The Lie of Lack: How Republican Christians Hoard God's Provision and Defy Jesus

There is not enough.That is the most pervasive distortion of reality perpetuated by Conservative Christians in America right now.We see it reiterated in every GOP position and policy, from immigration to healthcare to education to social services. The entire Republican ethos is built around the lie of lack, a myth of scarcity that keeps the rank-and-file pew sitters in a perpetual state of irrational fear and insatiable greed. Addled by this false narrative, human beings begin to see others as threats to their security, to their safety, to their peace.But the truth is, America has enough for everyone. It always has. The data has never wavered in this. The numbers have always borne this out. The story here has never been the existence of riches but the allocation of them.There are jobs, food, opportunity, and room for each human being who calls this place home and wishes to call it home, if creativity and generosity are employed. It is not resources that are unavailable, it is the willingness to share those resources in a way that is equitable.And in the saddest of ironies, it is the supposed followers of Jesus who are the greatest barrier to his teachings on matters of shared abundance.As self-professed Christian Republicans prepare to steamroll this nation with a budget that gives massive tax cuts to the wealthiest individuals and businesses while gutting supports for the poor, the sick, and the elderly, we see how hoarding of blessings has poisoned Evangelical Christianity.Despite claiming belief in a Jesus who: warned his followers against excessive wealth, criticized those who would simply “build bigger barns” rather than share their excess, commanded those who would follow him to give out of their overflow so that others could have the essential—Conservative Christians fully rebel against it all.And the worst thing about the Lie of Lack is that it nullifies the existence and work of God, rendering that God either impotent or incompetent in taking care of oneself and everyone on the planet. Either you believe in a God of abundance who provides the world with everything it needs, or you declare life a zero-sum game where anyone else’s gain is your loss. And really, that is the ultimate truth revealed in Conservative Christians in America: they don’t trust in God, only the green paper declaring that trust. They do not worship an all-powerful creator who they believe “so loves the world” enough to provide for it, which is why they live with closed fists, desperate to cling to what they see as ever-shrinking resources that they need to compete with others for.Trump-supporting Evangelicals exist in a heavily fortified bunker of blessings that they believe are running out and under siege by the very neighbors Jesus calls them to love.Here’s the truth about Christianity:If God is God, then there is enough—period.If that God so loved the world, then Christians are called to steward that abundance so that no one goes without.And if Jesus really meant what he said in all those sermons and parables, then the sick and the poor and the foreigner can be cared for if Christians embody his compassionate care.But with every tax cut for the rich they support, every assistance program they eliminate, every deportation they celebrate, every penalty for those in poverty they applaud, these self-identified believers are declaring how little interest they have in that kind of loving religion.Sadly, for these fearful faithful in America, the lie of lack will always trump the Law of Love.The Beautiful Mess by John Pavlovitz is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnpavlovitz.substack.com/subscribe