Should the government Tax Churches to Pay for Universal Health Care?

 Should the government Tax Churches to Pay for Universal Health Care?

This question was asked of me by a concerned member who saw it proposed by a Christian friend.

Of course, very few preachers in the United States are going to jump onboard an idea like that. We all want to keep as much money as we can. Many churches operate in a cash flow crunch, budgeting every dime they receive every year. To add a tax would, in some cases, bankrupt them. This is not, in my opinion, an adequate answer to the question. I am certain it would not be an adequate answer to the money-hungry world, or to those leaning upon the government for their health care. 

My concern is not merely that I don’t like it, but it is unwise, unconstitutional, historically trending, and unbiblical.

It is unwise

Churches exist for a purpose other than the health of the nation’s people. Churches exist for the spiritual well-being of people. To burden churches with a duty that is not their own will distract the churches from their purpose and ultimately lead to the further damage of the spiritual condition of our country.

It is unconstitutional

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

The United States Constitution forbids the government from interfering with church function. To place a tax upon churches affects both that church's establishment and its free exercise. 

It is a historical trend

Social Security effectively took from the American family, and from local churches, the responsibility and then the ability to care for its own. Some would argue that the government took upon itself that role because family and churches were not doing it well enough. Can you honestly say the government is doing it better? We are bankrupting our government with healthcare and other things government should not have its hands in so that now this conversation is taking place because the government has to find new sources to pay for what they now realize they cannot pay for and have never paid for well.

It is unbiblical

The whole concept of allowing churches to exist tax-exempt finds its roots in the Old Testament. The tribe of Levi was separated from the rest of the tribes to belong wholly to God. They were not to carry the same responsibilities as the other tribes in terms of government service, taxes, or other burdens. They were to be cared for through the sacrifices and offerings of the people. They were not given a lot, as the other tribes were. They were to be given property, cities, and other necessities throughout the communities they served.

I think one of the problems we have today is that some churches (should I rather say “religious organizations”?)have lost sight of their calling. They have developed elaborate denominational systems. They have built extravagant structures. They have created a perception of incredible wealth protected from government taxing, and providing for an even greater collection of wealth. We need to get back to local churches that know and care for their own congregations.

Marvin McKenzie

In the field

This World Is Not Our Home

 This World Is Not Our Home

 

While Christians sing the old favorite spiritual, “This World Is Not My Home”[1],[2] I think the circumstances of our times demonstrates something much different. I don’t mean to be judgmental. I think I am in the same boat. It’s been so easy to be a Christian and a friend of the world for so very long that most of us can’t imagine any other sort of Christianity. As believers in the United States, we’ve never won every battle, but we’ve won enough of them to believe we would rise up and win again. For the first time in – well – generations, it feels like we may never win again. Government shut down our world. We could easily blame it on leftist leadership but, praise the Lord, we had an election coming up. We would show those corrupt politicians then. But we didn’t. For all practical purposes, we gained nothing at the ballot box.[3] We might even have lost ground. 

And now those “corrupt” leftist leaders, still in power after the elections plan to lock us in again. This time we have no pro-American president to call out to. This time we have no election looming in the not-too-distant future to look forward to. This time we are stuck. We have some glimmer of hope in a more conservative Supreme Court and perhaps in the recount of the ballots, but honestly, we all believe we’re up a creek without a paddle.

And many of us are scared. Maybe all of us are scared. Our livelihoods, our homes, our comforts – our very way of life is now threatened. 

 

It might even become illegal to go to church!

 

This World is Not My Home.

 

But we want it to be. We want our security back. We want our comfort back. We want our success-driven, prosperity thinking, easy living Christianity back.

·       We have become too dependent on credit

·       We have become too attached to our possessions

·       We have become too trusting in government

·       We have become too connected to property

·       We have become too in love with life[4]

 

We have taken our faith too much for granted.

 

What if we lose it all?

 

So what!

 

Most of the world knows nothing of the sweet privileges Christians in America have known. In places like China, North Korea, the Middle East, and parts of Africa, just living is a challenge. Yet there are Christians thriving in their faith.[5]

 

Why?

 

How?

 

It’s because they accepted from their birth that this world is not their home. They’ve never expected a free pass just because they are saved. They did not call out to God to make them prosperous. They called out to Him to forgive them of their sins and to grant them a new citizenship.

Should we expect more?

