In Government, we trust???

“A government big enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take everything you have.”  Gerald R. Ford

G. K. Chesterton was an accomplished novelist, poet, biographer, and journalist. He often wrote about Christianity and current events. In 1932 he attended the International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin and wrote: “Dethrone God, and the state becomes God. It is only by believing in God that we can ever criticize the Government. Once abolish God, and the Government becomes God…Wherever the people do not believe in something beyond the world, they will worship the world. But, above all, they will worship the strongest thing in the world.”

  Money is power and our government is taking more and more of it.

  What would you do if you had 30% more of your money? 30% is what the average American pays in taxes. Things like sales, gas and cell phone taxes are virtually invisible, but are still taxes. Add to that, other items that are taxes but called other names like permits, licenses or user fees. All those fees go to the government. They’re taxes by another name.

  While the Bible commands us to pay our taxes, Scripture also warns of overbearing governments. The Bible has an insightful history of King Rehoboam who lost much of his citizenry who rebelled against him because he planned to overtax them. When they intreated him for needed tax relief, he harshly told them: “My little finger is thicker than my father’s thighs. And now, whereas my father laid on you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions’” (1 Kings 12:10-11). Supreme Court Justice, John Marshall, saw full well the power of taxes, responding in a ruling: “That the power to tax involves the power to destroy … [is] not to be denied.” 

  High taxes are discouraging. They discourage hard work and entrepreneurship. Why work hard or be innovative when government takes more and more? It undermines marriage and the home. Both spouses often have to work just to take care of the basics because government is taking so much of their necessary hard earned money to give it away to others.

  Politicians throw supporters the “red meat” of promised tax cuts. Tax cuts without budget cuts are always short lived. Other politicians rally support with the promise of new programs by taxing the rich. But in America, we’re all rich.

  America is on a downhill slide into Socialism, which is essentially an atheistic governmental system. Karl Marx said, “Religion is the opium of the people.” As a country becomes more socialistic, it also become more atheistic, as the worship of God is replaced by the worship of government. The State becomes God. We look to the state to give us our rights, freedoms, livelihood, jobs, meals, education and healthcare. There’s no appealing to a higher authority because the State is the final authority. (Please understand, this is not to say that Capitalism is a biblical economic system and without its problems.)

  The 8^th commandment says, “Thou shalt not steal.” Yet, what’s the basis of a socialist government? Stealing, or as Frédéric Bastiat, the 19^th century French economist, called it, “legal plunder.” Government should protect our right to the fruits of our own labor, not take it from us. Part of the Creative Mandate is to work and enjoy the fruit of our labors (Gen. 1:28).

  Just one example, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has proposed a 70% federal income tax on incomes above $10 million. Is it really possible to tax the super-rich to fully fund some of the popular new initiatives?

  Here’s a hypothetical exercise to test out the theory (World Magazine, 04-13-19). The Trump administration has requested $4.7 trillion in spending for 2020. One way to raise this revenue in a progressive manner would be to confiscate all income, starting with the wealthiest Americans. Based on the latest Social Security wage statistics tables from 2017, raising $4.7 trillion starting at the highest income levels would require ALL of the taxable earnings of over 35 million Americans. The government would have to completely take away all taxable income of individuals earning over $65,000 in 2017 in order to cover the proposed spending for fiscal year 2020. If, on the other hand, we were to outlaw billionaires, a good place to start would be the Forbes 400 list of wealthiest Americans.

  So, if we confiscate billionaires’ money until we fund the 2020 federal budget what happens? Surely that would cover years of federal spending and leave plenty left over for new programs…or would it?

  The budget proposal of $4.7 trillion annually represents $13 billion daily. If we start with Forbes billionaire No. 1, Jeff Bezos, with $160 billion in net worth, we can fund the federal government for 12 days. Who’s next? Bill Gates and his $97 billion will get us to January 20. Next is Warren Buffet with $88 billion. That takes us to January 27. This isn’t going very well. We’ve reduced the three wealthiest Americans to food stamps, yet we’re not even out of January! If the government takes all of the wealth of the Forbes 400 (a total of $2.9 trillion), it would only fund the federal government for 225 days. But now all of those billionaires aren’t taxpayers but a welfare expense for the government. They’re no longer a revenue source. We also have bankrupted state and local governments that are equally dependent on the success of these wealthy Americans.

  The Lord Jesus pointed out that taxes were a moral issue when He said, “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:21). Scripture teaches tough love. 2 Thes. 3:11: “For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.” History warns us that our country can’t sustain a continued increase of governmental programs, increasingly higher taxes and allowing capable individuals to not work. Add to that, it’s morally wrong to overtax and discourage individuals from using their creativity and abilities. There are no simple solutions and it won’t happen quickly. It begins with a reasoned dialogue and problem-solving thinking.

  The Church is responsible to disciple which includes biblical money management, personal responsibility, commitment and generosity for those who truly need assistance. God’s Word teaches personal responsibility not dependence on government. Socialism is an unbiblical governmental and economic system. We dare not deify the State at the risk of our very souls.

