The Church's Failure

A reader writes:

I've been reading your coverage of Obama lately, as well as the rest of the of the Democrats statements on faith. I am my brother's keeper, feed the hungry, tend the poor, generally look out for each other; it all sounds like the mission of the Church to me. Has the church failed that miserably that we now have to look to secular government, which is fundamentally less efficient than individuals looking out for each other, to fix the woes of society? If the answer is yes, that saddens me. 

What also saddens me is the number of young Christians who are jumping on the band wagon. Sure, we should be doing all the things Obama preaches; but why should we create a massive government to do them? Why can't we just go out and tend the sick, feed the poor, look after the widow, etc? Even Christians have forgotten this personal, Christian responsibility, an idea that can exist very well with Republicanism. It seems that my generation has truly abandoned the Church to its fate. And the sad part is, maybe, for now, that's the best option.

The problem with Christianity for those who seek earthly power is that Jesus explicitly renounced such power. Socialism and left-liberalism and "compassionate conservative" are really devices with which the state assumes the moral obligations of the individual - and increasingly robs the individual of the resources to be charitable herself. Christianism - of both left and right - is not just a variation of Christianity. It's an attempt to coopt Christianity to empower the political leader. That's why the politicians like it: it gives them the moral highground, and more money, and eventually more power. All of which leads to less freedom and less genuine faith.