“It would be nice if people even bothered with 10%. Most wouldn’t even do that.”
There is no reason to do that via religious groups anymore. I spend much more than 10% of my income clothing, feeding, and housing people who won’t do it for themselves. Religious groups in bed with the Dems are finding out that the Dems want the gubmint to take over the religious groups’ roles in such things. “Charity” is forced under threat of IRS audit...
Sadly, you are absolutely right. "With the shekels come shackles."
The way I read it, it's an individual responsibility to do what each of us is able to do. As necessary, to pool our resources, voluntarily, as needed.
For example, if a family in your church were the victims of a house fire...and lost everything...I would certainly hope that other members of the church would offer to help them out (spare bedroom...buy groceries...etc) until they got on their feet. If a town is nailed by a F-4 tornado, that Christians in neighboring towns would work together to help them out. And so on.
The only time, in my mind, that the state government, much less the federal government, would have need to be involved...if we acted as the above...is with a "Hurricane Agnes" type scenario that wiped out major areas of the country.
Sadly, as evidenced here, there are enough people who would say "to hell with you" that it will be impossible to make any kind of a case that private, community based charity could do the job.
Socialism gained popularity in the 19th century because the decidedly unchristian behavior of some made it possible for some very evil men to use that as an excuse to rile up the masses. The only thing that will finally relegate socialism to the dustbin of history is authentic Christian behavior on the part of the vast majority.