \u00a0Instead, he shifts the question from \u201cis taxation theft?\u201d to \u201cis taxation Biblical?\u201d which is also a problem for Kirchoff, because in addition to the aforementioned lack of evidence regarding the Social Contract, she also fails to offer any scriptural evidence for her position.<\/p>\n Schell\u2019s Question: Is Taxation Biblical?<\/strong><\/p>\n Schell\u00a0offers a preponderance of scriptural evidence\u00a0to support his argument, which as I understand\u00a0it, is that\u00a01)<\/strong> taxation is Biblical, 2)<\/strong> Christians are obligated to pay their taxes, and 3)<\/strong> Christians should desire to see those\u00a0taxes go to poverty relief. A more modest reading of his argument may\u00a0be that socialism (or merely government subsidies to poverty relief efforts) is at least as Biblical as capitalism, and that progressive Christians do have some scriptural evidence to support their views on government. I am going to keep both of these readings in mind.<\/p>\n I want to note that at no point does Schell use the term \u201ccharity\u201d to describe tax subsidies to the poor (a term Kirchoff finds problematic). This is crucial, and it makes me wonder if Schell and Kirchoff\u00a0aren\u2019t at some level talking past each other. That aside, I want to specifically comment on\u00a0some of David\u2019s scripture passages which he offers as evidence to support\u00a0his argument, which is:\u00a0Unlike about 99% of other topics, the Bible is univocal regarding taxes: \u201cPay them.\u201d 1) Romans 13:6-7<\/strong><\/p>\n For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God\u2019s servants, busy with this very thing. Pay to all what is due them\u2014taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n I am hesitant to\u00a0draw too strong a comparison between taxes in the Roman Empire and taxes in the United States. As I understand it, taxes in Rome were intimately connected to the worship of Roman deities. Paul, in my view, was addressing the difficult question of whether or not to pay those taxes and thereby implicate yourself in the worship of idols. His answer: God is sovereign over all power and authority (13:1), so you should not only pay taxes, but honor\u00a0and respect, as well. \u201cOwe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves\u00a0another has fulfilled the law\u201d (13:6-8). That is, I think, a remarkable statement given Paul\u2019s political and religious context: <\/span>you can pay tribute to the Roman gods and in so doing still fulfill the law by loving your neighbor, or perhaps more accurately, loving your enemy. \u00a0<\/em>That\u2019s how big God is.<\/strong><\/p>\n Romans 13:1-7 is bookended with a restatement of\u00a0the Sermon on the Mount (Luke 6:17-49). It\u2019s also worth noting that in the verses immediately preceding Romans 13 (12:20) Paul alludes to Proverbs 25:22, that when you treat an enemy with kindness you \u201cheap burning coals on his head.\u201d I read\u00a0this whole\u00a0stretch of scripture (Romans 12:14-13:10) as\u00a0Paul giving the church\u00a0in Rome some non-violent, Christ-like instructions\u00a0on how to navigate life in the empire.\u00a01 Peter 2:13-17 echoes Paul\u2019s call to this sort of non-violent resistance:<\/p>\n For the Lord\u2019s sake accept the authority of every human institu<\/span>tion,\u00a0whether of the emperor as supreme, or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. For it is God\u2019s will that by doing right you should si<\/span>lence the ignorance of the foolish.<\/strong> As servants\u00a0of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. Honor everyone. Love the family of believers.\u00a0Fear God. Hon<\/span>or the emperor.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n The context of Peter\u2019s advice about accepting the authority of the emperor is important. In the same breath, he also tells slaves to obey the authority of their masters, women to obey the authority of their husbands, goes on at length about\u00a0what a blessing it is to share\u00a0in Christ\u2019s suffering, and as Paul did, restates Christ\u2019s non-violent teachings from the Sermon on the Mount. \u201cDo not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the <\/span>contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called\u2014that you might inherit a blessing (3:9).\u201d These are Peter\u2019s words to a vulnerable and sojourning people<\/a>\u00a0(Christians under Nero, slaves under their masters, wives under their husbands), that they might respond to adversity and injustice with good deeds and by following \u201cin Christ\u2019s steps (2:21).