I myself am a Democrat, but I always vote Republican. I do, however, have many fellow Christian friends and peers, also registered Democrats, who honestly believe in the direction today’s Democratic Party is headed. Although frequently stereotyped as being part of the Religious Right, you would be surprised how many Evangelical Christians vote Democrat today. True, they part company with their political affiliation on matters such as abortion, but their honest, heart felt convictions about fairness and inequality keep them in “the party of Roosevelt and Kennedy.”
Take, for example, the Socialist direction of contemporary Democrats. Often, they will turn to the Book of Acts, to show the Biblical basis for redistribution of wealth:
“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” (Acts 4:32)
I know my friends who use this scripture are sincere and there is no doubt that they love the Lord. I do not judge their hearts, and who knows? On judgment day, they may be rewarded some great mansion while I serve as their janitor. Having said that, I am forced to point out to my well meaning, zealous Christian buds the difference between mandatory redistribution of wealth and voluntary redistribution of wealth. One has to do with authentic generosity. The other is just downright stealing.
For anyone who cares to study the Bible in context, I invite you to turn to the following chapter (Chapter 5) and read the account of Ananias and his wife, Sapphira. They sold their property and turned the money over to the church of Jerusalem, but this act of “altruism” was accompanied by deception. They lied about the amount of profit, having kept a kick back for themselves. With an intuition from God, Peter accused them of lying to the Holy Spirit. Ananias and Sapphira dropped dead on the spot.
Stop right there! Before you are tempted to read a scripture passage out of context again, the lesson here is not that the couple was too stringy. Peter only had a problem with their dishonesty.
“Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men, but to God.” (Acts 5:4)
See? The money was at their disposal. Yes, the Bible encourages a giving, generous spirit. No, it does not teach mandatory redistribution of wealth. So much for reading politics into a narrative that meant something much different. On the other hand, since Ananias and Sapphira lied, I guess it is difficult to read the story without thinking of politicians.
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