Christians in Name Only?

It is common knowledge that a large number of evangelical Christians align themselves with the Tea Party wing of the Republican party, a party that would like to put an end to the food stamps program (SNAP). Many of them, including Congressman Stephen Fincher of Tennessee, are fond of quoting the Apostle Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:10.

“He who does not work, neither shall he eat.”

Congressman Fincher and his friends should keep reading. One of the dangers of cherry picking verses out of the Bible is that the verse will be taken out of context. In this case, it is important to know who the Apostle Paul was talking to.

Paul had established a church at Thessalonica to spread the Gospel of Jesus to the gentiles. It had come to Paul’s attention that some of the members of the new church at Thessalonica were not doing their part in advancing the Gospel but were idle and behaving as busybodies, sticking their noses into the affairs of others.

Paul is warning them to get back to work. He is not saying that food should be withheld from anonymous have-nots, and certainly not from the elderly, disabled or children. To do so would be to directly contradict the teachings of Jesus Christ.

After Paul tells the busybodies to get back to work he adds that everyone in the church should continue to do good deeds, as Jesus had instructed all his disciples to do.

There is absolutely nothing in the New Testament to indicate that Jesus would not be in favor of food stamps. Nothing at all. Anyone who would take the time to read the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, would come to the same conclusion. Jesus spent his entire ministry telling people to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” To feed the hungry, to clothe the naked. Those who can’t see that either haven’t read the Gospels or didn’t understand them.

Exactly what did Jesus say about giving aid to the needy?

In Mark chapter 10, verses 21 and 22, we read that a young man approached Jesus and asked Him what he had to do to be saved.

Jesus said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

The man, with his head down, walked away. He was a wealthy man and could not bear the thought of giving up his possessions.

As Jesus watched the man walk away, he said, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.”

First John Chapter 4, verse 20 tells us that “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”

He who hates a brother or sister is a liar. Is Jesus talking about biological brothers and sisters. Of course not. All people are our brothers and sisters. Clearly, watching them go hungry would be hating them, would it not?

“Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Matthew 25:34-36

“When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:12-14

So, would Jesus be in favor of food stamps? For anyone who has read and understood the Gospels, the answer is obvious. Yes, he would. The SNAP program is the quickest, most efficient way to get food onto the tables of America’s disadvantaged. The money spent at local grocery stores by SNAP recipients goes right back into the local economy within a matter of days.

Thankfully, not all Christians are Tea Party grinches. Almost any American city, of even modest size, will have an office of Catholic Charities. In November of 2013 some members of the Presbyterian Church USA announced they would devote a week spending only the amount on food allotted to SNAP recipients, an average of $4.39 per day.

Sadly, the Presbyterians will have to try it again if they want an accurate picture of what it’s like to live on food stamps. After one of the coldest winters in US history, a winter in which the prices of food and home heating costs climbed to near record levels, some Ohio SNAP reciepients are now watching their food allottment drop from an average $132 per month to $112 per month, or $3.61 per day.

Jesus would not be pleased.

“If you don’t want your tax dollars to help the poor, then stop saying you want a country based on Christian values, because you don’t.” John Fugelsang

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