Sometimes it is just not a good idea for me to watch television. After a long day at the dental office and then teaching a bible study on Isaiah 5, I hoped to unwind by watching the O’Reily Factor. (See the segment below)
I was doing fine with the various segments, including an interview with Dr. Ben Carson. I did come to a conclusion as to the true purpose of Obamacare and why it was set up the way it is, but that is for a video I hope to make in the next few days.
What caught my attention was a segment Bill did on his new book “Killing Jesus”. He had as his guest a “theology” professor from Notre Dame named Candida Moss who asserted that Jesus was (and therefor is) a socialist. Neither Bill O’Reily or Candida Moss had any idea what they were talking about or the real nature of a biblical lifestyle.
A discussion of this sort requires a definition first of socialism. Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary defines the noun, socialism this way:
so·cial·ism noun \ˈsō-shə-ˌli-zəm\ -a way of organizing a society in which major industries are owned and controlled by the government rather than by individual people and companies
It then requires a correct understanding of what Jesus was teaching. We should understand that He is a Jewish rabbi grounded and governed by the Torah. My musings are not sufficient to cover the breadth and scope of Torah but I am certain that the Torah never organizes a society in such a way that major industries are owned and controlled by the government.
What Jesus clearly taught is to love the Lord our God with all that we are and to love our neighbor as ourselves. The state does not compel the generosity of the believer, the Lord does.
Professor Moss misquoted the Sermon on the Mount when she stated, “Blessed are the poor, for they shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
Jesus taught, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall inherit the kingdom of Heaven.”
On the surface, it can sound like Jesus taught us to give up all our worldly possessions. For some He may command just that. Our Lord actually taught us to live generously. We should allow wealth to pass through us as we are blessed with it.
The same is true regarding our life. We are not told to kill ourselves. Right? But, we are not to love our lives so much that we love our lives more than God. Money is the same. We are to work with our hands that we can have what we need to live, but we are also to help others with what we earn.
Socialism is a cheap counterfeit of godly living. In it we give up our obligation to help and bless others by the work of our hands as the Lord allows us. And instead, we surrender this privilege to the government. This robs the poor and it robs us of the dignity that comes for obedience to God.
Thank You Pastor; watched this segment also and was disturbed/conflicted since watching it. I look forward to the upcoming video!
The definition of socialism you presented is so simplified, it is useless in an argument of whether Jesus is a socialist or whether the President is a socialist. The phrases capitalist and socialist are false dichotomies in this age, and national and global economics are way to complicated for such a silly question like Was Jesus a Socialist. It helps no one. But to say that capitalism is without question the be-all-end-all economic policy is staggeringly ignorant. Jesus might not have been a socialist, but he most certainly does not favor free wheeling, deregulated, union busting, minimal taxes especially for wealthy investors, plutocrat-boosting capitalism as the ideal earthly scheme for his human creations.
Greg,
Most people understand the concepts of socialism and redistribution of wealth. Volumes have been written on the subject. I was tempted to start listing further definitions but I believe most people can Google it if they need more.
I believe that as the church, and by extension the secular world, uncouple from the biblical moorings more people will attempt to fit the Lord into their ideology instead of conforming to His ideology.
Jesus is not a socialist, but I would not presume to call Him a capitalist either. As to the Lord’s view on taxes and the rest, the scripture lays out a system that resets at various intervals of seven and fifty years. This system is not capitalism, but a work based system that does not destroy wealth like socialism and the warped social justice philosophy.
You are correct that these lines of thinking are much more involved and complex than we will discuss here. I would recommend a more in depth bible study of a scripture based (Theocratic) economy. Remember, these are systems we have built and chosen, not what the Lord laid out.
Don’t believe Pastor Paul mentioned capitalism being the be-all-end-all nor discussed union busting or deregulation and certainly didn’t attribute such issues to Jesus. You have my prayers Greg.