A Christian Case for Universal Basic Income
I’ve yearned for big ideas since I was a young kid. Whether solving world hunger, ending cancer for good, or eliminating poverty, I have always felt a pull to think of significant solutions to big problems. And if I can’t find the solution, nothing excites me more than to be a part of a solution to a problem.
I have also always believed that there is a tremendous amount of needless suffering out there- suffering that could be alleviated with the right solutions.
As a Christian, I believe one of my chief duties is to love God, love others and play a key part in creating the “common good” for the world. For me, the Gospel is not just as simple as Jesus’ coming to die to save humanity. That is true, but the Gospel is much more significant and far reaching than that.
The entire narrative of the scriptures points to four different parts- Creation, the Fall, Redemption, and Restoration.
Restoration is where the work and vocation of the Christian come in.
How can we restore the world? How can we alleviate sickness, alleviate poverty, and alleviate all suffering? The answers to these questions are some of the most deeply spiritual paths we can find ourselves on.
Being a part of restoring the world is not just a suggestion by God, but a command. People who save the world (think Jonas Salk, for example, who created the polio vaccine) should be celebrated not just as one of the world’s heroes but as heroes for Christians as well. Anyone who is restoring the world deserves praise.
Always being enticed by any idea about alleviating suffering, I was intrigued by a man running for President of the United States who was running on a platform of Universal Basic Income. This man is Andrew Yang, and I had the opportunity to hear him speak at a small bar in downtown Minneapolis.
In Andrew Yang’s version of Universal Basic Income, every adult over 18 would receive $1,000 a month free and clear, no questions asked, until the day they die. Going into this campaign event, I was skeptical at best. But I have found it is good to listen to ideas (especially big ones) even if I initially disagree.
My first question was-
How the heck do we pay for this?
I want to avoid going deep into the proposal’s specifics as this isn’t the point of this article, but I will briefly answer that question since it is a pressing one. Yang is proposing a 10 percent Value-Added Tax on purchases and restructuring our current welfare programs to pay for the dividend. More info on that can be found here on Yang’s website.
After listening to Yang talk for over an hour, I had the opportunity to sit and chat with him for a few minutes. I remember looking at him and saying- “As an Evangelical, what you are proposing makes a lot of sense to me.” I remember he laughed and said, “I really appreciate that sentiment. I don’t get many evangelicals coming out to my events, but I don’t think there is a better way to help families and communities more than giving them the resources they need to succeed.”
Below, I’ll be making three arguments for why UBI is not just a good idea but one that is biblical and good for people.
1. The Elevation of Humanity
One of the reasons I love the idea of Universal Basic Income so much is its sheer universality. It recognizes that every human has innate worth, value, and dignity. It acknowledges that although we come from different socio-economic backgrounds, we all get a shot at surviving in this economy, especially as it gets more “winner-take-all,” with a few companies controlling a large slice of the pie. With AI on the rise, Universal Basic Income could become a necessity.
The coming A.I. takeover will be further reaching than most people realize. A 2013 study from researchers at Oxford University concluded that 47% of jobs in the United States are at high risk of falling victim to automation by around 2030. Sections of the service industry are already experiencing this shift as grocery stores and fast-food restaurants introduce self-serve checkout lanes and menus. As for the much-lamented erosion of employment in the U.S. manufacturing sector, “for every job lost to trade in recent years, eight have been lost to automation.” Trump identified immigrants as the problem for the loss of manufacturing in the U.S., but they have been scapegoated. Automation is the real job-killer.
Universal Basic Income could curb the effects of the coming wave of automation and help us re-prioritize our economy to put humanity first.
It also helps create the mindset that we are partakers and shareholders of this land that we are on. It’s a reminder that America is just as much ours as it is to anyone else in the country. It directly conflicts with America’s rugged individualism that we have.
At the end of the Declaration of Independence, it states- “And for the support of this Declaration, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” Universal Basic Income is a great way to remind us of this. It is the realization that as citizens of a country, we have an interwoven destiny and that we are all in this together as owners of this land.
2. The Mindset of Abundance
Most Americans lost half their wealth in the last 25 years. Cheaper labor overseas and ever-smarter computers and machines will destroy even more middle-class American jobs in coming years. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Americans are realizing we have no power in our so-called democracy. This feels like a world of scarcity. Even the idea of “white privilege” may sound like a cruel joke when it seems like you have so little.
Our fear of scarcity — the deeply ingrained view that there is not enough to go around, so we each need to get ours before someone else takes it from us — stops us from realizing the benefits of our new abundance. When there is not enough to go around, the natural and rational reaction is to huddle with your tribe and defend your turf.
If you have heard of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, this might make sense to you. Poverty creates a “scarcity mindset” where people are so focused on just trying to survive that they are not able to have the capacity to think about anything else. That means a lot of the issues we need the entire country to work towards (equality, justice, you name it) are severely hindered because we have a large sect of the population that does not have the time (or the money) to think about such things. This hinders our ability to create real progress. Universal Basic Income eliminates extreme poverty and would help create a mindset of abundance- where every American will have the means to start a business, create an organization, or even have extra time to volunteer.
3. Support for Life
Evangelicals have been on the front lines of the pro-life movement for as long as Roe V. Wade was implemented. At some point, the question has to be asked- Is the strategy working to end abortion? Are bans the answer?
In 2011, the unintended pregnancy rate among women with an income below the federal poverty level ($18,530 for a family of three that year) was more than five times that among women with an income at or above 200% of poverty. And because of this high rate of unintended pregnancy, women who are struggling financially experience high levels of abortion.
The reasons women give for having an abortion underscore their understanding of the economic impact unplanned childbearing would have on themselves and their families. Most abortion patients say that they cannot afford a child or another child, and most say that having a baby would interfere with their work, school, or ability to care for their other children. Most women also cite concern for or responsibility to other individuals as a factor in their decision to have an abortion. These concerns make particular sense when one considers that six in 10 women who have an abortion are already a parent.
The data is pretty clear that being more educated, having adequate healthcare, having sexual education and access to birth control, and having economic security all reduce abortion rates. In fact, the abortion rate has been rapidly declining for years due to birth control.
An extra $1,000 dollars a month for a struggling mother wrestling with the idea of abortion could quite literally be a lifesaver. It isn’t the silver bullet solution, but it would go a long way in creating a loving and abundant society that a mother would not be scared to bring her child into.
The Bottom Line
Universal Basic Income would be a fantastic way to move our society forward and help alleviate the suffering of millions of people along the way. When I met with Andrew Yang, he seemed to understand this deeply. That is why his campaign (an unknown man running for president) has worked so well. The idea of a society where humanity is placed as the number one priority is an idea every American can get behind. It makes sense why, in a head-to-head match-up, Yang is beating Trump by 8 points.
Christians would be smart to advocate for policies that would love and elevate people this well. Once again, it isn’t perfect, but it would go a long way in helping to restore the world, which is a responsibility that we all have as Christians.
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone.”
Galatians 6:9
Do you have thoughts about this? Disagree? Want to talk about anything? Feel free to connect with me on Instagram or Twitter @danielgreenmn . I would love to chat or hear your thoughts. 👍🏽
