communism

How Should Christians Think About Socialism?

Center for Faith and Culture | February 25, 2019
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Socialism is making a comeback. According to a recent poll, young Americans age 18-29 are more likely to think positively about socialism than capitalism.

How then should Christians think about socialism? At Intersect, we’ve address this topic from a variety of perspectives. Today, we’ve collected a handful of our most helpful resources on the topic.

(While you’re at it, don’t forget to grab two free ebooks from Bruce Ashford.)

The Problems with Marxist Socialism

By Bruce Ashford | Did Marx diagnose some of the ills of capitalist societies? Absolutely. But his remedies are worse than the social illness he diagnosed. His remedy leads to a loss of liberty (via the abolishment of private property), an impulse toward authoritarianism, and a disincentivizing of work. Marx may have had good intentions, but Marxism proliferates problems rather than solving them. Read More.

Why This Socialist Sympathizer Embraced Free Market Capitalism

By Josh Herring | In 2011, I graduated from Hillsdale College as a mild socialist sympathizer. My studies of history had convinced me that capitalism caused as much harm as good, and that the socialistic drive to distribute economic goods to care for the weak of society resonated with Christian compassion. Between 2011 and 2016, my view changed as I discovered a deeper understanding of the biblical view of economics. The 2016 election brought these competing economic visions into the national spotlight. Read More.

David Koyzis: Socialism Suppresses Society

By David Koyzis | Socialism posits an alternative redemptive story to what we find in the Scriptures…. Socialism’s redemptive narrative bypasses Jesus Christ and offers its own way to salvation. We ourselves will bring about all the blessings of God’s promised kingdom, but on our own terms. This story is most evident in Karl Marx’s writings. Read More.

We Don’t Need to Replace Capitalism. We Need to Redeem It.

By Kenneth Barnes | According to a recent study by the Harvard Institute of Politics, only 19% of Millennials self-identify as “capitalists” and, in a similar YouGov poll, nearly half expressed a preference for socialism over capitalism — something that would have been unthinkable only a generation ago. But while this may come as a complete shock to many readers, it doesn’t surprise me at all – at least not anymore – not since I started working on my new book, Redeeming Capitalism (Eerdmans 2018), a sober and critical assessment of the “the good, the bad and the ugly” of global capitalism. Read More.

Should Christians Be Socialists? Jay Richards’ Case for Economic Freedom

By Jay Richards | There is something about socialism that is a perennial temptation. It appeals to people’s moral intuitions, and it appeals to Christians’ moral intuitions. So you constantly have to make the case again for economic freedom. Read More.

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The L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture seeks to engage culture as salt and light, presenting the Christian faith and demonstrating its implications for all areas of human existence.

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