Politics And Religion

I came across this piece of reporting (via Blogs for Fred Thompson) about Fred Thompson who was answering questions asked of him by an audience member:

Mixing theology and social issues on the campaign trail is rare for Fred Thompson, but he discussed it today answering a question from a member of the audience.

A woman asked him if he would “as a Christian, as a conservative” continue President Bush’s programs to combat global AIDS.

“Christ didn’t tell us to go to the government and pass a bill to get some of these social problems dealt with. He told us to do it,” Thompson said.

“The government has its role, but we need to keep firmly in mind the role of the government, and the role of us as individuals and as Christians on the other.”

He received a round of applause for his answer, and went on to expand on the role of government in fighting AIDS and other diseases.

“I’m not going to go around the state and the country with regards to a serious problem and say that I’m going to prioritize that,” he said.

“With people dying of cancer, and heart disease, and children dying of leukemia still, I got to tell you – we’ve got a lot of problems here, and we all may have our one that’s affected us the most, but it’s a broad array. And a president who will tell you the truth is that we have to look across the board and do what we can and what we should based upon the severity of the problem and the chances that our research money will do some good in these areas.”

Now this is an issue that has been on my heart for quite some time as I have sought to further understand what role, as a Christian, my faith should play in politics.  It certainly is a difficult question considering the fact that Man has fought wars to reconcile the place of religion in the State.  Certainly there should be a freedom of religion and the State has no right to infringe on my ability to exercise my faith but how much does my faith ask of me to change the world around me through political methods ?  Should the government charge more taxes to help the poor or should a church take that money, which would have gone to taxes, and help the poor through its own methods? 

I believe it should be evident to all that who follow governmental projects AFTER  they are enacted to know that they are often caught up in all forms of bureaucracy that cause delays (or worse cancellations) as well as going far over budget.  A good example is the two hundred mile border "fence" that was already passed in Congress and yet remains nowhere near completed despite being signed into law awhile ago.  Now this isn't to say private organizations don't fall to the same kind of troubles as the government does, but it occurs far less because if your projects are constantly delayed or over budget you will normally go out of business.  So it is wise to come in on time and on budget as often as possible.  Unfortunately the government doesn't find itself without funding often times because of your money in the forms of taxes.  Can you see the problem here?   

First and foremost the money of the People is better suited to remain in the hands of the People and they should be able to put that money to work as they see fit.  The United States provides the most private aid to the world out of any other country by a long shot.  In fact, in 2006 the American people gave $295 billion, a record, and most of that came in the form of non-corporate donations.  That is an incredible number and certainly shows that people are willing to give of their hard earned money for the benefits of others.  It is this, I believe, which shows that Christians should not be seeking answers to the world's social problems through the government because the money is already there.  In fact our energies should be focused on making sure that money is properly allocated and that people are truly blessed by those funds.  You'll notice Christ never went to the government to solve issues, He engaged the people.  The government has it roles but real change (the political hot word of the season!) comes from the movement of the People.

Now I know the Rick Warren's of the world have taken to petitioning the government for greater help in social causes (such as AIDs and poverty) but I must respectfully disagree with such methods.  Unfortunately pastors and politics have been cemented in my mind as two entities that should stay far away from each other.  You can certainly "pastor" politicians but I believe it is a mistake to interject yourself in politics where anything you say can invalidate your teachings of Christ in peoples' minds.  Rick Warren has done such a thing when he went to Syria and praised their "religious tolerance" then ended up saying he never said such a thing.  Oops!  Pastors should shepherd their flock and leave the movement of government to the Christians who have chosen to become politicians.  As difficult as it may be to stand on the sidelines of public policy as a person of influence one must remember that Christ's influence is what we should seek the most in the lives of people. 

In the end Fred Thompson hits this nail on the head and further galvanizes my support for him.  As much as I believe Huckabee could be a great person to sit down and chat with I cannot abide convictions and matters of faith that were meant for the personal to become the overt political.  Sure you can lead your life in office following the tenants of Christianity but that cannot bleed over to making laws.  Pray you make the right decisions and have faith that the Lord will handle the rest.

Update: Bryan over at Hot Air likes what he reads as well.