An outline of Christian Socialism for the thoughtful consideration of all who value responsible government, a more responsive economy, rational public discourse, a wider scope for artists and writers, improved social relations, and greater civility and decency in all corners of society.
I. Christian Socialism Its fixed principle:
The community shall ultimately own the means of production (that is, the land and capital) collectively and use them co-operatively for the good of all.
Its underlying assumptions:
- The creative God as author of all that is, seen and unseen
- The common sisterhood and brotherhood of all human beings
- The identification of God with humanity in Jesus Christ
- The kingdom, as in "thy kingdom come," as the supreme objective
- The church, or the Jesus community, indwelt by the Holy Spirit and taught by Mary and the saints, as the instrument of the kingdom
- The divine purpose as not only the salvation of individuals but also the redemption of the social order, that is, the impossibility of individual redemption while the environment of the individual remains polluted by sinful, inhuman conditions
Christian socialism seeks to preserve the balance between:
- the need for individual and group freedom and initiative and the common authority of the community in civil and industrial life, and in the life of the church,
- personal and common ownership to encourage initiative in fellowship,
- national independence and international interdependence, in which there is no room for nationalism or empire,
- pacifism in all circumstances resorting only finally to the use of force, for persuasion is the first weapon, and violence the last, in the Christian armory.
Christian socialism makes great room for the practice and enjoyment of the arts and sport alongside the struggle for social justice, which, while a serious, need never be a grim affair. Christian socialism pays great attention to tradition, the mature conviction of the ages, while making the swift decisions needed for the present. Christian socialism is the contemporary statement of the engaged humane Catholicism of twenty-one Christian centuries with roots in the Hebrew prophetic movement and affinities with all persons of good will of every age.
II. The Tradition of Christian Socialism Scripture: - You cannot serve God and wealth. Matthew 6:24
- It is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need. 2 Corinthians 8:13,14
- There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28
- All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Acts 2:44,45
The Mothers and Fathers of the Church: - He has filled the hungry with good things, and he rich he has sent away empty. St. Mary the Virgin
- It is the poor who mine gold, though they are denied gold and are forced to work at a job, because they need a job, and produce what they cannot keep. St. Ambrose
- Wealth is always the result of theft from the poor. St. Jerome
In Church Councils: - Communion with Christ implies the task of overcoming the divisions imposed by culture, whether of race, class or caste, or sexual discrimination. It means giving material help to those in need. It means esteeming each and every [human being] for the gift which the Holy Spirit has bestowed, to be used for the benefit of the whole body. Thus the Gospel establishes as the normative pattern of the life of the community a relationship of interdependence, of mutuality between persons. Lambeth Conference 1988
III. Christian Socialism and Socialist Political Parties While socialism is an international movement, socialism freely adapts itself in every national environment, just as nation states and national provinces of the church do. Socialist political parties in this and other nations are communities that try to hold aloft the socialist ideal and put it into practice in national life. Most socialist parties describe themselves as democratic, multi-tendency organizations with structure and practices that are visible and accessible to all members. As such, these parties appear to be admirably suited to the aims of Christian socialists today. Indeed, most socialist parties have members who call themselves Christians.
Such a democracy, the party contends, will be a place
- where people own and control the means of production and distribution through democratically controlled public agencies,
- where full employment is there for all who want to work,
- where workers can form unions freely, strike, engage in other forms of job actions, and
- where production is used for the benefit all humanity, not just for the private profit of a few.
Therefore these parties fight for progressive changes compatible with a socialist future. They support union and electoral actions to present socialist alternatives, in the US independent of the two- party system many take for granted. These parties also strive for "democratic revolutions" to dissolve power now exercised by the few in every nation who control great wealth and the government. By :democratic revolutions" these parties understand radical and fundamental changes in the structure and quality of the economy, the political reality, and the arena of personal relations. They see global implementation of UN human rights conventions as central to their aims.
