Turf Wars
by Laurence Windham

Time was, when a child was orphaned, or a family's crop failed, or a husband left his wife, the family and church stepped in. Adoption, meals, and support were natural responses because by nature when you belong to others they take care of you. For Christians, the Family and the Church, or the family of God, work together in a synergistic way, each supporting the other in a wonderful harmony of provision, wisdom, and companionship. The reason they work so well is that they have the same priorities. And they work well because it is for this that they have been designed.

Then there is the State. The state doesn't belong to this realm. Not only is the state out of bounds here, it does an awful job when it takes on something that is not within its jurisdiction and gifting. The same goes for the Home and the Church. (And right here, right now we must acknowledge that we deserve the situation we are in. The Church has failed in its responsibilities of nurturing, training, and discipling the leaders of the home. If this was more consistent the state would never have violated the sovereignty of the church and home and would be doing only what it was designed to do; punish evildoers. We have the state we have because of our own failures.) But because of the convoluted philosophy that has evolved, government has taken upon itself responsibilities God never gave them.

The result can likened to Steinbeck's mentally challenged character, Lenny. He was a huge oaf who wanted nothing more than to hold and pet puppies and mice. To say that the small animals suffered would be an understatement. His "love" for them invariably led to their deaths, as, forgetting his own strength, he squeezed them until they died. The government is the same way. It cannot care for others as a family and church is called to do. When it tries, damage is done. Instead of punishing evildoers, the church and the family suffer.

They suffer financially because now the state taxes us for more than just swords. The government now needs buildings, offices, nurses, counselors, principals, teachers, nannies, inspectors, enforcers, etc...and lots and lots of spending money for welfare recipients. It seems to have failed to learn the first lesson of economics—that which you subsidize you get more of. They suffer legally because now everyone has two authorities. And people generally listen to the one they fear the most. And in most cases, that would be the sword wielders over and above the key holders. They suffer socially. For all those who have given their allegiance to God biblically, they are thought of as unpatriotic, disloyal, and cultish. The truth of the matter is, however, Christians who put God first, Scripturally, are fantastic citizens. But, when we have things arranged God's way, Church is vital, Family is huge and the State is small.

Of course the state does not like this form of historic American patriotism. Why? Because it is a threat to Statism's very existence. Imagine endless caseworkers, bureaucrats, and politicians celebrating the church and family operating like it should. They would have to assimilate. They would be out of a job. When the family functions the way God intended, it governs itself. There is no welfare but there is charity. There is no enabling, yet there is encouragement. There is swift chastening but also forgiveness.

The church also has a governmental system that includes benevolence, discipline, and protection. (By the way, this system of government has not increased its take since its founding, thousands of years ago.) The role of the State is the cutting off of enemy heads, not the handing out of bread and cheese. The State has no business rebuilding flooded houses or checking to see if parents are educating their children. God gave the state a sword, not a butter knife, a sword, not a blackboard. And no entity, organization or people should feed, clothe, or shelter the sluggard. The family and the church teach diligence, responsibility, and character. And if an individual doesn't learn and obey, the family kicks them out the door, the church kicks them out of the kingdom and when they show up at the State's door the State should say, "All we do here is lop off heads, can we help you?"

But as we all know, the situation we live in is less than ideal. We have sinned greatly and consequently, have the present size and mentality of government to show for it. The solution is to stop taking anything from the state and start taking care of our own. Responsibility ends dependency. The solution is simple; we just have to be ourselves-be the type of people that God intended for us to be. That part is easy, the cost of doing it may not be. Once we start doing our job, the State will see that their services were never needed but they will still expect to be paid.

The church (which is made up of families) is to grow to the point of not just combating the present culture but replacing it. Left unchecked, the government will become our church and our family. Again, this can only happen when we do not live the way we are commanded. And last time I looked, Uncle Sam was getting down right paternal.

Imagine all the widows,
All the orphans too.
Cared for by families.
And in the churches too.
Imagine all the pagans
Seeing our light shine...
Some say that I'm a dreamer
That things will never change.
But perhaps one day we'll show them,
Though now it sounds so strange.

Imagine there's no welfare,
It's easy if you try.
No handouts for anyone.
And capital offenders fry.
Imagine all the Christians,
Living biblically....
Some say I'm a dreamer,
But I'm not the only one.
I hope that you are with us.
And together we'll get this done.