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Dross and Debt
by Jim Fedako My fellow Christians, before you vote on Tuesday, consider these two Bible verses: Thy silver is become dross (Isaiah 1:22a) A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children (Proverbs 13:22a) In the first verse, the prophet Isaiah condemns the Israelites for allowing their money to become worthless. In the second verse, Solomon notes that good men leave an inheritance to their grandchildren. What do these two verses have to do with Tuesday’s vote? Let’s take a look. Both major party candidates have platforms that appeal to many Christians. Obama has an implied social justice agenda, an agenda that many Christians believe is the best, most efficient way to serve God. McCain, on the other hand, has an agenda that many other Christians believe to be godly, an agenda that includes the defense of the family, along with the standard Republican fare of socially conservative programs. I can understand the ends sought by these two sets of Christians. Improving the lot of the poor and protecting the family are indeed worthy ends. However, we must consider the means used to achieve those ends. The agent responsible for employing the means is government – not God or His church, but government and its associated bureaucrats and minions. The agent is worldly, as are its resources. Now many Christians have no issue with government acting on their behalf. They see government as a valid means to perform works in the name of God’s church. I will set that aside and assume their view in order to get to the root of the real issue. OK. We have Christians using government as the means to their ends. However, we are not done. Government must secure resources in order to implement social justice and protect the family. Government taxes and Christians render unto Caesar. Again, I will set this aside and assume the view that taxation is a legitimate means to fund the ends sought – again, we are not at the root, but we are almost there. In our world of big government, taxation can never provide enough resources. Why? Set the tax rate too high and revolution hits the streets. Government knows this, but it still needs resources, lots of resources. So instead of raising taxes and battling riots, government turns its constituents into bondservants. Then, to protect its tracks in the financial markets, government prints lots of money – lots of fraudulent paper lies. And this is where Christians must take pause: the Bible does not provide a license to commit fraud or lie. That is true regardless of the end sought. We are not to do evil in God’s name. Nevertheless, there it is. And there we are. Many Christians have allowed – no, encouraged – government to keep printing paper lies. In addition, we have presented God with sacrifices paid for by those very same lies. Our silver is not becoming dross – it is dross. And our children’s children will inherit the yoke of debt, not the inheritance of the good grandfather. Amazingly, we dare to call this good. God turned his back after Isaiah read the charges and the Israelites did not turn from their ways. Yet we still believe that God will bless this nation in spite of our actions. When you vote for either major party candidate, you vote to offer God a sacrifice paid for by lies. If your heart is still seeking God, you know that only God can make all things possible (Matthew 19:26) – not government and its lies, but God and His truths. My fellow Christians, vote for a candidate that will cast the golden calf of lies and debt back into the fire, or do not vote at all. Do not add your name to the list of those who dare to offer lies as an unholy sacrifice. Instead, cry out for our deliverance. Fear God. Fear that He may turn His back once more. I do. November 3, 2008 Jim Fedako [send him mail] is a homeschooling father of five who lives in Lewis Center, OH, and maintains a blog: Anti-Positivist. Copyright © 2008 LewRockwell.com
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