 

Hebrews 11:8-10 (KJV)

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

 

 

---

[1] This World Is Not My Home

This world is not my home I'm just passing through my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue the angels beckon me from Heaven's open door and I can't feel at home in this world anymore O Lord you know I have no friend like you if Heaven's not my home then Lord what will I do? the angels beckon me from Heaven's open door and I can't feel at home in this world anymore 1.      They're all expecting me and that's one thing I know my savior pardoned me and now I onward go I know He'll take me through though I am weak and poor and I can't feel at home in this world anymore O Lord you know I have no friend like you if Heaven's not my home then Lord what will I do? the angels beckon me from Heaven's open door and I can't feel at home in this world anymore 2.      Just up in Glory Land we'll live eternally the Saints on every hand are shouting victory their song of sweetest praise drifts back from Heaven's shore and I can't feel at home in this world anymore O Lord you know I have no friend like you if Heaven's not my home then Lord what will I do? the angels beckon me from Heaven's open door and I can't feel at home in this world anymore

 

[2] Actually, I wonder if more progressive churches do sing this favorite?

[3] That’s just a figure of speech. I know almost none of us actually had a ballot box to go to.

[4] I refer you, dear reader, to Patrick Henry, “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

[5] I said, in their faith, not economically.

Liberty of Conscience

I guess we all prayed and perhaps expected that, by Fall, this COVID crisis would be a thing of the past. Not so, is it? Some of us are attempting to get on with our lives, but it has been challenging. It seems like the longer the thing stretches on, the more potential for division and disagreement. 

Now is a good time to practice grace! One of the strong doctrinal positions of Baptist churches in history has been that of “individual soul liberty.” It has applied primarily to the subject of worship. A person has a right to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience. The doctrine leans heavily upon another Baptist distinctive, “separation of church and state.” Historically the Catholic, and then the Protestant churches, married with the state to force people to worship according to the dictates of the state-approved church. The doctrine has applications in this current climate. Every one of us must give every other one of us the liberty to find our own path through the fears this virus has stirred. 

Imagine living 500 years ago. Certain denominations were so sure they were right that they turned in people who disagreed or that didn’t comply. Those who were captured were tortured, sometimes to death, just because they owned a Bible, or refused to have their children baptized as babies, or baptized by immersion rather than sprinkling. England went through a period when the Catholics would gain the throne and kill all the Protestants, and then the Protestants would achieve it and try to kill all the Catholics. It was cruel, senseless, and heartless.

Please. Whatever your personal views of how to navigate this pandemic, let’s rise above pointing fingers at others. Let’s love one another, pray for one another, and give one another liberty of conscience.

Marvin McKenzie

In the fields

(Watch this video of the devastation California's dictates are having on just one of the churches in their state.) Dr Jack Trieber appeals for prayer.

 

COVID-19, Government Overreach, and Compromise

 In 1997 I pastored a small church I had planted in a small town in the state of Oregon. The thirteen years had been good to me. Our church was established, I was full time in the ministry and I enjoyed a good fellowship with a group of pastors from our state and that of Washington. I was scheduled to host a pastor’s meeting at our church. As that meeting grew near, I was contacted by a college in Southern California regarding the possibility of having their Executive Vice President and a group from the college at the meeting as representatives. As the college was associated with this group of pastors, I agreed. But then I did some research. I learned that the college had encouraged students to attend various conferences and events at nearby Grace Community Church, pastored by John MacArthur. At that news, I contacted the college and uninvited them to my church and the meeting. 

It is not that I am a MacArthur hater, I am not. But I do recognize that his ministry and that of Independent Baptists, is not the same. I viewed it as contrary to sound doctrine and to separation to support a movement that would encourage the blending of Independent Baptists with the practices, teachings, and doctrines of Grace Community Church and John MacArthur.

Apparently, I was not the only one who felt as I did. How the word got out, I do not know, but in very short order I began receiving phone calls and notes of congratulations from pastors, especially in Washington State, for my stand. I started getting invitations to preach in their churches and, just a few years later, I was the Executive Vice President of that very same college, since reclaimed by pastors who desired to walk in the old paths.

Let’s fast forward to 2020. The COVID-19 virus has changed our world in ways I am not sure we will ever recover from. The governors of Washington, Oregon, and California in particular have been extremists in their handling of the virus. Churches have been identified as potential “super-spreaders” of the China Virus. California has issued instructions that churches are not to assemble. For some time a number of them, perhaps most of the more well known of them, complied. Grace Community Church included. Of late, John MacArthur has reversed his compliance and in defiance of orders, has returned to the assembly of his congregation. A good number of Christians have applauded him for this stand. I for one pray he is successful.

