“We Are All Socialists Now,” proclaimed the cover of Newsweek for February 16. In the featured article, the authors described how American political culture has changed to embrace a more “European” approach of governmental control of the economy. As a citizen and a Christian, I find this notion troubling.
Big Brother
As a lover of freedom, I oppose socialism for the reasons outlined by Friedrich Hayek in his 1944 classic The Road to Serfdom. Providing a defense of capitalism, Hayek demonstrated that all forms of collectivism create tyranny. Within a centrally planned economic system, a small group uses the coercive power of government to impose their vision on the whole of society. Central planning of the economy is the destruction of all individual economic and personal freedom. As the government increases its control of our lives through taxation and regulation, it transforms us from free men and women into slaves.
Socialism is also unattractive for practical reasons. Looking to the bottom line, the record of the 20th century should be evidence enough that socialism is not effective in producing prosperity. Repeatedly, as governments move toward socialism, productivity plummets whereas free-market reforms uniformly produce economic growth.
Political Atheism
More important than economic success and even more important than civil liberty, I am opposed to socialism because it is an enemy of Christian faith. Not all atheists are socialist, and not all socialists are atheist. There is, however, a strong correlation between atheism and socialism. Abandoning the God of the Bible, atheists are prone to make a god out of the state.
The animosity between socialism and religion runs deep. From its origin in the 19th century, socialism has often positioned itself as an opponent of Christian values. The more thoroughly socialist a nation becomes, the more it is prone to persecute religious conviction.
Christianity teaches that human nature is not perfectible. This understanding argues strongly for limited government because all people are prone to sin and may abuse power if given the chance.
The Bible consistently champions the right to own and to enjoy private property. In the book of Philemon, Paul showed the freedom we have in Christ has a social dimension as well. Christianity has been the greatest source of liberty throughout the world.
Although the Lord’s church is not called to be involved in political activism, Christians must let their faith inform our politics. We must consistently stand for the truth that God has revealed, and we must stand opposed to any political system that undercuts the message of the Bible.
Gregory Alan Tidwell – Gospel Advocate, May, 2009. P. 5.
