SOCIALISM
AND ITS IMPACT ON THE CHURCH
Introduction
The prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah
9:6-7 that, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the
government will be on his shoulders…of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end….” For us whose
faith is Bible based, we rejoice in Isaiah’s prophesy. We look forward to God’s government and
eternal peace when, as citizens of heaven, we will thrive when His kingdom
reigns.
In the meantime, humans have and
will devise their own various systems of government. Humans have tried monarchies, dictatorships,
representative republics, and statist collectivism… plus many other
variations. They have ranged from very
autocratic to very loose federations. In
Biblical times we see governmental systems run by dictators who ruled with an
iron fist and claimed to be divine to systems with little leadership at all
where everyone was on their own.
During the 2016 U.S. Presidential
race, a candidate proclaimed himself to be a “democratic socialist”. He came close to being the candidate of the
Democratic Party. In 2018, several
“socialists” were elected to Congress.
Recent surveys have reported that a significant portion of the
population is favorable to “socialism”.
The Democratic Socialists of America had about 6000 members in
2016. They now have 50,000 members. Fifty-seven percent of Democrats favor
socialism over capitalism according to an August Gallup Poll.
So, we would be wise to find out
just what socialism is and what are the ramifications for those whose faith is
Bible based. What will be the impact of
a surge in socialism on the body of Christ?
Let’s define socialism. The dictionary says it is, “a theory or
system of ownership of the means of production and distribution by society rather
than by individuals”. So, the
distinctive of socialism is that the state controls the production and
distribution of goods and services versus a system where such thing are
controlled by individuals.
Characteristics of Statist Collectivism
The technical term for all such
systems of government is STATIST COLLECTIVISM (SC). To help identify what
governmental systems fall into this category, here is a list of the typical
characteristics:
Of the state, by the state, and for
the state. The state is supreme. It overrules all other considerations
including individuals. It is a direct
assault on the U.S. Constitution where the individual is supreme. Mussolini, a complete statist, said it best,
“Everything in the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the
state.”
SC was recently on display
worldwide when the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in South Korea had a
massive musical and dance performance celebrating the individual submitting all
to the state. It was pure SC propaganda. Perhaps North Korea influenced the ceremony.
Massive governmental control. Governmental control is injected into every
phase of life. Go back and take a
historical look at the U.S. in the 1930’s and early 1940’s. There was a governmental bureau
controlling every facet of
life. The situation was so absurd that
it was comical. In Germany, the VW
Beatle is a perfect example of over reach.
The German National Socialists designed a car that all Germans were to
have…the Beatle. It made no difference
what sized family you had or what your occupation, you were going to drive a
Beatle. The only problem was that the VW
plants were converted into military
production before the plan could be carried out. SC always means massive and ever- growing
government.
Base of support. All SC governmental systems have a base of
support to supply the energy and resources to drive the system. For example, Marxist Communism has the
proletariat (working class). Italian
Fascists had national identity. German National Socialists had ethnicity and
national identity.
Individual freedoms, property
and businesses are confiscated by the state. Nothing really belongs to the individual.
The center of decision making is
removed as far as possible from the individual in order to erase the idea that
the individual has any control.
The State runs education, media,
and news. Such input to the
individual is screened by the state.
Violence arm. All SC systems have had a violence arm or
enforcement arm that is used to silence and pound opposition into submission.
Examples would be the Brown Shirts, Black Shirts, KKK, and KGB type groups.
Animosity toward Bible based
communities of faith. The opposition
ranges from outlawing such groups and their activities altogether to
restricting them until they are minimized.
The reason is obvious. The Bible
elevates the individual and calls the followers to “Love the Lord God Almighty
with all your heart, mind, and soul”. It
calls the followers “citizens of heaven”.
That makes SC furious and jealous.
They demand allegiance to the state.
The only churches that can be
allowed to function are those who completely submit to the state and “toe the
SC line”. There are people who are a
part of communities of faith who are enamored by various SC systems. They think its good for the state to care for
everyone’s needs from cradle to grave.
