The REAL Question

I’ve been striving years to reconcile my understanding of the Bible and Christian faith with my understanding of democracy, policy, and the political process. While there are many pieces to be discussed, I believe that it is critically important to think about the question that comes before all the other questions, the one that usually occurs at the end of an argument about faith and politics, but that is generally ignored until one feels hemmed in by the opponent’s use of scripture or moral reasoning. Interestingly, it is a question asked, and then turned into a contention, by both Democrats and Republicans, and it tends to move the discussion away from questions of morality. Yet, it is a foundational principle and important to any discussion of public policy. The question I’m referring to is, “What is the proper role of government?” or when discussing a particular policy, “What is the role of government in solving x?

Conservatives ask the question when the topic moves to economic morality. When the issue being discussed is poverty, health care, or discrimination, conservative Christians typically agree that Biblical imperatives exist that obligate one to care for “the least of these,” but they argue that this is the responsibility of the church or the individual, and they stress the responsibility of the poor and disenfranchised to care for themselves.

Liberals, or progressives as they are becoming known, ask the question when it comes to individual and behavioral morality. Politically liberal Christians, when confronted with issues like pornography, homosexuality, and abortion, tend to stress the role of the church in addressing moral behavior, and they emphasize the responsibility of the individual to choose virtuous ways of living. Of course, conservatives assert the active role of government in behavioral morality, while progressives assert the active role of government in economic morality.

Only Libertarians and Communists are consistent in their answers to the question of the proper role of government. For Libertarians the answer is an unwavering “as little as possible” and for Communists it is always “as much as possible.” Yet, with the glaring failures of Communism and the untested notions of Libertarianism, few are willing to embrace the consistency they offer. And, in fact, the complexities of life give most people an ample supply of exceptions to the simplistic suggestions of the two extremes.

Therefore, the question remains, “What is the proper role of government?” As a Christian, I really wish that the writers of the Bible had been citizens of a democracy! As it is, the Bible gives very little direct instruction. Gleaning any help from scripture in answering that question requires a great deal of responsible scholarship. However, even with the most studious interpretations, the question requires that we look outside of scripture.

Charles Wesley taught that Christians could not look to scripture alone (sola scriptura) for an understanding of God’s will, but must also consider reason, tradition, and experience. These things must also enlighten the answer that we seek to the proper role of government.

I have some ideas about this myself, though not fully formed. However, I’m now called to focus on the responsible interpretation of Introduction to Quantitative Analysis, so my ideas will have to wait. In the meantime, I’d love to hear your thoughts. What is the proper role of government?