Death and Taxes Pt.3

by The Lone Gunman

Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We must obey God rather than men.— Acts 5:29

Christians today find themselves in the unenviable position of existing in a world that both despises and profits off them. Opponents of Jesus Christ mistakenly think the only good believer is a dead one; but it’s much more offensive to God when His faithful are extorted into funding war and degeneracy while thinking, “it’s for the greater good” and “what the Bible teaches!”

Christian writer J.M. Bush might claim such logic doesn’t “recognize the danger in legitimizing governments perpetuating industrial-scale theft”. He has some ideas about legitimate taxation worth discussing that can be found on his Substack page, Economics of Glory. Two articles in particular, “Misrendering Jesus, Part 1” and “Faithful Disobedience, The Ethics of Tax Resistance in Clown World Part 2” can be found online at www.economicsofglory.substack.com. We’ll share some highlights below, but both articles are worth reading entirely if you have the time.

We’ve also covered taxes in previous articles, so what does the Bible say? Verses like Romans 13:6-7 and Mark 12:17 are often cited as a result. Bush writes, “Jesus’ admonition to render unto Caesar what bears his image and likeness and render to God what bears His image and likeness has multiple layers. In one sense, he was telling them to pay the tax because it represented a minuscule amount of money.”

But how much is enough tax? 10% is a figure often cited as reasonable, yet most Americans pay much more than that. What if the IRS enacted 90% taxation? Are Christians required to “render unto Caesar” regardless of amount?

Bush continues, “We can’t serve two masters, and the Lord tells us that we will either love and devote ourselves to [God’s] service, or other lesser lords. Christ has called his people to be salt and light, and faithfulness to his command can take a variety of forms, including contradictory ones that we would never choose for ourselves. Modern rulers could care less whether or not their subjects literally bow their knees; they are far more concerned with whether or not the checks cash on April 15. It might be a good time they start bouncing, for the glory of God and the good of people everywhere.”

At some point, death becomes preferable to subjugation in a world order that takes half of what you own under misguided interpretations of the Bible. Modern Christianity has plenty of believers willing to live comfortably for Christ.