Here comes the rub. I recently received a twitter message (tweet) with a photo of Paul Chappell and John MacArthur. The tweet, from Paul Chappell, reads, “Thankful to meet and pray with @johnmacarthur this morning. Pray for him as he stands for the biblical call to assemble and worship our God.” That tweet is followed by numerous statements congratulating Chappell for joining up with MacArthur. The only warnings I found were from men who would be considered troublemakers and doctrinally unsound themselves. Here are my problems with Chappell’s newfound fellowship with MacArthur.

The two have pastored in Southern California for more than forty years

Why is the COVID-19 crisis a reason to connect now? I understand that some suggest that this is a matter bigger than doctrine. That neither of the men has to compromise their own doctrines to join forces against this government overreach and that refusal to work together is tantamount to believers refusing to work together when Hitler took over Germany. 

The idea of ignoring our doctrines for a bigger battle is reasonable if there is no God. If the battle is religion versus government, then by all means all religions ought to cooperate to exert influence in the realms of politics. But God is. And God is bigger than the government. Therefore, to cooperate with God is of much greater importance than cooperating with bad doctrine. there is a reason the two men had never met. That reason remains despite the China virus.

It is one step into compromise

I realize it is only one step. It seems like a small step. It also seems like a reasonable step. There never has been a reason Paul Chappell and John MacArthur could not have met, shaken hands, and had a picture together. Human beings ought to be kind to one another. Each man has a right to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience and, since they each have that right, there is no reason they cannot be kind to one another. This is different. This is a deliberate act of cooperation. This is one step into compromise and, with the first step, further steps become much easier.

The consequences of such a step are inestimable

I don’t know if Chappell will take further steps of compromise with MacArthur. I frankly doubt it. But he led by example and I am certain that less known pastors, many of whom have already taken those steps and congratulated Chappell for this, will see this as motivation to become even closer to MacArthur and his non-Baptist, non-fundamentalist, Protestant, Calvinistic movement. This is a subtle movement into the one-world church system. It is, perhaps a well-cloaked movement, but it heads the direction of one world religion nonetheless.

I will continue to pray for churches of all stripes all across the United States. Regardless of doctrine, history, or practice, they each have a right to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience and government overreach against that right is a terribly dangerous thing. But I will remain separated. And I will urge anyone who will listen to do the same.

Marvin McKenzie

In the fields 

The American Experiment on Trial

I wish to tread some dangerous territory for me and dip my pen into the arena of political science for a moment as I give some of my thoughts concerning the 2020 race of Governor of Washington State. The primary being completed we now know this race to be between the incumbent, Governor Jay Inslee, and his opponent Loren Culp.

Mr. Culp rose to the surface over something like thirty challengers to Inslee’s office. His race in the primaries was interesting, to say the least. Culp, I think, first made headlines when as sheriff, he refused to enforce the state’s new gun laws. His campaign for governor has been largely along the same tack. He holds to conservative/Republican ideals, but he is more than that. He separated himself from the rest of the Republican candidates in refusing to play politics as usual. While Joshua Freed, for example, spent most of his campaign efforts winning the favor of the Republican party, Culp spent all of his time winning the people of Washington State. With that in mind, I see the race between Mr. Culp and Governor Inslee as a different kind of horse.

This is not essentially a race between a Democrat and a Republican. 

It is that of course, but that is not what it is in essence. Mr. Culp doesn’t appear to be a Republican team player. He may become that if he wins the office, but he hasn’t particularly played by the Republican playbook. In many ways, he reminds me of President Trump in that area.

This race is not essentially a race between liberal versus conservative ideologies. 

It is that of course. Governor Inslee’s worldview is that of a liberal. In his bid for the presidency, his one platform agenda was to save the planet. His ideology is liberal to the core. His supporters are liberal. If he succeeds in winning this election, he will progress his liberal ideologies. Culp, on the other hand, appears to have a very conservative worldview. We may expect that if he wins the election for governor of Washington State, he will put forward a conservative agenda. Perhaps more conservative than the current Republican party would put forward. 

This race is not even essentially between big government and small government.

It is that too, of course. Governor Inslee is all about government oversight – of just about everything. His is a socialist worldview that sees government as the answer to the needs of the individual. Governor Inslee is, by profession, a lawyer. His career has been that of using governmental heads to manipulate circumstances for the good of his clients. Mr. Culp appears to be the opposite. He has been a businessman, a construction worker, and an elected county sheriff. He sees government as needful but in a limited capacity.

