Christianity and Politics of the Poor

Christianity is not meant to save society! I challenge anyone to show me a verse to support this crazed notion. This world and this life is not meant to be saved; a new world and new life is the promise of Christianity. “Salvation” for liberals is either extremely materialistic (Marxism) or of base feeling (self-esteem brought about by non-discrimination no matter what or approval of all Difference). There is nothing high-minded about it at all from a theological perspective. Marxism is a perverse caricature of Christianity!

Yet so many Christians mistake Marxism for the tenets of their own faith. It frustrates me to no end! (Perhaps this is Hillary’s problem.) Commitment to caring for the poor is miles apart from “economic justice” as conceived by liberals! Christian charity is a virtue and thus a free choice of the free will. “Economic justice” is coerced taxation and redistribution based on envy, a vice according to Christianity. It is not justice at all. Charity is a duty placed on individuals and the Church and commanded by God. This is something we render to God, not to Caesar! There is no contradiction between being economically conservative/libertarian and being a Christian. In fact it is just the opposite: liberal Christians abandon their Christian duty to care for the poor when they demand government do it for them.

Jesus sure did have a lot to say about the poor, including “”The poor you will always have with you” (Matthew 26:11). Government cannot eliminate poverty! The War on Poverty was doomed to failure (and actually made things worse). Never once did Jesus say that the government should be the instrument by which Christians help the poor. His very example was one of personal service, not laying charitable duty at the feet of govt. Liberal Christians, Protestant and Catholic alike, are imposing their own political ideology onto the Scriptural text! ”We” as Christians, “we” as private individuals, “we” as civil society (as distinguished from govt) made up of a multitude of voluntary charitable and service organizations, “we the people,” should care for the poor. NOT “we” the govt.

Early Christians did NOT see their charitable work as a duty to the collective. They saw it as a duty to each child of God, to God himself. Christianity has social implications as does every religion, but they are secondary to the real message of the gospel that transcends earthly society. The economic justice of Marxism is nothing but legalized, yet still immoral, theft and thus no justice at all. Socialist solidarity is a perverse distortion of Christian love, which seeks the perfect balance between compassion and accountability. Social welfare is a perverse distortion of Christian charity.

As for Acts 4:32, it is a commune. But those Christians VOLUNTARILY joined the commune. It was not a political institution; it was a private religious organization. Moreover, I witnessed a Christian commune firsthand growing up: it is called a monastery. This biblical tradition is carried on in Catholicism, not Protestantism, as far as I can tell. Communism coercively reduces everybody to the lowly condition of a monk: poverty! But at least the monks get to voluntarily choose/vow poverty for the sake of God’s Kingdom. Sure, communism can work in America…if everyone is fine with being poor.

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