Is Kemi Badenoch right: is the welfare system “unchristian”? – by Krish Kandiah

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The leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, was asked in an interview whether welfare spending was unchristian and she replied:

“In early Christian times there was no state or welfare so I think that you can argue that, actually. The Christian tradition is about communities and families and charity, not about compulsory taxation in order to pay welfare.”

Is she right?

Short answer: No.

Longer answer: There’s a grain of truth in the values she is drawing on but her conclusion goes in the wrong direction.

1) What Badenoch gets partly right

There is a Christian emphasis on work, responsibility, and caring for your family. In the New Testament Paul writes:

“He who does not work should not eat.” (2 Thessalonians 3)

“Anyone who does not provide for their relatives… has denied the faith.” (1 Tim 5)

These verses show that the early church valued the contribution that everyone should make and the dignity of work.

But here’s the key:

• These instructions were written to church communities, not governments.
• They address idleness, not poverty.
• They are pastoral advice, not economic blueprints.

A healthy society should value work and responsibility. But that is not the same as saying the welfare state is anti-Christian.

2) What Badenoch gets wrong

But there’s another side of the Bible’s teaching that her approach completely leaves out:

Whenever the Bible speaks about the vulnerable, the poor, the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, the theme is not minimalism but active protection and structural support.

Old Testament examples:

Gleaning laws force landowners to leave food for the poor

“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the Lord your God.” (Leviticus 19:9-10)

The triennial tithe funds a social safety net

“At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites and the foreigners, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied.” (Deuteronomy 14:28-29).

The Year of Jubilee resets the whole economic system to prevent generational poverty:

“In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to their own property...If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you.” Leviticus 25: 13 & 35

These aren’t “nice-to-have” acts of private generosity or personal charity. They are structural, society-wide obligations.

Jesus and the early church:

Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 25 makes care for “the least of these” a measure of true faith:

“Come, you who are blessed by my Father…for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Matthew 25:34-36

In Acts, resources are shared so there are no needy people among them:

“All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” (Acts 2:44)

The famine relief collection in Acts 11 is basically coordinated international development:

“The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.”

Christianity is not a philosophy of rugged individualism. It’s a story of communal responsibility.

Anachronism

Saying “there was no welfare state in the Bible” is like saying there was no internet, no schools, no NHS and no modern police force in the Bible.

Of course there weren’t – the modern state didn’t exist. You can’t copy-paste public policy from Iron Age Israel or a Roman province. But you can draw out principles, values, and a moral vision.

So is the welfare system unchristian? Ask this instead: What does the welfare system do? If it:

• supports the poor
• protects children
• helps the sick
• helps those who cannot work
• restores dignity so people can contribute

then it aligns far more closely with the biblical vision of justice than a system that leaves the vulnerable to fend for themselves.

Christianity doesn’t forbid government support. In fact, Christian ethics has historically generated welfare efforts – from Basil’s 4th-century hospital complex to Beveridge’s post-war reforms shaped by Christian social thinkers.

The real Christian question is not: “Is welfare unchristian?” but: “Does our welfare system treat people with dignity, justice, and compassion?”

The Bible warns against idleness – not against compassion. It calls for justice – not just personal effort. A society that supports the vulnerable isn’t unchristian. It’s deeply faithful to the Christian story.

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Krish Kandiah is the founder and Director of The Sanctuary Foundation