Another look at 2 Thessalonians,,,
As lawmakers on Capitol Hill continue to battle over whether or not to cut funding for federal food assistance programs, House Republicans are wielding a bizarre new weapon in their attempt to gut government services that help the poor: bad Bible skills.
Last Friday, Kevin Tengesdal, a Bismark, North Dakota-based actor and activist, posted a comment on the official Facebook wall of Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) criticizing the congressman’s recent vote to cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – or SNAP, also known as food stamps – by $39 billion dollars. Tengesdal appealed to the lawmaker’s Christian faith by quoting Matthew 25: 36-43, a biblical passage in which Jesus compels his followers to, among other things, feed the hungry. Cramer responded by posting a Bible verse of his own—2 Thessalonians 3-10: “For even when we are with you, we would give you this command: If you are not willing to work, let him not eat.”
As North Dakota faith bloggers were quick to point out, Cramer was taking the passage wildly out of context. The author of 2 Thessalonians was not condemning the poor, but rather attempting to convince ancient Christians who had become idle in anticipation of Jesus’ Second Coming to get back to work, lest their neighbors “look down on the new Christians with suspicion.”
How House Republicans Are Preaching A False Gospel About Food Stamps
No comments:
Post a Comment