A recent Barna poll asked
American’s an interesting question, “Would Jesus prefer capitalism or socialism
as a form of economy?” Most responders marked “unsure” in their answer, but of
the remaining there were more who said Jesus would prefer socialism over capitalism.[1]
Kelly Rose, who helped found the
Democratic Socialists of America declared in an interview with NPR, “If
anyone was ever a socialist it was Jesus.”[2]
In the past decade or so, the
U.S. has seen a renewed interest in socialism, especially among Millennials. In
fact, Fox News reports that 70% of Millennials would vote for a socialist presidential
candidate.[3]
That’s why in 2016 Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an openly avowed
Socialist, won more than 12 million votes in the Democratic presidential
primaries — by promising that government would ensure free college, free health
care and another $10 trillion in federal spending.
Before we get too far into
this discussion, let’s define some terms. What exactly is meant by the term socialism?
In my understanding, socialism is the concentration of power into the hands of
government elites to achieve the following purposes: 1) central planning of the
economy and 2) radical redistribution of wealth. Remember the old English tale
of Robin Hood? The daring do-gooder who robbed from the rich to give to the
poor. That’s the narrative that politicians want the voting public to associate
with socialism—they are the good guys making the world a better, more equal place
by using the strong arm of government legislation to force the greedy haves to help
the unfortunate have-nots. One writer summarized this way:
“Barack Obama once
defended his socialist policies to a little girl by saying, ‘We've got to make
sure that people who have more money help the people who have less money. If
you had a whole pizza, and your friend had no pizza, would you give him a
slice?’ That sounds pretty Christian, right? What Christian wouldn't endorse
sharing your abundance with someone who has nothing? However, Obama wasn't
endorsing people voluntarily sharing their wealth with others; he was
endorsing the government forcibly taking a piece of the pie from one person and
giving it to someone else. Put another way, that’s saying that if you have
three cars and your neighbor has none, the government has a right to take your
car and give it to your neighbor. That’s not Christian; that's stealing!”[4]
As Margaret Thatcher once warned
with socialism that “you eventually run out of other people’s money.”
So, about that original
question—when we examine the life and teachings of Jesus, did He advocate this
system? Moreover, is socialism consistent with the Bible?
First off, we need to
realize that Jesus told the Roman governor Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this
world” (John 18:36). The simple reality is that Jesus did not come to this
earth to advocate for a certain type of government or economic system. Jesus
was not a political revolutionary who sought to overthrow the Roman government,
nor did He seek social justice by emancipating slaves in the ancient world. Nowhere
in the New Testament does Jesus promote socialism as a way of life. It would be
wrong to force-fit Jesus into one of our political parties. Christ came to die
for the sins of mankind, not be used as a campaign slogan. Ultimately, Christ
will rule over the whole Earth when He returns (Is. 9:6-7), and the type of government
He sets up will not be a democracy or republic, but a theocracy (Rev. 19:16).
That being said, Jesus did
teach frequently about the stewardship of money and compassion towards others. Jesus
famously told the Pharisees, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,
and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17). Meaning—serve God and pay
your taxes because you are dual citizen of heaven and earth. It would be
difficult to have a good testimony for the Lord if you are constantly being
hounded by the IRS for unpaid taxes. Those who advocate for socialism should
also be ready to pay higher taxes so others can have “free” stuff.
In Jesus’ famous parable
of the Good Sarmatian (Luke 10:25-37), a traveler comes upon a man at the side
of a road. The man had been beaten and robbed and left half-dead. What did the
traveler, the Good Samaritan, do? He helps the unfortunate man on the spot,
with his own resources. Ask yourself: to help the needy, would Jesus
prefer that you give your money freely to a church or charity, or have it taxed
by politicians to fund a welfare bureaucracy?
Once a man came to Jesus hoping
he would intervene in a family dispute involving money, “Tell my brother to
divide the inheritance with me” (sounds like redistribution of wealth, doesn’t
it?). Jesus replies, “Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?” and then
he rebukes the man for being envious of his sibling (Luke 12:13-15).
How about Jesus’ Parable
of the Talents (Matt. 24:14-30)? A man entrusted three of his workers with his
wealth. The two who invested the money and made a profit were praised and the
one who buried his share so he wouldn’t lose any of it was reprimanded. Does
that sound like socialism or a call to be hard-working, creative and industrious
both in ministry and making a living? Christians should not have an entitled
mentality expecting the government to give them anything, as Paul said, “If
anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” (2 Thess. 3:10).
Moreover, Jesus declared, “the
poor you will always have with you” (Matt. 26:11). The fact is—we live in a
fallen, broken world where there will always be inequity. No man-made structure
will be able to solve this; we shouldn’t expect a government program to fix what’s
broken in our world. However, God’s people should do all that they can ease the
suffering of those in need (Matt. 25:35-36). The church is always intended to
be greatest source of humanitarian aid on earth, not government (James 1:27).
Finally, we should consider
the track record of socialism. Most people who advocate this form of government
haven’t done their history homework. I can’t think of one positive example of
socialism working for the good of the people. Take your pick—the USSR, Venezuela,
Communist China, North Korea, Cambodia, Romania, or Cuba—would you like to have
lived in any one of the regimes? One common thread among all those countries was
institutionalized atheism. Because Socialism goes hand in hand with abandoning
God and worshiping the idol of an ever-growing government. Winston Churchill had this to say about
Socialism: “The inherent vice of Capitalism is the unequal sharing of
blessings; the inherent virtue of Socialism is the equal sharing of misery.” -DM
[1]
Julie Roys, “5 Reasons Socialism Is Not Christian,” The Christian Post, 12
July 2016 <https://www.christianpost.com/news/5-reasons-socialism-is-not-christian-opinion-166199/?fbclid=IwAR3m9-MCv3VQGlGaMBgzASFYc_2ijPCScajfIo76ynMJLJoCYK6JubIDvn8>
[2] Danielle
Kurtzleben & Kenny Malone, “What You Need to Know about the Democratic Socialists
of America,” NPR, 26 July 2018 <https://www.npr.org/2018/07/26/630960719/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-democratic-socialists-of-america>
[3]
Megan Henney, “Most millennials would vote for a socialist over a capitalist,
poll finds,” Fox News, 29 October 2019 <https://www.foxbusiness.com/money/millennials-socialist-vote-capitalist-poll>
[4]
Roys, “5 Reasons Socialism in Not Christian.”
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