The Christian Socialist Revolution

[Revmitchell]

The rise of the Christian neo-socialists has been quite surprising. These Marxists have been using the Sermon of the Mount and Beatitudes and “Jesus’ teaching” to smoke screen the resurgence of a Christian Socialist agenda. It’s amazing.

We see this clearly in socialist redistributionists like Barack Obama, Jim Wallis, Wendell Berry, Shane Claiborne, Tony Campolo, Ron Sider (although he’s moving more toward center), Brian McLaren, and many others I’d love to name.

At least in the U.K. leftist Christians are honest about being socialists. You will see no difference between this agenda and anything you’ll find in Jim Wallace’s neo-socialist organization Sojourners.

Here’s part of the neo-socialist Christian manifesto from the U.K.’s Christian Socialist Movement. At least these folks are honest. It should sound familiar:

Our values

We believe that Christian teaching should be reflected in laws and institutions and that the Kingdom of God finds its political expression in democratic socialist policies.

We believe that all people are created in the image of God. We all have equal worth and deserve equal opportunities to fulfil our God-given potential whilst exercising personal responsibility.

We believe in personal freedom, exercised in community with others and embracing civil, social and economic freedom.

We believe in social justice and that the institutional causes of poverty in, and between, rich and poor countries should be abolished.

We believe all people are called to common stewardship of the Earth, including its natural resources.

Objectives

Christian Socialist Movement members pledge themselves to work in prayer and through political action for the following objectives:

* A greater understanding between people of different faiths

* The unity of all Christian people

* Peace and reconciliation between nations and peoples and cultures together with worldwide nuclear and general disarmament

* Social justice, equality of opportunity and redistribution economically to close the gap between the rich and the poor, and between rich and poor nations

* A classless society based on equal worth and without discrimination

* The sustainable use of the Earth’s resources for the benefit of all people, both current and future generations

* Co-operation, including the creation of cooperative organisations


More Here

 

[donnA]

Sounds like some have viewd the world through the worlds view, not through scrripture.

 

[Jim1999]

Sounds New Testament to me. Something the Lord would lead.wait, that IS what He did in life.

Cheers,

Jim

 

[donnA]

Sounds New Testament to me. Something the Lord would lead.wait, that IS what He did in life.

Cheers,

Jim

Really? I've no seen this in my bible, please show us where you find it.

* A greater understanding between people of different faiths

*

* A greater understanding between people of different faiths

* Peace and reconciliation between nations and peoples and cultures together with worldwide nuclear and general disarmament


* Social justice, equality of opportunity and redistribution economically to close the gap between the rich and the poor, and between rich and poor nations

* A classless society based on equal worth and without discrimination

* The sustainable use of the Earth’s resources for the benefit of all people, both current and future generations
* Co-operation, including the creation of cooperative organisations

* Social justice, equality of opportunity and redistribution economically to close the gap between the rich and the poor, and between rich and poor nations

* A classless society based on equal worth and without discrimination

* The sustainable use of the Earth’s resources for the benefit of all people, both current and future generations
* Co-operation, including the creation of cooperative organisations

Where did Jesus encourage us to have a greater understanding of different faiths?
Where did Jesus preach Peace and reconciliation between nations and peoples and cultures together with worldwide nuclear and general disarmament?
What scripture shows Jesus teaching Social justice, equality of opportunity and redistribution economically to close the gap between the rich and the poor, and between rich and poor nations?
Where does scripture(NT, Jesus) teach a classless socity?
What NT scripture says anything like The sustainable use of the Earth’s resources for the benefit of all people, both current and future generations?
Same question,, Co-operation, including the creation of cooperative organisations.

Please show Jesus telling this is how governements should act, and not just individual christians?
Otherwise your statement si false.

 

[windcatcher]

Many Christians deny the faith when they fail to recognize a difference, a very real and significant difference between the leadership of Christ and the leadership of man. Whatever the form of government or economy...... you cannot have godly government led by people with unregenerate hearts. You cannot have godly government with professing Christians without their submission and yielding to the Lordship of Christ Jesus.

Just because God has given us a revelation into kingdom conduct and blessings doesn't mean it can be accomplished by man's own will, determination, or rule.

Socialism will never be Christian..... no matter who or howmany identify with it! It is like choosing between Baal and God: There can be no compromise. Their maybe co-existance.... but there will always be conflicts. Man either acknowledges and yields to God or he commits to the ends of whatever he perceives as his own goals, purpose, and to fill his own belly. Socialism is an attempt to establish the rule of man over the consequences of his own sin: It is the denial of God's provision and power at every turn!

 

[Matt Black]

It all depends which brand of millenialism you subscribe to....

In the UK there's been a long and honourable tradition of Christian Socialism (Robert Owen, Charles Kingsley etc), drawing perhaps less from the NT than from the OT prophets with their clarion calls for social justice etec. Same in continental Europe...which brings me to my point: what you're witnessing is more a Europeanisation of American society and the economy (as one of your Republican Congressmen said the other day) rather than specifically Christian socialist; it's just that the European socio-poilitcal traditions incorporate far more social democratic and Christian socialist ideals (even in our centre-right parties) than you've been hitherto used to.

 

[windcatcher]

It all depends which brand of millenialism you subscribe to....

In the UK there's been a long and honourable tradition of Christian Socialism (Robert Owen, Charles Kingsley etc), drawing perhaps less from the NT than from the OT prophets with their clarion calls for social justice etec. Same in continental Europe...which brings me to my point: what you're witnessing is more a Europeanisation of American society and the economy (as one of your Republican Congressmen said the other day) rather than specifically Christian socialist; it's just that the European socio-poilitcal traditions incorporate far more social democratic and Christian socialist ideals (even in our centre-right parties) than you've been hitherto used to.

Well that maybe your perspective and your explanation but I don't agree: In both the OT and the NT, God is on the throne in rule and in the hearts of those who truely serve him regardless of their earthly leadership and government. The rule of God is an individual thing.... and will never be in the government of man....... When Jesus Christ returns to rule the whole earth, then and only then will God rule the nations through government. Til then, the only power which any government has is that allowed by God, but that doesn't mean they are inspired by God....the god of this world is their ruler and not the God which is the Alpha and Omega.

Why? Because no government in the world by and for man is humble and submissive to God or recognizes his word as being absolute truth, or follows after him: All governments by man are collectives of people recognized as leaders, but collectives aren't saved, regenerated, or changed...... only as individuals do we receive the revelation that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, and make our decision to accept or reject.

In the UK, you have Christians, and you have people who are Christians so-called, and you have people of other faiths and atheists. You have people who identify with political idealogy much like we do here: And you have people that don't understand or get into the word enough to recognize that there is a difference between charity which operates by direct submission to God, and the rule of man which imitates and substitutes for Godly charity, and removes the Christian and God from the equation and substitutes its own values...... which are as good as dung in the sight of God: Which do you prefer? If it is charity in the form of socialism......... then it is the devils imitation and substitution for the goodness of true Godly charity.

 

[Matt Black]

Except that reliance on private charity has been tried - and it doesn't work. One has only to read the pages from Mr Dickens' novels to realise that.

 

[Revmitchell]

Except that reliance on private charity has been tried - and it doesn't work. One has only to read the pages from Mr Dickens' novels to realise that.

No form of charity works when you have more "need" than you do supply. And neither form is better capable for providing for this "need". They only one with a down side is the one that uses force to twist arms which only gives power to politicians. Private charity can never create power. That is what socialism is all about.