An article appeared recently in the Wall Street Journal entitled "God Will Provide- Unless the Government Gets There First". It was written by W. Bradford Wilcox, Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia.
He accurately assesses that secularism is on the march in the United States and this is demonstrated by increased government involvement in the lives of the people. The number of Americans claiming no religious affiliation is now 15% of the population, compared to 8% in 1990. This is a significant statistical shift.
Wilcox cites the pending expansion of government under the Obama Administration, in the areas of healthcare reform, a larger federal role in education, etc., as potential concern for the vitality of American religion. Federal, state, and local spending next year is estimated to be 40% of the Gross Domestic Product. This is not appreciably less than the European Socialist model that currently stands at 46%.
Wilcox writes, "The European experience suggests that the growth of the welfare state goes hand in hand with declines in personal religiosity." A 33 country study demonstrated an inverse relationship between religious observance and welfare spending. Rather than relying on the church, people realize they can get what they need from the government with less commitment. Under the emerging government structure, people will have cradle to career education and cradle to grave healthcare.
One particularly interesting statistic in the article is that after the New Deal was put in place in this country in the 20th century, charitable giving to churches went down 30%.
These are interesting statistics. I am not thoroughly convinced that greater government involvement leads directly to the decline of religion. I think there could be some impact the other way around as well. As people rely less on God, they look to other sources to fill the void. There is no doubt however, that as the tax burden becomes heavier and heavier, people are stretched financially and it has a negative impact on the amount they are able and willing to give to charitable causes. This in turn has a negative impact on benevolence ministries.
What I do know is this. We need a spiritual awakening in the United States. Without it, in a generation the church in this country will be dramatically different, and not positively. I also know that God's expectation for the church has not changed. We are still called to be salt and light, and to minister in the name of Jesus. Regardless of what the tax rate is, or how big the government gets, we must be about our Father's business. The church has been too willing to turn over responsibilities to the government in the first place. In conservative circles, many were so afraid of being labeled as promoting a "social gospel" like the liberals, that they failed to be faithful to what God called them to in the first place.
The church needs to stop complaining about what the government is or isn't doing and rise to the occasion. We have never had a greater opportunity than now. May the church be the church and may God be glorified through it.
Wilcox concluded his article with this: "Many of those who initially turn to religious organizations for mutual aid end up developing a faith that is as supernatural as it is material. But first they need to enter the door."
Let's help them do that.
