Two major things have happened in the last week or so: the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill and the IRS changing its tune on churches endorsing political candidates for office. Thanks to these developments, Christians find themselves in an easily manipulated position.
I am not a preacher. I am not an elder or leader in church. I am a woman, and I act within my God-given role as such. So I will not presume to make judgment calls for people who are tasked with such authority. Yet as a lawyer and a Christian, I do have a few thoughts on general principles and legal analysis relating to these developments. So with that disclaimer, I offer the following thoughts.
The Big Beautiful Bill made significant cuts to the Medicaid program, limiting eligibility to citizens – a no-brainer for most – while requiring at least 20 hours a week of work, either paid or volunteer. This move will allegedly cut Medicaid costs by $793 billion over 10 years.
The left is screaming that people will die because of this, claiming that Christians are not true Christians if they aren’t mad over the fact that the poor will not receive this care anymore. It is interesting to see the left pick which parts of Christianity they want in their government, all wallet and no morality, it seems.
Also of importance is the recent interpretation of the IRS regarding church political endorsements. In the 1950s, Lyndon B. Johnson passed something called the Johnson Amendment, restricting non-profit organizations, including churches, from endorsing political candidates. Although widely regarded as unconstitutional for its infringement on First Amendment rights, Americans have largely just gone along with it.
This provision was violated many times over by the left without consequence, Barack Obama’s church circuit during the 2008 campaign being just one example. I believe the amendment has not been enforced because the government knows it would lose.
Now for the biblical principles at play in these developments. According to biblical principles, the role of the government is to encourage good and punish evil (Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-14). The Bible encourages Christians to submit to their governing authorities because God gave the government authority so that it will punish evil and promote good.
The Old Testament also shows God’s view of government. His first law of governance after Noah’s flood was to kill those who kill (Genesis 9:5-6). Psalm 82:2-4 and Daniel 4:27 urge governing authorities to execute justice and defend the weak. Ecclesiastes 8:11 tells them to sentence an evil deed quickly. Further governmental guidance is seen in how God established the government of the nation of Israel.
That is our baseline. Everything else is a matter of opinion and not a biblical command.
Is it the role of the government to make sure everyone has healthcare? Not according to the Bible. It is their job to make sure the poor have justice – justice as in not being wronged by others through crime, rather than social justice? Yes! The biblical command overwhelmingly tells Christians to do so! But it is nowhere stated that true Christians will support the government doing so rather than promoting individual charity. The latter is a matter of opinion on policy and doesn’t affect whether you are a true Christian with faith in God.
Likewise, a church’s job is to submit to the authority of the government. It does not have to speak to policies and political candidates to be a true church – we do not see that anywhere in the Bible. But the church must speak to moral issues that the Bible addresses. Doing so is part of faithfully exegeting the text.
Yet most of the moral issues nowadays are political. For example, homosexual marriage and abortion are both moral issues found in the Bible, and thus it would be wrong for a church to remain silent on them just because they are divisive.
Let us say a candidate says that if elected, he or she will make abortion the law of the land, and all churches must ordain and celebrate gay marriage. I would expect a church to come out against that candidate and warn its congregants about voting for that person because they go so fully against the commandments of God. Thus, a preacher may say, “We can disagree on this policy issue, but we cannot disagree on this biblical principle.”
I urge my fellow Christians to stick to the underlying principle of biblical government and allow the other issues to be matters of liberty. Don’t let the left persuade you that your salvation is not secure or that you are not a Christian because you do not support their policies. But do not let them silence you either.
The left has been disregarding the law for years. They will be endorsing political candidates in churches now more ever, even if you do not. But remember, you are not an unfaithful church if you don’t choose to do so. Either way, “O, Church Arise!”
Laura Clark is a wife, mother, and community activist. She currently serves as the interim president of Alabama Center for Law and Liberty, a conservative nonprofit law firm that fights for limited government, free markets, and strong families in the courts. Anything written by Laura for this publication does not constitute legal advice.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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