Instead I have actually read the Christian gospels. No mention of outsourcing compassion to the government, seemed to be all about personal behavior and personal responsibility. If you have found any passages in the gospels about outsourcing to the government, please share them.
I can't hang around today to get into this very much, but basically you are correct. Niebuhr himself when asked about the role of the church in fighting for social justice took the position that he believed churches had the responsibility, through their members, to push for laws that advance civil rights and opportunities, i.e. justice. At the same time he said that the ethic of Jesus himself was an "individual ethic" and that Jesus was apolitical personally (refused to be made king) and was silent on politics and government in general.
The Christian Gospels are about individual, not collective, charity, responsiblity, and morality. A personal change of heart leading a person to true benevolence is the ideal. In fact when it comes to collective charity and morality, Christ attacked the then Jewish institutionalised notions of charity and morality as empty and self-serving. This is what got him crucified.
Personally and speaking as a Christian, I don't have a problem with government safety nets that are temporary and clearly defined and that are funded by the collection of taxes. One can argue for this on the basis of efficiency, clarity, and the fact that not everyone is going to willingly share. But I don't find much of anything in the scriptures to support such a system so I don't know how someone could legitimately argue for government welfare as a religious imperative. |
