Because I love you

A most amazing economic transformation follows the pouring out of the Holy Spirit recorded in chapters 4 and 5 of the Book of Acts. This past Sunday millions of Bulgarians celebrated Pentecost, the birthday of Christ's Church. Thousands of priests and pastors preached about the early Christians. Among these examples is the story of the rich who shared their material blessings with the poor. The story is often used to justify the modern welfare state, to extol its virtues above the cruelty of laissez-faire policies. Some radical Christian movements take it as far as endorsing full-blown socialism.

It is fairly easy to see why Pope John Paul II condemned the extremism of the once-popular liberation "theology" as unbiblical. But what about the current social contract under which secular governments use their coercive powers to correct the inequalities of the market outcomes? Aren't progressive taxation and a set of welfare programs a morally superior arrangement compared to relying on blind market forces supplemented by charity? Aren't all Christians required by God's laws of justice and mercy to support the benevolent bureaucratic status quo?

After church I read to my kids Max Lucado's Because I Love You. In that story, the Maker builds a beautiful village for the kids. He builds a stone wall around the village to protect the kids from the deadly forest outside. But He leaves a hole in the wall, a hole big enough for a curious child to crawl through. At that point I was tempted with the questions: "What kind of a sick Maker would intentionally provide such an unsafe environment for a bunch of innocent kids? Is He that naïve to believe that it is enough to warn them about the danger of leaving the safety of His village?"

And then I found the answer in the words of Lucado's Maker: "I want the children to stay because they want to, not because they have to." God could have placed the forbidden fruit beyond the reach of Adam and Eve. He chose to put it right in their path. Because He wanted them to have a choice. Even though He knew that they would make a wrong one. Because He is not a benevolent bureaucrat or dictator. Likewise God wants us to share our blessings with those in need. But he doesn't want us to give to the needy because we have to. He wants us to give with a joyful heart.