Socialism
I think it's good we all get to know this stuff, but I am
particularly thinking of my American Cousins as I write. Particularly the Christian Right wing so
called.
The term socialism was first introduced by Henri de Saint-Simon
(1760-1825), the French social theorist also credited with the advent of
Christian socialism and what would later become labelled as "utopian
socialism." The term itself refers to a collective mode of production and
political economy.
Socialism's roots go far back beyond Marx's works. Church's actually led
the first socialist movements. The US gave birth too many of Socialism's key
concepts.
The original Socialistic
concepts date back to 1700s and influenced even the founding fathers of the US.
You find many of them embedded in the Constitution and in laws passed over the
years. Prisons for example were one of the first major socialist contributions
to society. Before prisons came about, people generally were publicly punished
with physical punishments, financially punished or executed. There was not much
in between.
The first prisons date back many years. Socialists in the early
1800s made major penal reforms in the US which quickly spread to the rest of
the world completely redefining crime and punishment. That is an example of
early Socialism in the US and its predating Marx.
There are things that
puzzle me about my American Cousins, and I love the USA. But from a Jesus
Follower perspective, I want things that are good for people so I cannot
understand why as a Jesus follower I would not want to promote Health Care for
everyone at the point of deliver, I want people to be as healthy as possible,
whether they can afford it or not.
Then again, another
area, I want people to be housed, I don’t want them to be homeless, even if
they cannot afford it. How can we help them?
Yes I know that when it
comes to government enforcing these things that where the problems start, why
is that, well much as people don’t like to hear it we are as people not
intrinsically good, rather we are selfish, self-serving, and we tend to look
after number one, us!
If you look at History
when Christians are in control of the levers of government we have not done
very well, but does that mean I should forget Biblical commands to Love
Justice, (Matt 12:18 Luke 11:42 Gal 5:22:23.) If government of whatever ilk
try’s to put in place things that do good, help people, give justice, welcomes
strangers amongst us (Exd 22 and Exd 23.)
Surely as a follow of Jesus I would want to support such action.
Likewise when people are being unjustly
treated, marginalised, poor and denied the means to help themselves by
government policy should I not cry out against such things?
The problem is we like
to read the parts of Scripture that we like.
So we would like to put things on one side such as (Matt 19:24)
concerning the rich man, or (Acts 4:34 on, having all thing in common) and I
often hear Christians say such things as well that was then, this is now, you
cannot do things like that now. Why not,
is that part of scripture we don’t like?
I often hear people say,
why should we support free loaders, or as my Mother in law used to say why don’t
those people get a job. Sorry but that
really is uneducated.
On frequent visits to Kenya, another country I love, I
have often asked leaders what do you need.
They will say things like more crusades, more meetings, and more
preachers. I look around and think no, what you need is more jobs. I see loads
of people who want to work, need to work, would work hard, sitting waiting
trying to find work, are they free loaders.
We need to understand that often the way society is structured means that
the opportunities you are given are not just or righteous, the poor are often
not poor because they are lazy or free loaders, or unwilling.
Please there is a lot of other reasons way
beyond their control that put them in such positions. And if the follower of Jesus can change their
position for the better be that by influencing government policy, or direct
action to help, then God calls us to do it. To quote Jim Wallis – A Budget is a
moral document.
And a bit more Wallis to end The Biblical prophets do hold their rulers,
courts, judges, landowners and employer accountable to the values of fairness
justice and even mercy, evil and sin is in the concentration of power, politics
and economics need to be held accountable to Justice especially in the protection
of the poor.
Fair outcomes not necessarily equality should be the goal of
governments.
Socialist or whatever,
let those who follow Jesus cry out for His values in His world.
Adrian Hawkes
W.830
