Dear People of Christ Church,
This week, our Gospel brings up the question of “Church vs State”—Jesus is tested by the Pharisees and Herodians about whether or not to pay their taxes. Disarming the debate, he famously looks at the coin and declares that it’s got Caesar’s face on it, so they can give it back to Caesar. Those things that belong to God, they go to God.
I’m increasingly aware that we vote in just a few weeks, and there are some pretty important ballot initiatives on the table. The rubber of faith and our politics is about to hit the road.
It seems worth it here to mention a difference that I think is important to keep in mind when we think about politics and church. There’s a difference between being partisan and political. We get into all kinds of hot water when we are partisan—supporting particular candidates or political parties—and not just because of our IRS status, which would be on the line in that case. Being political, however, is just part of what it is to be human. Politics is all about power—who has it and who doesn’t. As Christians, our task is to look for those who have less power and stand with them. This is basic “What Would Jesus Do” stuff—prostitutes and tax collectors and widows and orphans. We’re on their side. People of faith can disagree with integrity with each other on how to solve particular questions of power in society (immigration, social welfare, etc), but advocating on the side of those on the margins just isn’t up for debate. I’m reminded of the Stephen Colbert quote—“If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn’t help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we’ve got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don’t want to do it.” Ouch.
In any case, there is a certainly a moral dimension to all four questions, but I’m particularly concerned about the questions on earned sick time and casino gambling in Massachusetts. There is currently no job protection for those who need to miss work for to care for themselves or a sick child, parent, or spouse. The ballot initiative also protects time spent for attending to the effects of domestic violence on themselves or a dependent child—this is really important!
For people of faith, I think the gambling question is potentially tricker. Well, actually, it’s not. But it seems like it is. When it comes to “social ill” issues, I’m usually on the harm reduction side of the equation; let’s not legislate people’s bad behavior. Gambling is quite different, though-it isn’t just about individual choice, it’s about how it creates a whole social climate and feeds a predatory industry. In the clear words of Doug Fisher, bishop of Western Massachusetts, “Jesus came to bring Good News to the poor. Casinos are BAD NEWS for the poor. We follow Jesus.” In state after state, the promises made by gambling advocates that they create jobs are repeatedly shown to be wildly overestimated. Every quarter spent on a slot machine is one quarter not spent at a local business. It appears to be a “done deal” that Massachusetts will be the latest state to adopt casino gambling, but it’s not. Every voter has the power to say that this is not in our best interest.
From a more traditionally moral standpoint, do I have a problem with gambling in itself? This is probably the moment to admit that after my family met some card playing kids at an Appalachian Mountain Club hut last week the first thing my son did when we got home was to get out his piggy bank to buy a set of poker chips like the ones he played with there. I’d make a bad Puritan. A multi million dollar casino backed by organized crime folks , however, isn’t a bunch of kids with plastic coins. Massachusetts could be the first state where the citizens repeal a deal that politicians have made in favor of gambling. Let’s do it!
For the full text of the bishops’ statements, see here.
Blessings,
Sara+