Lesson 3: Trust… In Government
The pandemic has brought into focus all sorts of societal problems. The last lesson discussed only the large number associated with Smithfield Foods. Most of these have been festering for decades. The question is whether the pandemic will bring them to a head in a way that incites creative response. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s “A Draft Social Message on Government and Civic Engagement: Discipleship in a Democracy” provides an excellent example
The statement purports to be a response to the current distrust of government. It begins with a Pew study that finds citizens’ confidence in government has fallen from 77% in 1964 to 17% in 2019. Sadly, this reflects the general distrust of other people worldwide that my son and I have studied for years. The statement ends citing how this has led to self-serving destructive governmental actions, again echoing what we found resulted when people lost trust in other people.
If you read carefully the section headings that follow this paragraph, you discern that the statement sets Christian standards for evaluating political participation without endorsing any specific programs. The assumption is if we critique every one of them by asking if the neighbor is really being served, we will find ourselves in a discussion leading to creative change.
…Lutherans need to affirm government in a way that realistically acknowledges its limitations and failures while holding fast to the belief that it is fundamentally necessary
…Government at all levels in the United States merits both the active support and critical engagement of Lutherans
…Government at all levels is a force for good or evil—or more exactly, both in some combination
…God rules through governmental roles and functions to preserve the safety and enhance the flourishing of earthly life.
…All residents and citizens deserve the protection and care that government provides
…To evaluate how well agencies of government are doing their proper work of providing for the safety and well-being of those within their borders, Lutherans ask one simple but all-encompassing question: is the neighbor being served?
…For Lutherans, Christian vocation finds expression in dedicated, competent service by public servants
…Government becomes evil when its goals, policies, and programs are designed or transformed into vehicles for benefiting one group or harming the neighbor
…Official citizenship is to be honored and regulated by law— but not used to justify stripping any individual or group of their dignity or human rights as neighbor.
My first response was that the statement is too abstract to be very helpful in our current bitterly divided political scene. But the more I think about it, I find it does provide some common ground for creative discussion. I expect each side would begin by accepting the principles expressed and maintaining their actions justify their claims. If the ensuing discussion remained civil and examined the claims against the suppositions in the statement, we might be able to work towards some mutually beneficial co-operation.
The biggest problem would be getting different church bodies to the table. Quite frankly, I also wonder if some of the groups that my son and I have studied for decades would accept many of the suppositions: government as a God-given gift to promote the flourishing of human life for all citizens, the need to separate office holding from personal interest, a call for a civility that respects all citizens, the prevention of granting benefits on special groups, and the protection of whistle blowers, inspectors, and regulators. Next week I’d like to examine these questionable groups.
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We begin this discussion with the assumption that there are two sides and we need to find common ground. I find this frustrating since, as Christians, we should be of one mind with respect to natural rights and human rights. We should work together to ensure our government acts to uphold these rights equally for all people. Public policy should not have a side. We should work to eliminate the boxes that politicians desperately put everyone into.
We should be equal shareholders, with equal footing, status, and voice. In what? In the USA corporation. In the world corporation. In the humanity corporation. And yes, in the Gods Children corporation. This does not mean we will agree, but it does mean each will respect the other. It also means each will have responsibilities and we must be willing to accept…… no embrace them.
I will admit that I am a government minimalist. I believe, as Jefferson firmly did, that the least government possible is the best government. Knowing my own sinful failings and knowing the government is made up of people like me tells me we must limit our opportunity to fail. We must do all we can on our own, and I believe the process of giving to and loving each other is corrupted with all-to-convenient third parties.
I also think the perspective changes significantly if Gods left hand belongs to Hitler. Of course, in the midst of this emerges a Bonhoeffer. I think we should have more voice and shine more light on places where injustice rules over rights, places like China or certain African states.