\u201d<\/p>\n It should be noted that Paul himself wasn\u2019t especially good at following his own advice, and because he had such a\u00a0propensity for disobeying ruling authorities, sometimes getting off the hook, sometimes getting\u00a0thrown in jail, until he was beheaded by Nero,\u00a0some<\/a> read Romans 13 as ironic and subversive. Others read it as pragmatic. Whatever the case, I agree with Alexandre Christoyannopoulos<\/a>:<\/p>\n In the Sermon [on the Mount], Jesus calls for his followers to love their enemies, to give not only the requested coat but the cloak also, and to bless their persecutors. In Romans 12-13, Paul is doing the same, and applying Jesus\u2019s commandments to the authorities.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n The formula\u00a0works like this:<\/p>\n Step 1) There\u2019s the Enemy<\/span> Let\u2019s plug in the variables:<\/p>\n Step 1) Enemy\u00a0\u2192 Those who curse you (Luke 6)<\/strong><\/span> Step 1) Enemy \u2192 Those who take your coat (Luke 6)<\/strong><\/span> Step 1) Enemy \u2192 Ruling powers and authorities (Romans 13) In light of how I interpret Romans 13, I do not think we can take Paul\u2019s comments on taxes\u00a0as binding and prescriptive for all Christians in all places at all times.\u00a0Non-violence requires imagination, creativity, and the Holy Spirit. It\u00a0requires an\u00a0understanding of what sort of system you\u2019re dealing with and your place and role within that system. It requires courage, self-control, and the ability to step outside of systemic expectations and conditioned\u00a0reactions.\u00a0<\/strong>In some cases, the best non-violent response to the powers and principalities\u00a0may be to pay your taxes. In other cases, the best response may be\u00a0a form of tax resistance. In still other circumstances, non-violence may mean a way that is yet unknown, to be revealed by the Spirit.<\/p>\n \u201cCome, let us bow down and bend the knee : let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.\u201d \u2013 Common Prayer:<\/em>\u00a0A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n 2) Mark 12:14-17<\/strong><\/p>\n And they came and said to him, \u201cTeacher, we know that you are sincere, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not? <\/span>Should we pay them, or should we not?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, \u201cWhy are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>And they brought one. Then he said to them, \u201cWhose head is this, and whose title?\u201d They answered, \u201cThe emperor\u2019s.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>Jesus said to them, \u201cGive to the emperor the things that are the emperor\u2019s, and to God the things that are God\u2019s.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0And they were utterly amazed at him.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n I\u2019m not sure this works. The religious authorities, the Pharisees and the Herodians, did not ask Jesus if his followers should pay taxes. They asked him if it is \u201clawful\u201d to pay taxes, that is, \u201cis it in accordance with the Mosaic Law to pay tribute to false gods?\u201d\u00a0Now,\u00a0the text acknowledges they were conspiring\u00a0to catch Jesus in a trap. If he\u00a0answers \u201cyes, it is lawful,\u201d it would anger the Pharisees and he would be in violation of the Mosaic Law. If he answers \u201cno, it is unlawful,\u201d it would anger the Herodians and he would be in danger of arrest. Jesus\u2019s answer avoids both of these traps and packs a punch.<\/strong>\u00a0Some implications of what he said:<\/p>\n 1)<\/strong> Caesar\u00a0is not God, and God is not Caesar.<\/p>\n 2)<\/strong> Caesar can have his rusty old coins \u2013 they\u2019ve got his image, after all. But creation and life bear the\u00a0Imago Dei<\/em>, and those belong to God (including Caesar, himself, and the land of Israel which was under Roman occupation).<\/p>\n 3)<\/strong>\u00a0If life bears the image of God, then Caesar has no right to take it with political executions and military campaigns.<\/p>\n 4)<\/strong> It turns the tables and poses a challenge to the Pharisees and Herodians: To whom do\u00a0you<\/em>\u00a0pledge allegiance? To God, or to Caesar and his coins? You cannot serve two masters.<\/p>\n 5)<\/strong> It exposes the Pharisees and Herodians as having accepted the supremacy of Rome over and against giving to God what is God\u2019s (they had the coin with Caesar\u2019s face and Jesus did not).