Working With the Government

I want very much to respect, honor, support, and pray for my government and representatives. Further, I’ve traveled overseas enough to be immensely grateful for the American form of government and rule of law, which is not perfect, but which is remarkable in the long history of human institutions.

Among the biblical passages that trouble my understanding, Romans 13 comes to mind more often now than ever before. Writing this letter during a time of corrupt, heavy-handed, and abusive Roman rule, the Apostle Paul still counsels, “Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”

Candidly, as America tinkers with its Constitution and democracy itself, I wonder if a day is coming when Americans face decisions like folks face in China, Russia, and other repressive states. Aggressive censorship, media malfeasance, and rabid determination to silence a sizable portion of the population is alarming. It’s mind-boggling to write those words. It utterly baffles me that we are progressively moving toward Communism-called-Socialism. Yet, progress we do and are.

Clearly, millions of Christians face and have faced Romans 13:1 and determined that a government has become sufficiently onerous, corrupt, or oppressive that resistance, even rebellion, are appropriate.

For example, the underground church is underground in defiance of government. Further, I began working in Eastern Europe as Communism was tumbling. Many of my colleagues were smugglers and black-market entrepreneurs for the sake of the Gospel. Some of what I did professionally enabled colleagues and persecuted Christians to work around oppressive governments.

Until recently, I’ve not thought much about where being “in subjection” as Romans 13:1 outlines begins and ends. In my history of working with revolutionaries against their governments, their rebellion was clearly justified. In retrospect, I regret that I never explored with these men and women when they knew their government crossed the line that justified their rebellion.

Last week, I wrote about the Biden Administration’s determination to require all tax-paying Americans to fund abortions domestic and foreign. I find this reprehensible.

For all the talk of abortion being safe, civil, and humane, in reality it is a barbaric, brutal, dismembering of a life already in possession of a central nervous system, beating heart, and limbs that must be detached and a head crushed in order for an abortion to be performed. One doesn’t need a description of late-term abortion and post-birth abortion to understand what is being enacted upon a viable, human infant. For every “safe” abortion, a death occurs.

What is so enamoring about dismembering human infants that our government legalizes the practice and then forces all Americans to pay for the offense of abortions? I can’t think of anything more abominable than killing the most vulnerable among us. That I am being dictated to by Federal law to pay for this is disgusting.

Everything in me wants to rise up and say, “I’m not paying to kill babies!”

But I better be ready for swift and terrible punishment from the IRS if I opt for this type rebellion. Everyone I know of who has run afoul of the Federal government has suffered tremendously whether guilty or innocent.

Breaking Federal law is a sobering idea.  

But what if you and I have revolutionary options that are within the law?

One of the greatest features of American tax law is the deduction for charitable giving. If a nonprofit organization (such as Lifetime Ministries) is granted 501 (c)(3), tax-exempt status by the IRS, then you may make charitable contributions to this type of organization and receive a tax-deductible receipt for your gift. So…

Let’s say you and your spouse have a combined income that is over $80,250 per year. Currently, this means your tax rate is 22%.

When you make a charitable donation, you receive approximately a 22% reduction in the amount of tax you pay. So, if you make a charitable donation of $1,000 to a nonprofit organization, your taxes go down by about $220. Thus, you lower the amount of money you send to the IRS by taking advantage of America’s favorable tax laws for charitable giving while advancing a cause in which you believe.

Not only do you benefit when you file your taxes, but since the receiving organization is a tax-exempt organization, your investment in their work goes much farther because the nonprofit organization itself does not pay taxes.

In this example, you invest a $1,000 in a cause you believe in. The organization employs your $1,000 gift tax free. You send the IRS $220 less in taxes. (Note: You can be charitable in any amount. The $1,000 is just a round number to make the math easy.)

Back to the government forcing all tax-paying Americans to fund abortions: Let’s say you locate an exemplary crisis pregnancy center that is helping pregnant women decide against abortion. You make a $1,000 donation. The pregnancy center is able to perform more sonograms showing the expectant mother a robust, active, infant in possession of arms, legs, genitals, face, fingers, spinal column, etc. The fact is, when a woman sees her baby via sonogram, she is much less likely to abort the child. An abortion is avoided. A child is born and placed. A mother is spared shame.

Your investment is paying a rich dividend. You have pushed back against the darkness of abortion with your donation. You feel good because you are being proactive. And, you are sending less money in tax to a government dedicated to funding abortions.

Here in Fort Worth, we have a wonderful organization, Pregnancy Lifeline, that sees between 9,000 and 10,000 women per year. They have a few paid staff, but are heavily supported by volunteer doctors, nurses, sonographers (people who read ultrasounds), and support staff whose volunteering keeps operating costs low. This means that a higher percentage of each donor’s dollar goes to saving the life of a yet-unborn child.

Where might your dollars be invested?

When Dianne and I make a charitable investment in the work of Pregnancy Lifeline, not only do we pay 22% less tax to the government, we empower an organization that is working directly against that government which is dedicated to promoting and funding infanticide.

Like I said, America’s charitable giving laws are one of the greatest aspects of America’s rule of law.

Scared, uncertain mothers-to-be need a warm greeting. Sound counsel. Reassurance. Competent phone conversations. A clean, professional environment. They need medical advice, prenatal care, and they benefit from seeing who is forming within their womb. They need a plan, need a future, need love. They need someone who cares, loves, guides, and who is composed.

Might that be you?

Being a revolutionary on behalf of the most vulnerable among us is actually legal, compelling, and effective. Act. Invest. Volunteer. Pick up the phone and call a place like Pregnancy Lifeline. Ask what they need. Go for it!