Is Communism the Real Picture of Christianity?
Venezuela recently passed a law that allows their President, Hugo Chavez, to run for office as many times as he would like. As a result, Chavez says that the nation is stating their support for his Socialist ideas and the redistribution of oil wealth throughout the country, even to people that aren’t involved in the industry. As things grow worse in our own nation, built on Capitalism and hard work, the conversations regarding the merits of Socialism are too much for me. Some believe you can have Socialism (economic control by the government) without Communism (social control by the government), but that is a dangerous line to walk.
I have heard Christians say that Communism (i.e. Socialism) is taught as a good idea in the Bible. They make reference to Acts 4:32-35, which is an account of how the early church interacted. “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.”
This passage is not a reference to Communism, but to Communalism. The church is a community, even a family. People were selling their possessions and giving the proceeds to the church to be redistributed to the poor. So what is the difference between Communism and Communalism? Communism is the government forcing you to give up your possessions. Communalism is your making a choice to give these things up of your own accord, and to provide for the needs of others. During today’s difficult times, should we hoard things for ourselves and wait for the government to help our neighbors? Or could we show the love of Christ by providing without coercion to those who need it most. Who owns your possessions, you or God?