Recently on social media, I posted something about the dangers of Socialism and a friend of mine expressed the idea that America was a “brutalist” society that was in many ways already Socialist in its lifestyle. In response I explained that while it’s easy to find examples of Man’s inhumanity to Man, there are numerous examples of kindness, compassion and generosity all around us!
In my roles as a pastor and a hospice chaplain, I’ve encountered many self-effacing, long-suffering individuals who’ve poured their best energies into caring for the sick, the weak and less fortunate. In the big city where I reside (Phoenix, AZ) we have great charities such as https://phoenixrescuemission.org/, https://www.salvationarmy.org/, and various women’s shelters, crisis pregnancy centers, and churches with foodbanks which touch many lives. I would be remiss if I also failed to point out that there are loving, thoughtful people scattered throughout our nation who intentionally lookout for the people within their sphere of influence: spouses, grandparents, moms, dads, even neighbors who often put the needs of others ahead of their own. While none of these people or the groups they create are perfect, their generosity and caring actions help some of the weakest and most vulnerable in our communities.
For a brief season of my life-11 months- I lived and worked as a Christian missionary in the Philippines (Butuan City, Lipa City and Manila). Living in a foreign land and relating extensively with the people left me with a great appreciation for the immense privilege of being an American. America is the land of opportunity! I’m convinced our founders were granted Divine wisdom when they envisioned a nation built upon the premise of self-evident truths “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” (See the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence https://users.wfu.edu/zulick/340/Declaration.html).
As a society established upon a Christian worldview, our leaders organized supportive organizations such as the police, military, FBI and CIA. These agencies are essential to a civilized society, but they are not as you said, “socialist organizations”. I’m deeply concerned that our government is so bloated and that we have so many bureaucracies staffed by unelected officials. That having been said, Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress authority to impose taxes “and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States”. https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlei The USA is drifting into Socialism but it’s not yet a Socialist country.
My assertion that America is not Socialist is not just my opinion. Consider the following working definition of “Socialism”. According to the website, Lexico, powered by the Oxford Dictionary publishers, Socialism is “A political and economic theory of social organization which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.” https://www.lexico.com/definition/socialism
The American way of life, in contrast to the command and control model of Socialism, is rooted in the freedom or “liberty “of the individual to “pursue happiness”. In this precarious world, success or prosperity can’t be guaranteed as an outcome. Sometimes entrepreneurs are wildly successful. Other times business ventures fail and result in financial loss and great disappointment! Living free is a risky proposition, but it’s so worth the risk! Our Founders envisioned a way of life in which individuals are free to use their time, talent and treasure to pursue their individual dreams with limited governmental intrusion. That having been said, our republican form of government relies on people’s ability to self-govern. Our second President, John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Adams/99-02-02-3102
The moral virtue that Adams called for occurs when people live with a sense of accountability to a Higher Authority — aka God. When people are virtuous, there will be human flourishing because virtuous people don’t just live for themselves, but, are mindful of the needs of others. In a virtuous society, the free-market is a means of personal profit and an engine to empower people to be generous toward the needy. People who are guided and informed by their Faith don’t want an intrusive, tax-hungry government to redistribute their hard-earned dollars to causes or individuals that politicians and unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats deem worthy. Personally, I support organizations I’ve vetted and trust will do good things with the resources I delegate to them. I also engage in giving to individuals in my church and neighborhood who are known to me. If the government is involved in redistribution of our resources, that will impair my ability to be generous to others.
Speaking of taking care of others, you mentioned your “struggle to understand what part of taking care of our weakest and most vulnerable segments of society angers and scares people so much.”
If there is fear and anger related to Socialism, it’s probably because of the carnage and deprivation that Socialist ideas in the hands of dictatorial regimes have created. In the last hundred years, there have been numerous examples of great atrocities committed by individuals who are true believers in the tenets of Socialism. Millions of people were murdered in the name of Communism by the dictators and their cronies! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_killings_under_communist_regimes
Speaking of frightening developments, in recent years in America, secular Leftists have demonstrated that they have little to no regard for the rights of business owners who conscientiously object to participating in the celebration of LGBTQ weddings. The Left is utterly intolerant of those who don’t want to participate in activities that long-established Faith systems regard as immoral. One need only pull up the stories of Jack Phillips, the Christian baker and cake artist of Masterpiece Cakes https://adflegal.org/stand-with-jack-phillips or Barronelle Stutzman, the Christian florist https://adflegal.org/detailspages/blog-details/allianceedge/2018/09/19/4-things-you-need-to-know-about-barronelle-stutzman-s-story to see that unbridled power in the hands of Leftists is a frightening thing. The Leftists on many college campuses show they have no respect for the 1st Amendment and the freedom of speech of those who hold to different worldviews. https://www.thecollegefix.com/11-times-campus-speakers-were-shouted-down-by-leftist-protesters-this-school-year/, https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/year-shout-down-worse-you-think-campus-free-speech/
The recent developments in Virginia where the newly elected Democrat Governor is attempting to make gun ownership as difficult as he can is very disturbing. https://www.thehour.com/news/crime/article/Virginia-Senate-blocks-another-Northam-backed-gun-15026447.php
Well-established Constitutional rights are now being attacked by the Left who, in the words of former President Barak Obama, seem to be committed to an agenda of “fundamentally transforming America”. (https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/10/01/obama_transforming_america_120170.html) Those incidents are just a handful of illustrations to the point that big government in its varied expressions is frightening!
