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"[Our church] is located in an area that has become depressed and depleted in the last 25 years," Stone said. "By enticing young families to build starter homes and older families to build their last homes here, we hope to attract grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, and businesses to come back and make the neighborhood viable."

He may have an ally in Giles. "Never in Scripture does it say, 'Render unto Caesar so he can take care of the poor,' " Giles said. "It is the church's responsibility."

Expect the Alabama debate to be replayed in other cash-strapped states and within the federal government, but without the explicit appeals to Christian ethics. These governments are facing massive deficits after years of ballooning spending when the economy was growing. According to Richard Cizik, vice president of governmental affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals, today's sluggish economy has energized discussion about how to help the poor most effectively.

"The anti-tax conservatives also care about the poor," Cizik said. "They believe economic growth, associated with lower taxes, will provide the best hope for the poor in the long run. The problem is that a child does not eat 'in the long run,' and an elderly person doesn't have a 'long run.' That's the short-term downside of fewer services."

Cizik believes Riley's failure will discourage other Republicans from proposing tax increases. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan research institute, says states are facing a cumulative budget deficit of up to $85 billion for the 2004 fiscal year. Many states, which are forced to balance their budgets every year, have already cut spending on health care, education, and other programs.

"You can't have it all, and to believe you can is to engage in Pollyanna thinking," Cizik said. "The states have found this out, and so will the federal government. You can count on the Alabama debate to replay itself at the national level, given our ballooning budget deficit."

Copyright © 2003 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

See also today's related story, "Accidental Revolutionary."

Christianity Today's Weblog covered the defeat of the Alabama "Jesus tax."

Read Susan Pace Hamill's argument for tax reform.

Visit Susan Pace Hamill's website.

Susan Pace Hamill's book The Least of These is available from booksamillion.com.

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November 2003, Vol. 47, No. 11