They even point to Acts 4 as an example of socialism at work, but Acts 4
has nothing to do with socialism. It’s
just the opposite. Let’s take a look. “All the believers were one in heart and
mind. No one claimed that any of his
possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to
testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them
all. There were no needy persons among
them. For from time to time those who
owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at
the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.” (Acts
4:32-35). Here is what happened. Every year, Jews from all over the world
gathered in Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost. The city was jammed with visitors in addition
to the local residents. The visitors
were equipped to stay about a week. Due
to the injection of the Gospel, many came to put their faith in Christ and
stayed in Jerusalem to be discipled in their new faith in Christ by the
apostles. Thousands stayed in Jerusalem
to be fed spiritually, so the city was filled with local Jews, local Jews who
had been converted, and thousands of out of town Jews who had been
converted. The visitors soon ran out of resources. They weren’t prepared for a long stay. It quickly became a serious problem. Compassion and generosity swept over the
city. People who had means shared with
those who didn’t so all could survive the special occasion. Contributions were made to the apostles who
distributed that which was collected to the needy. People in Jerusalem hosted the visitors and
all managed to survive until the out of town crowd returned home, and then
things returned to normal. What was abnormal was the intense persecution of the
new believers. The fact that “there were
no needy persons among them” was not due to socialism. It was charity! It was voluntary sharing. It was also temporary to meet an unusual
circumstance. Socialism is by the state
and it is not voluntary nor temporary.
Acts 4 is an example of enormous charity. The government was not involved and wasn’t
even supportive. Acts also records other
circumstances where glorious charity was given to meet the physical demands of
the needy. To this day, the church has
stepped up and contributed to the needs of various needy groups. The bottom line is that Acts 4 is not a
defense of socialism.
In-fighting. SC groups have
a historical tendency to fight each other over minimal differences. Russia is the best example. Millions have died in feuds between various
SC factions due to very minor differences.
Eugenics. Another characteristic that often hangs
around SC groups is eugenics. Eugenics
is the proliferation of the superior races and the extermination of the
inferior races. It is the most virulent
racism ever known. Remember, in the SC
world, the state is everything. The
individual is at the mercy of the state.
If the SC core decides a particular group is a threat to the state, it
is acceptable to eliminate them. The
German National Socialists did not invent eugenics. They adopted it from other SC groups. Eugenics was well developed in Europe and the
U.S. long before Hitler came to power.
The British SC group called the Fabians was full of Europe’s most ardent
eugenicists. When the socialist and
hedonist, Margaret Sanger sought exile in London from federal prosecution, she
landed in bed with the Fabians. The
eugenicists among them discipled her, and when she returned home, she was a full
disciple. She became a spokesperson for
eugenics in America. America
Progressives arranged for and paid for massive rallies all over the country
where the proliferation of the superiors and elimination of the inferiors was
preached. Sanger published eugenic
periodicals and formed the “Negro Project”, the purpose of which was to
exterminate the African Americans in the south by sterilization, contraception,
and abortion. After a scandal, she
re-packaged her efforts and founded “Planned Parenthood” which continues its
eugenics until the present. Notice where
their abortion clinics were located.
Notice the racial statistics.
Proportionately, minorities are aborted at double the rate as
others. Recently, NYC reported that
African American abortions were greater than live births. Planned Parenthood was founded on eugenics
and has never forgotten those roots.
Eugenics was and is practiced among SC governments. The best known were the Nazi killing camps,
but the practice continues today where whole people groups are being eliminated.
The Achilles Heal of SC
SC has a long history of
failure. There were SC experiments in
America before the American Revolution.
They failed. It will always fail
because it is based on a flawed view of human nature. People are diverse. They have different tastes, passions and
motivations. Some love the city, others
love the country, the
coasts, or the mountains, or the
farm. People want to make their own decisions about such things. They want to make their own choices-not told
what to choose by some government agency.
People want to achieve. They set
their own goals, work toward them, and celebrate accomplishments. People need to
compete. They are not satisfied for
everyone to end up at the same level.
People need purpose, a reason to exist.
Meaninglessness is the greatest hell of all. People need to love and be loved, and to be
recognized as more than a grain of sand on the beach of SC. People are nauseated by the idea that we are
just an accidental product of Matter plus Time plus Chance.
