Socialism, Church, and State

Hugo Schwyzer says:

To be honest, one of the reasons I’m a socialist is because I do think that virtue sometimes needs to be compelled by an external source. Left to my own devices, despite my faith, I will choose expensive clothes and trips over giving money to the poor. I do give a great deal to charity (to be honest, I tithe on my net income, not my gross), but I often think more good could be done if the money were taken from me involuntarily. Come the revolution, no ankle boots for me. (My conservative readers are really frothing now, aren’t they?)

Now, kudos to him for admitting where he falls short, and, heaven knows that I have a looong way to go in surrendering back to the Good Lord my self, my time, and my possessions. But the early church, or so we’re told, didn’t lobby Caesar for better welfare programs, rather they took matters into their own hands:

All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. (Acts 2: 44-45)



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)

Please note that I’m not arguing against all government redistribution of wealth. I think Christian tradition clearly teaches that the civil authorities can set limits to the right of private property in the interest of the common good. Aquinas and Luther, just to pick a couple of heavyweights, both taught that the rich had an obligation to share with the poor, and that this is a matter of justice, not just charity.

Still, Christians believe that the church, not the state, is where God’s new life is making its presence felt. As John Howard Yoder argued, the church is an “aftertaste of God’s loving triumph on the cross and foretaste of His ultimate loving triumph in His kingdom”- a community that shows the world that a different way is possible. Who can doubt that Christians would have vastly more credibility in the modern world if we practiced the kind of radical discipleship that we see in the New Testament?