should christians reject socialism?
New York City’s next mayor may well be a socialist. Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, won the Democratic primary on promises such as rent control, city-owned grocery stores, and a minimum wage of $30/hour. His ideas are not an anomaly in the Democratic Party; Barry Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have advocated these policies for years. This socialist leaning has some people worried.
Should we as Christians worry about socialism in our government?
The word “socialism” is a freighted with negative meaning for some, so let’s define it accurately. Socialism is political and economic system where the means of production are owned and controlled by the community as a whole, rather than by private individuals or corporations. So instead of Excellus as a private health insurance, for example, under socialism we’d have a state-run insurer like Medicare. And instead of Amazon, we’d have something like “National Online Buying Service” run by the government.
We already have aspects of socialism in our system. Medicare and Social Security are examples. But ideas like rent control and city-owned groceries set off alarms for many – and for me. I’ll get to that in a minute. Before I do, though, we should admit that some of the aims of socialism agree with two profoundly biblical themes: fairness for the poor and restraint on accumulating riches.
Countless passages speak to these themes. I’ll name just two.
There should be no poor among you…. Do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. (Deut. 15:4, 7-8).
No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. (Acts 4:32).
Capitalism and free enterprise can – and at times have – completely disregarded these biblical teachings. Having spent decades doing inner city ministry in the 3rd poorest city in America – Rochester, New York – I need no convincing that our system fails millions of people. You’ve heard me share this statistic before: according to the Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances Data, 2020, the average person in the top 5% of wealth-owners in America owns vastly more wealth than the average person in the bottom 25%. How much more? 1,412 times more.
That is egregious and unbiblical.
Yes, poor people often create their own poverty through immoral behavior. I absolutely agree with that statement. But what about their children? They typically become mired in generational poverty. Can we honestly say we would be able to climb out of poverty if we were born into similar circumstances?
So I think we Christians should sympathize with the socialist critique of our system.
However, history shows that pure socialism just doesn’t work. Communist China recognized this, and under Deng Xiaping, China’s leader from 1978-1989, reformed its economy and created the prosperity that it now enjoys. Moreover, socialism often leads to an authoritarian government that becomes at least as corrupt and oppressive as any capitalist government.
Again and again I’ve heard international students lament how their countries stifle economic opportunity through corruption or oppression. America, for all its faults, is still the land of opportunity, and this is due to our capitalist system of free enterprise. Allowing individuals the freedom to create, innovate, and earn the fruits of their labor is fundamental to a prosperous society.
The question Christians should ask is “What system creates the most prosperity for the most people?” It seems to me that neither pure socialism nor pure capitalism is the answer.
I wish I knew of a smart Christian economist who could combine the strengths socialism and capitalism. I listen weekly to David Bahnsen on World Radio, as well as other thought leaders, but no one I know truly has the concern for the poor that the bible so clearly expresses.
Do you know of someone who does? Please contact me if you do. To put it simply, if we ignore the poor, we cannot claim to be biblical Christians.