The Biblical view of human nature
is that it is un-regenerated and puts self first. All else is a distant second. The regenerated nature puts God first. Both natures are in sharp contrast with the
SC view.
SC has always failed because it
wars against all the precepts of human nature.
People don’t want to be forced or molded into a preconceived image of
the perfect being by a small group of bureaucrats who think they know what is
best for the individual. The most
important aspects of the SC view of human nature is to be conforming and
submissive. Humans aren’t very good at
those aspects.
That’s when the SC moves in and
crushes the rebellion with dictatorial policies. We see it all over the world today. SC systems are installed and they soon
devolve into a dictatorship. Any hint of
democracy is trashed and a leader claws into the position of ultimate power and
dominates until the system collapses. We see it in Russia, China, North Korea,
Cuba, Venezuela, Turkey, etc. A dictator
will crush the rebellion and takes complete control. Individual rights and freedoms are abolished
and the state (the dictator) grabs all the control and the individual is in
chains.
That is why the term “Democratic
Socialism” is absurd. SC never leads to
more democracy. It always leads to more
central control and the abolition of democracy.
Bible based communities of faith have to be crushed as well. There is far too much individualism in the
Bible. The Bible contains admonitions,
prohibitions, salvation, consequences, and promises which are all aimed at
individuals. The Bible elevates the
individual. SC elevates the state as
Mussolini stated so forcefully; therefore, SC must demand the Bible based
groups be outlawed or must submit to the state and change their teachings to
comply with the state. Look who is
demanding the church change or be closed.
Universities are shutting down ministries which have been on campus for
decades. Why? Who is demanding that very established charities abolish their
policies? Who is removing Dr. Ben
Carson’s name from a Detroit school because he is a devout believer and
promotes individual advancement? It’s the SC.
How Should Believers Respond?
The SC is screaming in the face of
Biblically based faiths, “You are not welcome here anymore. You are the enemy and we are going to destroy
you. You not only need to condone our
beliefs and actions, you must facilitate them or you will die”.
How should Bible based believers
respond? Surrender? NO!
Accommodate? NO! We need to follow the example of the Biblical
heroes we have studied for centuries.
They were called “prophets”. They
called people to repent and loved the opposition enough to draw their attention
to God’s Word and
Way. They willingly suffered the consequences of
their boldness and currently reside with the Father as “overcomers”. We need to honor their memory by following
their footsteps.
History of SC
People want to know why there are
so many varieties of SC. A historical
survey will help clarify the situation.
We could go back to the experiments prior to the Revolutionary War. But, let’s begin with Karl Marx. He believed in a natural evolution of a
society from a monarchy to a capitalist state which would be overthrown by a
workers (proletariat) rebellion resulting in a communist state bringing about a
utopia. He believed it would begin in
Germany or England. He was astonished
that it happened in Russia. Lenin was in
agreement with Marx, but added his belief that the proletariat needed a
powerful, charismatic leader to motivate and guide them, and a statist
collectivism government was established.
Parties that bought into Marxist ideas were established in various
countries…Italy, France, England, Germany, and the United States. The Italian socialists began to espouse a
hybrid. Gentile and others noticed that the base of Russian communism lacked the
fervor they desired. They observed that
a base composed of nationalism offered more energetic support, so they developed
Italian Fascism. Mussolini, a product of
a socialist family and follower of communism, was interested in Gentile’s thoughts.
He was eventually converted to fascism.
His influence was great in other countries including with the American
Progressives. The two groups exchanged
ideas, letters, visits, and admiration.
Mussolini also influenced a younger
socialist/communist in Austria, Adolph Hitler.
Hitler was finally converted to switch the base from class to
nation. He formed the German National
Socialist Workers Party, but Hitler added to the base the element of
ethnicity. His new base became nation
plus super race plus hatred of Jews. He
bought into the eugenics that already existed in Europe and the United States. He set out to proliferate the “super race”
and exterminate the inferior and dangerous Jews and all others he designated as
“inferiors”.
The English Fabians already were
imbedded with eugenicists. The American Progressives history of dealing with
the American Indians and African slaves excited Hitler to accelerate his cause. He studied how America had organized
plantations for slaves and how they dealt with the Indian population with
reservations. He was most enthusiastic
about Roosevelts’ National Recovery Act which gave government enormous power
over business and production. He thought
it was ingenious. It became the model
for the Third Reich.
