Socialism Continued from Aug.

Last month, I started to correct the idea that Christianity and Socialism/Communism are after the same things.
“Throughout his ministry, Jesus spread the revolutionary message that the needs of the poor and the marginalized are at the center of the kingdom of God.  Following in the Jewish tradition of the jubilee year, he announced, “[The Lord] has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives… to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” From the ancient bishops who blasted moneylenders from the pulpit to the modern-day prophets of the civil rights movement, faithful Christians have carried that message through the ages.” Seems this sort of thing is assumed even in places where they should know better and the Gospel should be premier.
In the words of L.W. Reed: “Christianity is not about passing the buck to the government when it comes to relieving the plight of the poor. Caring for them, which means helping them overcome it, not paying them to stay poor or making them dependent upon the state, has been an essential fact in the life of a true Christian for 2,000 years. Christian charity, being voluntary and heartfelt, is utterly distinct from the compulsory, impersonal mandates of the state.”
The place for the Christian to start in this is with the Bible. Not cherry-picking to make a point—a classic poy of heretics and those trying to manipulate Scripture for personal purposes.
In Luke 12:13-15, Jesus is approached with a redistribution request. “Master, speak to my brother that he divideth the inheritance with me,” a man asks. Jesus replied, “Man, who made me a judge or divider over you?” Then he rebuked the petitioner for his envy. I'm reminded of one of Winston Churchill's thoughts on Socialism: “Socialism is the philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy.”
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:7: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
“And in Jesus’s Parable of the Good Samaritan, the traveler is regarded as “good” because he personally helped the stricken man at the roadside with his own time and resources. If, instead, he had urged the helpless chap to wait for a government check to arrive, we would likely know him today as the Good-for-Nothing Samaritan. “
In his Parable of the Talents, Jesus talks about a man who entrusts his wealth to 3 servants. The owner returns, he learns that one of the servants buried what he was given, the second put his share to work and multiplied it, and the third invested his and generated the largest return of all. Who’s the hero in the parable? The one who wisely used money to make money. The first one is scolded, and his share is taken and given to the third. Yes, being a parable, it's not primarily about money, but money is certainly not portrayed in a negative light. And making money is not shameful, but expected.
The early church was in fact distributing wealth among the congregation, but the first and biggest difference between the early church and communism is that the people were giving out of their freedom, not under compulsion. Note that the people were able to give only because they owned their means of wealth. They were able to give large gifts because they sold their land, but with communism no one would be able to choose to do this.
Because it is so strongly assumed that Christianity and Communism/Socialism share the same goals, I think this needs to continue next month.