Working with government agencies

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for 

there is no authority except that which God has established. 

The authorities that exist have been established by God... 

the one in authority is God’s servant for your good.  

Romans 13:1-4

When it came time to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, Nehemiah asked the leader of the government in power for help. King Artaxerxes, though not a believer, gave Nehemiah leave, travel documents, and letters of credit. God had worked in the heart of this pagan ruler to show favor to Nehemiah.

In Genesis (39-47) we read that God had arranged for Joseph to become head of a government feeding program that saved not only Egypt but, also, Israel and the rest of the region. The Apostle Paul made full use of his rights as a Roman citizen to preserve his life and gain an audience with the emperor. God has established government authorities to fulfill His purposes.

Churches today are beneficiaries of many government programs. These include police and fire protection, safe roads and building codes. Some churches also partner with the government in summer feeding programs, day care vouchers, and senior adult and veterans' services to name a few.

In fact, urban churches provide services to their community that would otherwise need to be provided by a government agency. Examples include emergency food and clothing distribution, counseling, support groups, recreation, etc. More than 80% of the recipients of these services are not members of the church providing them.

A government of the people, by the people, and for the people works with churches and other local, faith-based groups for the common good. One such endeavor is the Faith-Based Initiative of San Antonio. The Initiative was created by the city council in 2016 to facilitate relational collaboration, active partnerships, and networked services between the San Antonio faith community, government agencies, non-profit organizations and community groups.

The Faith Liaison for the Initiative, Ann Helmke, helped to organize a group of churches in District 3 to work with Councilwoman Rebecca Villagran to tackle the issues of hunger and homelessness. Within a year we had four new food pantries and an ID recovery program in the areas of greatest needs.

As God “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:45),” So teamwork builds God's Kingdom for all, even, with the help of people who may not see the world as I do.

Politics Makes Strange Bedfellows

Mark 12:13-17

The Herodians were supporters and beneficiaries of the government and gained benefit from the Roman taxes. On the other hand, the more religious Pharisees had a militant political wing who had protested and revolted against the tax – sometimes with violence. The Pharisees and the Herodians, were sworn enemies but, against Jesus, they become allies. Jesus was upsetting things, his actions were alarming and threatened the plans of both political groups.

They wanted Jesus to make a public statement that would make lose popularity: “should we pay taxes to the Romans?” (Mark 12:15)

By paying taxes to the Romans you were financially supporting the occupation but refusing to pay taxes could bring the death penalty. Religion and politics are always cultural hot buttons. Religious persons use politics to further their agendas and the politically motivated use religion to further theirs. Both groups were putting culture and politics on a higher level than God

Jesus said, “Show me the money.” (Mark 12:15)

Clearly, Jesus did not have a coin. He asked the people who seemed to be concerned to produce one. They were already making accommodations to their current reality.

Jesus argued that, since the coin belonged to Caesar, it was right to give it back to him. They complained about the taxes but not about the benefits.

At the same time, the Romans were neither the answer nor the primary problem in regards to personal and community sin. The Pharisees' and Herodians' allegiance was misplaced. One group worshiped the state; the other worshiped their religious system. Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.” (Mark 12:17)

We must set Jesus as our priority over government and religion. You have heard it said, the two surest things in life are death and taxes but Jesus tells us that the surest thing in life is the power of the kingdom of God. It renders political rulers irrelevant in its wake. The empires of this world rise and fall but God’s kingdom wins in the end. It is to that Kingdom and its King that we belong.

Rendering to Caesar… AND to God

The separation of church and state is a broad and fuzzy thing. Some think that there is a bold line dividing the two but it can quickly become complicated. For example, churches are exempt from taxes but still benefit from fire, police and other government services. Of course, it can be argued that the members of the church are tax-paying citizens and already pay for such services. Moreover, as a government of the people, we have a say in creating these local codes.

The Fire Department, on the other hand, does come in and enforce fire regulations, the police enforce the law within the walls of the church, and all local regulations involving food handling and public safety must be followed. It can often be costly and annoying but we still must comply.

Another complication has occurred with programs funded by the government through faith-based initiatives. Some on both sides worry about government sponsored religion and/or government interference.

Many organizations have been able to “render unto Caesar” and unto God as well. One example is the Baptist Temple Daycare. It is state licensed and follows all sate and local codes. Because it is a Christian daycare center, we teach the children about Jesus. The state does not have a problem with that.

Another example is a free summer lunch program aimed at feeding children who were receiving free lunch at school. Because this program was government funded, we could not do anything “religious” during the lunch hour. By religious they mean praying, sharing your faith, talking about God, etc. They did not mean such other religious practices as feeding the hungry, befriending the poor, showing yourself to be an example of Christ, etc.

Moreover, Christian programming before or after lunch would be fine. What the government wants is that the lunch be open to everyone in the community and that no one be forced into a religious indoctrination that the government is funding. I can live with that.

As American taxpayers we all (even Christians) have a say as to how our tax dollars are spent. As Christians we have an obligation to minister to our neighbor. Christians have as much right to use government funds as atheist and secular humanists. If only secular humanists are using government funds to help the community, then Christians are not only at a disadvantage but being poor stewards of resources that come from God. Isn’t God Lord of all?

I’m not saying that the government should favor Christianity. The government ought to remain neutral over issues of faith and belief. I am saying that as citizens and taxpayers, Christians ought not to fear the government but, rather, take our rightful place at the table and help improve our communities by helping the under-resourced. This makes us both Christlike and good citizens.

“Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,
and to God the things that are God’s.”
Matthew 22:21 (New King James Version)