My friend also suggested that the actions of Jesus toward the vulnerable and weak was a Divine endorsement of Socialism. I replied that Jesus, unlike the image of Him presented by heretical prosperity preachers, was not a wealthy individual. He once informed a prospective disciple that “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Matthew 8:20) In other words, Jesus, an itinerant preacher, didn’t even have his own residence.
The Apostle Peter, one of Jesus’ closest associates summarized Jesus’ ministry this way: “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38) Jesus performed miracles in the lives of some of His contemporaries but His purpose was spiritual and redemptive but not political.
As Jesus launched His ministry, He selected a section from the prophet Isaiah that emphasized His concern for “preaching the Gospel to the poor…recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed.” (Luke 4:14-19) His Messianic credentials were validated by miraculous signs.
When the imprisoned John the Baptist sent messengers to Jesus to confirm if He really was the long-expected Messiah, Jesus said, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. “Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.” (See Luke 7:18 and following.)
Anyone who has attended church probably recalls that Jesus performed some amazing miracles like feeding thousands by multiplying a boy’s lunch of fish and bread. (Matthew 14:13-21)
According to the Apostle John, Jesus performed these and many other miracles that weren’t written down for this purpose: “but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:30, 31)
Jesus was compassionate toward the hurting, but He never lost sight of the fact that the primary reason that He, the Creator, became a human being was to die on the cross to suffer the penalty our sin required so He could offer us a way back to God. (John 3:16-18)
There’s a revealing passage in Luke’s Gospel where Jesus and His entourage are traveling through Jericho. Apparently, word of His presence preceded His arrival and a crowd gathers. A rich and prominent tax collector named Zaccheus wants to see Jesus and even climbs up in a tree for a good view of Him. Jesus sees Zaccheus in the tree and says, “’Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.’ And he (Zaccheus) hurried and came down and received Him gladly.” (Luke 19:5,6) Later that day, after spending time with Jesus, Zaccheus gives a generous gift to the poor and pledges to make restitution to anyone he’s wronged thus demonstrating that he intends to serve God rather than the idol of money. (Luke 19:8) See also Matthew 6:24 Luke 12:15 Ephesians 5:5 1 Timothy 6:10
As Jesus reflects on what has occurred in Zaccheus’ life He expresses two powerful ideas:
1) When someone experiences salvation there are observable changes in their priorities and lifestyle. Luke 19:9,10 “ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.’”
Jesus taught that we could identify true Christians by their actions or by the “fruits” of their lifestyle.
I reminded my friend that there are numerous individuals alive today who profess allegiance to Christ but show little evidence of having embraced His values and priorities. Churches in America are filled with fruitless professors. “They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him…” (Titus 1:16)
My purpose in expressing that is to urge you not to judge Christ or the power of His salvation by the poor examples on display in the contemporary culture. Jesus is SO much greater than anyone can adequately demonstrate! His forgiveness is real, and He is actively working in the lives of those who seek Him!
2) Jesus said the primary reason He came into the world was to rescue the lost!
As Jesus reflects on what has occurred in Zaccheus’ life He also expresses His primary reason for coming into the world.
Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
*Jesus didn’t come to bring people their “best life now” as Joel Osteen claims! *Jesus’ purpose in becoming a Human being wasn’t to create a Socialist utopia. *Jesus came to seek, save and rescue us from the wrath our sin deserves.
I’ve experienced the power of His redeeming love, and my first allegiance in all things is to honor Him. I know I don’t measure up to His standards in every situation, but those closest to me know I’m sincere and that I live a life of faithful devotion to my Lord. I’m trying to use my fleeting time to reach others with Jesus’ message. Every time someone hears about Christ and repents of living in rebellion to God there is joy in Heaven! (Luke 15:7, 10)
I don’t want to see America destroyed from within, and I’m praying for our country to return to its roots of Faith, Freedom and Family.
It’s well past time Americans once again recognize the dangerous, soul-crushing nature of Socialism!