Taxes, Truth, and Theology

Courier-Times Article for Saturday, September 1, 2007

Last weekend the Courier-Times published an article suggesting that State Representative Tom Saunders (R-Lewisville) was soon to present a bill that would require churches to pay a portion of property taxes to cover the expense of police, ambulance, and fire. When asked to comment about the alleged church tax proposal, I said I was surprised because Rep. Saunders helped our church, as well as many others in Henry County and across the state, when reporting requirements by the government changed from once in a lifetime, to once a year.

Apparently Rep. Saunders was just as surprised. Since I was quoted in the article, he called the house on Saturday morning to assure me that he had no intention of asking churches to pay taxes on church ministry property. Crisis averted . . . or maybe it wasn’t even there in the first place.

So I began to think about taxes, and truth, and what the bible teaches.

When Jesus was asked if we should pay taxes, He responded with a question of His own. “Show me a coin. Whose image is on the coin?” Caesar’s image was on the coin, so Jesus commanded, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what belongs to God.” The remarkable thing about this answer was that it challenged both the secular and religious communities while avoiding an obvious trap.

We are commanded both by the government and by Jesus to pay our fair share of taxes to the government. At the same time, Jesus challenged everyone who is created in the image of God, believers and non-believers, to give to God what belongs to God.

The church, if it is true to scripture, will never preach against paying taxes. That would contradict Jesus’ own words. However, the church will also challenge everyone to give to God those things that belong to God; the things that hold the very image of God. Each individual is precious to God because we each bear His image.

Then I imagined a culture that would want to tax churches. This would be a culture that had forgotten the overwhelming positive benefits that churches provide to a community.

People of faith were the first to build schools, and hospitals. People of faith provide a safe place for alcoholics, and drug addicts to recover with grace and truth. People of faith help restore broken homes, feed those who are hungry, and provide a father for the fatherless. People of faith have proven that they can dramatically reduce the chance that prisoners will become repeat offenders. To advocate taking money from these communities of faith, money that could be used for ministry, to pay for infrastructure in a neighborhood is very short sighted and contrary to common sense.

A culture that would want to tax churches would be in the final stages of moral and intellectual bankruptcy. Or maybe they just haven’t seen the church . . .

Is it possible that churches have entered an era where they are more concerned with elections than souls? Is it possible that people of faith are more concerned about keeping up with the Joneses than keeping the commandment to take care of the orphan and the widow? Is it possible that the body of Christ can no longer make a positive impact on the world because we are too much like the world? Has the church become invisible?

Tax exemptions for the church is not a ‘right.’ Tax exemptions have been a way for God to bless the church as the church ministers to and blesses its neighbors. Is it possible that God’s blessings on the church are now uncertain because of the actions, or inactions, of the people of God? Just a question.

I trust Tom Saunders when he says that he does not want to tax church ministry property. In Central Indiana, that would be a major political miscalculation. The question that remains is the one Christ asks the church, “I was hungry, did you give me food? I was thirsty, did you give me drink? I was naked, did you clothe me? I was sick and in prison, did you visit me?” The truth could prove very taxing.