Utopia

I am perplexed by the cause of some Christians to rally around government to become our social savior. Have these individuals broken ranks with the "religious right" because of disunity and hypocrisy, or have they actually chosen an alternative philosophy that is inherently incompatible with Christianity? For what we believe about God and humanity determines how we see our world. And it is our world-view, our philosophy that guides our decisions. To be clear, it is not because of political party affiliation that I question fellow Christians, but a concern for their philosophy, or at least its consideration in their political selections.

Economically speaking, neither capitalism nor socialism is inherently Christian. However, whereas Capitalism assumes equality among people and leverages our fallen nature by rewarding those who are productive to society, socialism mocks equality and takes on an assumption that man is basically good inside.

I understand how one could deduce a socialist bend by examining the wonderful community that Christians experienced in Acts 2. But those who would point to these as evidence of the Bible’s advocacy for socialism forget one crucial thing.

The Government is NOT the Church.

The government is not where Christ enters the world. Jesus commanded His followers, not the government, to help the poor and the downtrodden. In fact, I believe Jesus understood that there is a vital difference between charitable contributions and bureaucratic compensation. When individuals give from the heart, they present more than material wealth. When the government gives, it’s a superficial handout that only promotes apathy and an entitlement mentality. And yet there are some that would have us believe that Jesus is the rallying cry of the welfare state.

I conclude that even though a “socialist” economy may appear in scripture, the Acts community was successful due to the true heart transformation in the believers. Our behavior is supposed to be counter-culture. Christians do not give because the other party deserves, but because we don’t either. To force this conviction on a secular economy is to only encourage its collapse, like every utopia that has ever attempted survival.