There are many, many things which can be brought out of Scripture on this subject, but Karen has the basic point of it – you can’t take calls for charity given to the people as members of an ecclesiastical community (Tabernacle, Temple, or Church) and substitute “officially secular government” as an even swap. Neither can you take Jesus’ commandment to render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and imply a democratic government should practice the same charitable giving which is encouraged of individual monarchs who gathered taxes to their personal benefit. Our government is a different sort of animal than either, which only means you can’t pretend it’s a modern version of the Levitical theocracy or apostolic church (which followed God’s rules) or the imperial governments of Rome, Assyria, Egypt, or Babylon, either (each of them supremely governments of men, not laws).

It seems to me that if budgets are a moral document, and we have been told ad infinitum that “You can’t legislate morality”, such posturing from the left is wandering in the logical wilderness. In contrast, I’m reminded of the passage where King David refused to accept a donation of land for a place of worship, saying, “No, but I will buy it for the full silver. For I will not take what is yours for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost [to myself].” (1 Chronicles 21:18-25)