This is essentially a race contesting the American experiment of self-government. 

Governor Inslee wishes, though I am sure he would not say so in these words, to remove the power from the people. He sees government as the protector and provider of the masses. He views us as needy, lacking direction, and requiring the care of a “big brother.” He sees government as that big brother. Mr. Culp has demonstrated his commitment to the people. His entire campaign to this point has been grassroots. Meeting with the people of Washington State from nearly one corner of the state the other. He has conducted rallies with hundreds of people and, in every case, allowed them the liberty to choose whether or not to wear a mask. In this respect, he has demonstrated his faith in the individual to make sound choices for themselves. 

In short, this race puts the American experiment on trial. Will we continue to be self-governed? Will we give the government to the elite few who aspire to be professional politicians? The 2020 race for governor of Washington State will point which direction America is headed.

Marvin McKenzie

In the fields

Five Reasons the Shelter at Home Makes Sense for Churches

1. Because we do not know that the virus is not dangerous.

This is the least of my concerns because, I think, we must still be exposed sooner or later in order to overcome it. Whatever the risk, we will not defeat it in hiding.

2. Because we have yet to exhaust all legal means to appeal the shelter at home.

This is not high on my priorities because, if God wants us to gather, we ought to do it with or without government permission.

3. Because a church body is a natural petri dish.

A local church is a close-knit bunch of people from various parts of the community who are encouraged to be among the community when they are not gathered. When we are together, women are going to hug, men are going to shake hands, and children are going to play. When we disperse, we are going to go into all the world.

4. Because we haven’t prayed yet.

Oh, I know we have prayed. I just don’t believe we have prayed to the Lord believing He is our ONLY hope of an answer.

5. Because the Spirit of God is at work right now.

At least I believe He is. This is my primary concern. If we were to somehow force open the doors of the churches, it may be only by human means. As desperately as God loves the church, He has designed that believers be conformed into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. A church opened and operated in the power of human flesh could never do what God has designed to be the result of the church.

Marvin McKenzie

In the fields (constrained by His Spirit)

Correspondence With a Friend

(From _____)

         Hope you folks are doing well. I need to share something with you. This is not advice or any thing of the sort. This is just FYI. This has to do with the right to do as you choose movement. I'm all for opening things back up and stopping the lock down. I'm hoping to give a different perspective on why the government is doing what they are doing. 

What I'm about to tell you has to do with my experience in the medical field. Both of us have been exposed multiple times. _____ just got a call from HR, that she had been exposed again. (Around 20 times) Woodburn and Silverton are the hottest spots in Oregon. There is a very high population of Russians around, with several Orthodox churches. From personal experience, this is where most of the positive Covids are coming from. They are very traditional and don't like giving up the way they do things. Most people are trying their very best to be safe. Again, this is just to give you a perspective of what can happen when safety is not observed and one of the reasons why the government is coming down hard on churches. 

There is an evangelical church in Salem they had several positive and few of them died. The perception of the unchurched world has a great impact on government policies.

All our love ……. 

(Response)

Good morning Brother

In my opinion, and I understand it is just an opinion, this whole virus has blown way out of proportion and is the result of a trend toward increasing social distancing that I have observed almost my whole ministry, certainly my whole ministry in Puyallup. People fear unreasonably people, including their germs. I sort of think we deserve to have our fears manipulated. I think it might be one of the things God is judging us for at this time. I am praying for God to revive His people.

It is still only my opinion but I do not believe the way to beat the virus, no matter how threatening it might have been (more and more doctors are confirming that it is no more threatening than the flu) is to face it and not flee from it. The very most that should have been done is to take extra precautions with our elderly and the compromised. Even then the focus should have been personal responsibility rather than government intervention.

Again, my opinion but the government has done what governments do best; it has applied its interventions randomly and irrationally based on political leanings and bad science.

All of that said, I do understand why they would be concerned about churches. A church is by nature a petri dish. We come from all backgrounds, we gather closely and regularly we encourage our members to be out among the people to be a witness, and we resist government interference in our activities.

I am in favor of exhausting all our legal means to redress our grievances before any organized civil disobedience is taken up. But I do believe our grievances are real and the government acted oppressively.

Much love.

Marvin McKenzie

In the fields (still under confinement)