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The Tea Party movement bugs me for several reasons: 1st) the crowds are usually comfortably affluent, baby boomer types with little or no diversity to speak of. According to the New York Times, of the Americans who identify themselves as Tea Party supporters tend to be Republican, white, male, married and older than 45. Exactly.

2nd) I agree with Dan Quayle- third-party movements are a dead-end. Sorry guys, “the emergence of official tea party candidates would be very welcome news in the Obama White House.”

And 3rd), and most importantly, I don’t believe most of the Christians attending these rallies have ensured alignment of their political-worldview with their Christian-worldview; unless of course the Baptist minister is on the platform at the Saturday rally and then I know where the problem is.

This week Joe the Plumber endorsed Nevada’s Sharon Angle for the US Senate wearing a t-shirt proclaiming the Tea Party’s mantra "Don't spread my wealth, spread my work ethic."  Sorry Joe, according to the Bible, it’s not your wealth to begin with; and, while I appreciate your hard work, that’s not where wealth comes from. You can argue with Harry Reid, but you can’t argue with the Word of God.

Don't Spread My Wealth

Since when did we believe that our wealth was our own? If I am not mistaken, everything belongs to our Creator, and He will have His way with it whether we like it or not. I know that God owns the cattle on a thousands hills which undoubtedly translates into my plumbing business, my salary, and my tax bill too. I like what Al Mohler said recently:

We do not “render unto Caesar” because of our confidence in Caesar. We render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, because we are committed with our lives and confidence and consciences to render unto God that which is God’s.

Either way you look at it, that dollar in your wallet is not yours.

Spread My Work Ethic

Joe, I appreciate that you work so hard. But I want to let you in on a little secret: there are a lot of folks out there that work just as hard as you do, and, unfortunately they don’t live quite as comfortably as you and me. You see, a strong work ethic will not guarantee fair wages, access to health-care, or food on the table. I believe hard work deserves good pay; but I also know that, for some, good pay is really hard to find. I believe that, regardless of whether mom or dad works 12-hours a day, no one should go hungry. Frankly, I don’t care if mom or dad is a lazy bum. The good Samaritan I know didn’t ask whether or not the Jew was worthy or not- he just took care of him because it was the right thing to do.

For those of us who go to political rallies on Saturday and then go to church on Sunday, I believe we need to carefully look for inconsistencies. I believe we need to teach people how to fish for themselves but be generous by offering a fishing pole when they ask for one. I don’t want the federal government to be our only fishing instructor, but I am highly skeptical whether some Christians are willing to assume that responsibility in its place. My pastor recently asked...

Is our time consumed with deliberating which groups of people should get mercy and which should not? Do you find your lips moving more than your hands and feet? Are you constantly creating loopholes to justify your inaction? God calls us to do what is right, not debate it.

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Jason leads the fund-raising, marketing, and recruitment efforts at Logos Academy; an inter-cultural, Gospel-centered, community school located in York City, Pennsylvania. Jason and his family are active members of the City Church community. In addition to his full-time ministry, Jason routinely speaks to groups about whole-life stewardship, generous living, and effective ministry advancement. You can learn more at The Generous Life.