<\/p>\n Jesus\u00a0insulted the religious establishment, challenged the authority of Rome, denied the divinity of Caesar, and distinguished these earthly powers from his father in heaven, all while escaping a trick question.\u00a0<\/strong>To read Jesus\u2019s answer merely as a command to pay taxes diminishes\u00a0the power of this oft-quoted verse.\u2020 \u201cRender to Caesar the things that are Caesar\u2019s, and to God the things that are God\u2019s\u201d (KJV) is a disarming, incendiary statement, not a suggestion that we\u00a0bend the knee.<\/p>\n \u2020Note:<\/strong> His\u00a0opponents certainly didn\u2019t interpret him this way.\u00a0At his trial, they accused him of teaching people not to pay:\u00a0\u201cWe found this man perverti<\/span>ng our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to the emperor, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king\u201d (Luke 23:1-2). Now, it\u2019s possible (likely) they were just lying, but it\u2019s also the case that Jesus didn\u2019t have a reputation of encouraging allegiance to Caesar.<\/p>\n \u201cIs it true that people were created to collect more and more gold? No. God created people after his own image; He created you so that you could fulfill his will.\u201d \u2013 Saint John Chrysostom<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Conclusion: Lessons We Can Learn\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n How do\u00a0Romans 13 and Mark 12 speak to us today, in light of these alternative interpretations? I think they offer challenges to both Christian conservatives and Christian progressives.<\/strong> As an Anabaptist-Mennonite, I\u00a0believe that our politics in general, and our interactions with the government and with political adversaries, must flow\u00a0from Jesus\u2019s teachings, particularly the Sermon on the Mount. This is the example Paul gives us in Romans 12-13. I also believe, as a Mennonite, that we must recognize that both money, and the state apparatus, itself, are dangerous masters which will often come into conflict with the Kingdom of God. This is (in part) the message of Jesus in Mark 12:14-17.<\/p>\n Some Challenges to the Christian Right<\/em><\/p>\n 1)<\/strong> The identity politics of gun ownership is a problem in light of Paul\u2019s reiteration of Jesus\u2019s command to practice non-violent resistance.<\/p>\n 2)<\/strong>\u00a0The dehumanizing rhetoric towards\u00a0Muslims, immigrants, black people, homosexuals, atheists, those who are pro-choice, etc. (the list goes on) is not consistent with the teachings of Jesus or Paul.<\/p>\n 3)<\/strong>\u00a0The celebration of exorbitant\u00a0riches\u00a0should, by and large, not be a feature of Christian politics in light of Jesus\u2019s instructions to \u201cgive unto God what is God\u2019s.\u201d\u00a0(Though this says nothing on the subject of whether taxes should be levied to address this matter).<\/p>\n 4)<\/strong>\u00a0The burning anger and picketing over taxes is probably not an appropriate Christian response in light of Paul\u2019s suggestion that paying taxes can be an act of enemy love and scripture\u2019s innumerable warnings about the disordered desire for money. (Of course, there\u2019s nothing wrong with wanting to feed your family and pay the heating bill, so this issue requires some nuance).<\/p>\n 5)\u00a0<\/strong>The lack of empathy for scapegoated groups, particularly black and Palestinian resistance movements, is extraordinarily hypocritical given that both Jesus and Paul, whom we follow, were executed for their confrontations with the ruling authorities. We must have the ears to hear those who cry out for justice.<\/p>\n Some Challenges to the Left<\/em><\/p>\n 1)<\/strong>\u00a0The knee-jerk\u00a0conclusion that Christians who oppose higher taxes for poor relief\/healthcare\/education, etc.\u00a0don\u2019t take Jesus seriously\u00a0is\u00a0unwarranted\u00a0given that both Jesus and Paul were in conflict with the empire and we don\u2019t really have much evidence (that I know of) that they considered it a partner in\u00a0building\u00a0the Kingdom of God.<\/p>\n 2)<\/strong>\u00a0The possibility that \u201ctaxation is theft\u201d shouldn\u2019t be dismissed out of hand, given that Jesus and Paul both tell us to let thieves take what they want (and therefore being commanded to pay taxes wouldn\u2019t\u00a0justify the tax itself), and if taxation is theft (or if not outright \u201ctheft\u201d then the coercive expropriation of someone else\u2019s possessions), then Jesus\u2019s message of non-violence should make us reconsider how willing we are to agitate for higher taxes (I will deal with this question more in part 2 of this series).