Mussolini resisted following
Hitler’s inclusion of ethnicity in the base.
He had no animosity for Jews. In
fact, he had Jews in his movement. It
was only when his Italian Fascists were in decline that he reluctantly caved in
to Hitler’s pressure and agreed half heartedly to follow Hitler’s lead.
The end of World War II did not
mean SC was dead. Yes, the German
National Socialists and the Italian Fascists fell, but the Soviet Union pressed
on into the Cold War. Communism spread
to other parts of the world. It spread
to the far east and into South America and Africa. American Progressives grabbed a hold of
education, the media, and key governmental positions. English Fabians kept their influence until
Margaret Thatcher dealt the English SC a nasty blow and saved the nation. So SC
has spread after World War II
The ultimate result has been and
always will be the same. The people
rebel and a dictator arises to put down the disenchanted and grab ultimate
authority and the country devolves.
We see it happening before our eyes
all over the world. And, yet, we have
politicians trying to promote SC for America. Jay Richards, a fellow at the
Discovery Institute and an expert on economics and free markets, says that the
current Democratic Socialists are not all the same. Some are historical socialists who hold to
the abolition of private property, and government ownership of productive
property. Others are promoting a system
associated with Scandinavian nations.
Those countries are not socialist.
They are free-market economies with high rates of taxation that finance
generous public services. They depend on
dynamic capitalistic practices that socialists dislike. The Democratic Socialists do not like being
associated with places like Venezuela, because they say they advocate for
democratic elections. They fail to
realize that Hugo Chavez was freely elected.
Richards goes on to say that the Democratic Socialists is a movement in
which a population gets more and more accustomed to dependency. Rather than
focusing on how we create value and wealth for ourselves and others, we focus
on how we confiscate the wealth of other people. The more the population is in that
confiscatory mode, the more dangerous it gets.
There is a better choice…a much better choice. We don’t have to settle for the SC cousins
from hell: Marxists, Communists, Fascists, National Socialists, English
Fabians, and American Progressives, and all of their descendants.
The Better Choice
Several centuries ago, a group of
very intelligent, brave patriots came up with a different system of government
that has changed the world for all who live inside the system. It is called the “Constitutional
Representative Republic” (CRR). The characteristics are in sharp contrast to
the SC system. First, it is of the people, by the people, and for the
people. The state is to serve the people
which is the opposite of SC. Government
is to be minimal. The rights and
freedoms of the individual are to take priority. The centers of decision making are to be as
close to the people as possible to facilitate individual participation.
Government intrusion into production and business is to be minimal. Every individual has a right to life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
The individual has guaranteed freedoms of faith, pursuit of personal
enhancement, and the economic freedom to do business, and expression of speech,
and beliefs. Rather than a built-in
animosity toward Bible based faith communities, CRR recognizes the value of
Biblical faith. The founders of CRR
often recorded their recognition that the core values taught in the Bible were
absolutely vital to the success of CRR.
Such core values as Accountability, Honesty, Caring, Integrity, Respect,
Responsibility, etc. must be a vital part in the lives of the citizens living
in a CRR society. CRR encourages those
faith groups that teach and practice such values.
Conclusion
SC has never worked. It can’t work. It contradicts human nature. It will always devolve into a
dictatorship. We might as well settle
for a monarchy again. Bible based
communities of faith will always be at odds with SC. SC always demands that such communities toe
the official line or go away. The
only positive option for those
communities of faith is to go underground and keep on spreading the Good News,
knowing that the risk is great.
Don’t be fooled by the propaganda
promoting “soft Socialism”. They start
with such ideas as free tuition for college, minimum wage, abolish ICE,
guaranteed basic wage for all, Medicare for all, tax the other guy. The gullible will say, “I like some of
those. I like free stuff. Maybe SC is not so bad”. It’s bad.
Real bad and none of those things are “free”. We as Bible based communities of faith need
to realize the blessing God gave to the world when CRR was founded and be
thankful. There is no better system this
side of heaven.
