Evangelicals and Other Contemporary Protestant Denominations in the United States
摘要
This chapter demonstrates that biblical exegesis and hermeneutics urge evangelical Christians to support tax policy that raises adequate revenues so that all persons have a reasonable opportunity to reach their potential and allocates the tax burden under a moderately progressive model. Two influential protestant denominations, the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Methodist Church, have made statements in official church documents supporting tax policy that mirrors these general principles. Two others, the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) and the Southern Baptist Convention, offer virtually no tax policy guidance. This creates an opportunity for their members to engage tax policy using secular or libertarian values, which may not align with the principles of Christian ethics as defended in this chapter. The tax policy positions of two well-known evangelical scholars similarly diverges. Ronald J. Sider’s analysis generally reflects this biblical exegesis and hermeneutics requiring reasonable opportunity and moderate progressivity, while Wayne Grudem’s analysis approaches libertarian philosophical viewpoints. The obvious explanation for this difference is that the latter’s analysis of Christian ethics-based tax policy differs from the one defended in this chapter.