<\/p>\n 3)\u00a0<\/strong>The faith of progressives in the state apparatus to provide material necessities, protect human rights, and guarantee economic justice betrays the strong distinction Jesus makes between God and Caesar, and the fact that the state continually fails to do these things (and instead impoverishes communities, wages war, and protects corporate economic interests) should not come as a surprise,\u00a0given that distinction.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n 4)<\/strong>\u00a0The temptation to scapegoat conservatives should be resisted. When it comes to loving enemies, Christian progressives need to walk the walk (and I am as guilty as anyone of failing to do this).\u00a0Schell\u2019s response to Ms. Kirchoff is a wonderful example of blessing someone who curses you.\u00a0She showed his position a tremendous disrespect by addressing\u00a0it in such a\u00a0flippant and superficial way. He took the time to carefully respond and provide scripture to support his beliefs, giving her position the sort of dignity which she refused to give his.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only way to tell the truth is to speak with kindness. Only the words of a loving person can be heard.\u201d \u2013 Henry David Thoreau<\/p><\/blockquote>\n For the sake of brevity, I\u2019m not\u00a0able to deal with\u00a0all of Schell\u2019s points. But I hope this\u00a0serves as an adequate response both to his essay and to the general idea\u00a0that Romans 13 and Mark 12 require that Christians pay taxes. I think Christians are called to think differently about politics. Because we are building for the Kingdom of God, and because we\u2019ve been called to love our enemies, the question of paying taxes is bigger\u00a0than just \u201cis taxation theft?\u201d or \u201crender unto Caesar,\u201d<\/strong> and the question of Christian politics doesn\u2019t stop with what party you identify with, your position on issues,\u00a0who you vote for, what cable news program you watch, where you come from, or any of the usual things that culture tells us define our politics. Christian politics, or as I like to call them, \u201cMustard Seed politics,\u201d involves our work, our play, our communities, our friends, and our routines; it involves the hard work of learning from mistakes, maturing in faith, and day by day non-violent resistance to the powers and principalities of this world.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In this post, I respond to\u00a0David Schell\u2019s post \u201cIs Socialism Unbiblical?\u201d which is itself a response to a post entitled\u00a0\u201cDear Liberal \u2018Christians\u2019: No, it\u2019s Not \u2018Christian\u2019 for the Government to Redistribute My Money,\u201d\u00a0written by Courtney Kirchoff.\u00a0 Before we get going, I want to note that Schell\u00a0does a tremendous job\u00a0responding to the tone of Kirchoff\u2019s post, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4887,"featured_media":111,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n<\/em><\/p>\n
\n Step 2) There\u2019s the Enemy\u2019s Action<\/span>
\n Step 3) There\u2019s the Christian\u2019s Initial\u00a0Response\u00a0<\/span>
\n Step 4) There\u2019s the Christian\u2019s Followup\u00a0Response<\/span>
\n Step 5) There\u2019s the Result\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
\n Step 2)\u00a0Enemy\u2019s Action \u2192 They cursed you<\/strong><\/span>
\n Step 3)\u00a0Christian\u2019s Initial\u00a0Response \u2192 Don\u2019t curse back<\/strong><\/span>
\n Step 4)\u00a0Christian\u2019s Followup Response \u2192 Bless them<\/strong><\/span>
\n Step 5)\u00a0Result \u2192\u00a0Fulfill the law<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
\n Step 2)\u00a0Enemy\u2019s Action \u2192 They demand\u00a0your coat<\/strong><\/span>
\n Step 3)\u00a0Christian\u2019s Initial\u00a0Response \u2192 Give them your coat<\/strong><\/span>
\n Step 4)\u00a0Christian\u2019s Followup Response \u2192 Give them your shirt, too<\/strong><\/span>
\n Step 5)\u00a0Result \u2192\u00a0Fulfill the law<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Step 2)\u00a0Enemy\u2019s Action \u2192 They are taxing you<\/strong><\/span>
\n Step 3)\u00a0Christian\u2019s Initial\u00a0Response \u2192 Pay the taxes<\/b><\/span>
\n Step 4)\u00a0Christian\u2019s Followup Response \u2192 Pay them honor and respect<\/b><\/span>
\nStep 5)\u00a0Result \u2192<\/span>\u00a0Fulfill the law<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n![\"non-violence\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/656\/2016\/03\/non-violence-300x200.jpg\")