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. 

The vital separation of churches & the IRS

“I am proud to be paying taxes in the United States. The only thing is I could be just as proud for half of the money.”   Arthur Godfrey

  Would it make a difference to you? Imagine that you’re driving through some unknown city late in the evening. Inadvertently, you hit a pothole and blow a tire. It’s dark. You don’t really know where you are or what kind of neighborhood that you’re in. As you’re surveying the situation, you see a group of a dozen or so young men coming your way down the street. So would it make a difference to you if they were coming from a local video arcade or if they’d come from a Bible study at an area church?

  The answer is obvious. You’d feel safer if you knew they’d just left a Bible study. In fact, the odds are greatly increased that if they were coming from a Bible study, they might even stop and offer to assist you.

  This coming Tuesday (April 15^th) is D-day. We file our income taxes. Corporate taxes are due a month earlier, March 17^th. Though our church is incorporated, our church is tax exempt. For generations, churches have been exempt from both income and property taxes. In Wisconsin, we’re also exempt from sales tax. Since the birth of our country, when it comes to churches, it’s hands-off for income taxes, property taxes and more.

  As our culture becomes more Post-Christian, that greatly irritates many anti-religious individuals and groups. They insist that since churches benefit from services provided by the government (police & fire protection, etc.), it’s not fair that they pay nothing for those services. The argument goes that it’s not fair that everyone else has to pay more taxes to take care of the non-taxed church. They see it as an inequality protected under the law. Ask any governmental leader, it’s also a constant topic of debate as government looks for new sources of revenue.

  Let me say that first of all that tax exemption for churches or a lack of tax exemption is not a biblical issue. As New Testament Christians, we have a new citizenship, “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). While Jews under the Old Covenant had a Theocratic government, in that God was their King, and lived under a Theocracy, in that the civil leader had direct personal connection with God, that’s not the case for us under the New Covenant. 

  Then, Christians live and have lived under every type of government: Democracy, Dictatorship, Communist, Socialist…to name a few. We are responsible to obey our government and faithfully serve the Lord whatever the political environment (Romans 13:1-7).

  While we are blessed in America, in that we are given tax credit that we can write off for financially giving to our church, it’s an American right, not a biblical one. Some day, too, we may lose it. Christians will then have to choose to be obedient to God and still give even if there’s no tax benefit. Christians are commanded to be faithful and generous managers of the money God has given them and give to their local church no matter what.  

  But while tax exemption for churches is an American right, it’s also fiscally responsible for government to not tax churches. Why?

  Churches encourage committed marriages. Marriage is the foundation of a healthy society. The church discourages divorce, adultery, even lust. It encourages commitment and martial problem-solving, rather than bailing out of the marriage at the first sign of trouble. Other groups or institutions in society don’t typically do that. This commitment to marriage is beneficial to government in that married people are better taxpayers because they usually earn more. Studies show that they tend to be healthier, both physically and mentally, than their non-married counterparts.

  Churches promote healthy families. The Bible commands parents to love their children, to provide for them, discipline and be responsible for them. It commands healthy parent-child relationships (Ephesians 6:1-4). Study after study shows that children living with both a Dad and a Mom do better in school and are healthier socially and emotionally. Rather than being a burden on society, they’re more likely to be a blessing. There’s a greater potential that they will become contributors themselves to society.   

  Churches advocate a strong work ethic. Scripture commands us to work and use the abilities God has entrusted to us as a stewardship. We’re not to be indolent or depend on others to care for us. Work and creativity are a stewardship of our gifts from God. Since the Reformation, the Protestant work ethic has helped define society. It's a vital concept in theology, sociology and economics that emphasizes hard work, frugality and diligence as a testimony of one’s salvation and the reality of their faith.

  Churches encourage literacy and education. The first book ever printed was the Bible. Many universities and colleges were founded by Christians. The Bible is a book that’s to be read, contemplated and thought about. Nearly every place where missionaries have gone, literacy increased and schools were founded. Historically, the church has also been one of the greatest promoters of the Arts.

  Churches encourage compassion for the poor, disabled and disenfranchised. Christians are commanded to take care of their own aging parents. That alleviates some of the financial burden from the State. The church helps and takes care of its own poor. Addiction and substance abuse are discouraged in the church. Counseling, mentoring and emotional support is often given to those seeking to break the cycle of addiction. Nearly every social organization that helps the disenfranchised was started by Christians. Compassion for others is commanded throughout the Bible.  And studies have shown that committed Christians are typically more generous than non-believers. They also tend to give to causes outside of their faith more consistently and generously.

  The reality is that some day churches may lose their tax exemption. Those in political power are often very shortsighted when it comes to the innumerable benefits of social revenue in their often insatiable quest for more fiscal revenue. If you think taxes are high now, can you just imagine how much higher they would be if the government had to provide all of the “services” that a local church does every day as part of its mission?