Since the government didn’t shut down, all of us are required to send in our tax returns by April 18 (or file an extension). As much as I don’t really like paying more and more tax (who does?) every year I pray that I don’t own more. Usually, I over pay in fear of under paying, so I usually get a refund.
Recently, I came across Shane Claiborne‘s “Letter to the IRS“. For those of you you do not know Shane, he is a fellow Eastern University alum, one of founders of The Simple Way in Philadelphia, a best-selling author, non-violent activist, and speaks on a variety of issues within Christianity.
For Shane, he believes in non-violent protest against injustice. So is the case with taxes. Shane wrote the IRS:
I am filing my 1040 here. As you will see, I made $9,600 this past year, and found that according to the 1040 form, I owe $324.44 of that to federal taxes. While I am glad to contribute money to the common good and towards things that promote life and dignity, especially for the poor and most vulnerable people among us, I am deeply concerned that 30 percent of the federal budget goes towards military spending… My Christian faith and my human conscience require me to respectfully reserve the right not to kill, and to refrain from contributing money towards weapons and the military.
For this reason, I am enclosing a check for $227.11, which is, according to the form, 70% of what I owe. The remaining $97.33 represents 30% of my tax payment, the amount that would go towards military spending. I will donate this remaining 30% to a recognized US nonprofit organization working to bring peace and reconciliation. My faith also compels me to submit to the governing authorities, which is why I am writing you respectfully and transparently here. I am glad to discuss this further if you have any questions. I can be reached by…
I’ve met Shane a number of times and I believe he is doing important work for the poor. He is doing what other people lack the courage to do, fight for “the least of these”. His new monastic movement is taking off and leading people to leave their comfortable surroundings and live in a humble community.
However, refusing to pay some or all income tax on the grounds of using it unjustly forgets a critical piece of scripture. Shane is right in saying that his faith requires him to submit to the “governing authorities” (Romans 13) but Shane forgets to follow a critical passage in Luke 20 where the Jewish teachers of the law asked:
Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that you do not show partiality but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 22Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” 23He saw through their duplicity and said to them, 24“Show me a denarius. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?” 25“Caesar’s,” they replied. He said to them, “Then give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” 26They were unable to trap him in what he had said there in public. And astonished by his answer, they became silent.
No doubt that the taxes that Jesus and the other Jews had to pay to support the Imperial Roman Army. The same army that often clashed and killed the Jews. In effect, the Jews had to support the very force that occupied their land. Notice how Jesus never said, “Pay taxes that you think are just.”
In truth, I’m not thrilled about supporting a government that kills innocent people. Augustine’s Christian Just War Theory tries to make sense of military action in the face of a faith that believes in peace. However, not all of our taxes goes to “killing” for military spending.
Last week, I was in Washington D.C. finishing up my young clergy leadership program, the Lewis Fellows. After the fellowship ended, I visited my sister at Walter Reed Army Hospital. She is an audiologist there and often treats amputees’ hearing loss. She and her colleagues showed me the rehab center for our military service members who become amputees. I was amazed at the facility and the state of the art technology. Millions of dollars are spent every year helping amputees stand, walk, and learn to use prosthesis. I was emotionally taken back by the military amputees. One was a triple amputee holding his new born baby with one arm. I cried.
Some of these soldiers never killed anyone. They were protecting civilians in Iraq when a car bomb went off. Our tax dollars support the care and rehab for the guy who just lost his legs protecting a people who are not his own. I’m glad that my tax dollars are going towards his needs. He gave two legs serving people. The least we could do is help him to walk again.
Shane Claiborne, please pay your taxes. All of it. Military spending is not all about killing, but protecting. I admire your stand against violence, but we still need to pay taxes. As Jesus taught long ago, give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. Give to God what is God’s.
14 Comments
As a person who served my country in the U.S. Air Force for twenty-five years, I take great umbrage to any suggestion that I was engaged in something dishonorable. Mr. Clairborne enjoys the right to express his viewpoints on our nation’s military no matter how much they might offend me personally. I would not want to live in a country where he was unable to express those view points. However, our military exists to preserve our liberty and to keep us a free people. Including his freedom to be offensive.
Paul, thanks for your comment and thoughtfully balancing your everyone’s freedom.
I wonder if Mr. Clairborne realizes that our government funds Planned Parenthood which is an organization that supports a woman’s right to choose abortion (that sounds nice but really they promote abortion). Abortion is killing and yet Mr. Clairborne did not see fit to withhold an appropriate amount from his tax bill so that the killing of the unborn is not part of what his tax dollars go towards.
Paul, great question. Once your question one tax, you open Pandora’s box!
Alan, a thought-provoking post. I too have admired Shane Claiborne’s work, but agree with you on this issue.
Kim, thanks for reading the post. Truly, his work is important. Love the guy.
This could be used against him and his credibility as a humanitarian. It is possible that a person can become fundamentalist as far left as far right. It is a sharp edge we walk on when we try to obey Jesus teachings with no elbow room. After all Jesus did say to pay your taxes. If anyone can use an excuse to not pay 30% of taxes because of military spending then the rich can and will use anything to avoid paying their fair share as well hurting the ability of the country to keep chaos at bay and promote peace for it’s citizens. Which by the way is Apostle Paul’s view of government being a tool used by God whether they know it or not.
I just have to wonder if Jesus really meant, “Pay taxes” in this verse, or if he was helping us realize that nothing actually belongs to Caesar, since everything is God’s.
[…] ministry with the least of these, but am troubled by his latest decision. Others, including Alan Rudnick, have done an excellent job at pointing out Claiborne’s selective reading of the New […]
@Elizabeth – he most definitely was referring to paying taxes. But peel the onion back, and subtext of what Jesus was saying was that god’s kingdom…HIS kingdom had nothing to do with political authority, good or bad. He was doing something entirely different.
A great exposition on this is “Myth of a Christian Nation” by Greg Boyd.
Alan, I think Shane Claiborne would take issue with a soldier’s being a protector because he sometimes causes harm in order to protect. I read a passage in one of his books in which he says that if he saw someone attacking someone else, he would not do anything to physically dissuade the attacker; he would take his clothes off and dance naked and hopefully distract him. So don’t think you’re going to be safe with him if you get mugged!
That said, he does a lot more for the poor than I do, and for that he is to be commended.
The thought that Jesus would support your argument is absurd. The US
is not in Iraq for altruistic reasons. The US has a military budget
that exceeds the military spending of the rest of the world combined.
Shane is simply taking a page out of one of the world’s first advocates
of Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau. When you support a
government that is violating every tenant of your Christian belief
system it seems odd that you would use bible passages to defend the
wonton death of millions of innocent children.
Rome fought unjust wars and still Jesus told his followers to pay. Fact.
Again, Rome fought unjust wars and Jesus told his followers to pay taxes.