Is Socialism a Christian Idea?

It is a legitimate question, is socialism a Christian idea? On the surface a case could be made that the teachings of Jesus and the examples of the bible lend themselves to the socialist ideal. What should be understood is that Christianity, at its core, is far removed from the teachings of Karl Marx.

Christianity holds that individuals are personally responsible for their actions. The bible teaches that if a man will not work, he should not eat. The Word also teaches that a man should not steal but work with his hands so that he will have his own money to give and use for the glory of God. 

Socialism, on the other hand, holds that those who own or operate businesses and corporations are exploiting the working class and should have their wealth taken and given to others. This Star Trek reality sounds great, but denies the reality of the sin nature.

Often the book of Acts is quoted as biblical support for communism. Again, on the surface, the account in Acts appears to sanction the redistribution of wealth, but upon closer examination we find that it was not the Roman or Israeli governments that took the possessions of  new believers. It was a personal choice made by the individual to give and even sacrifice to God the things they had been blessed with to the poor. The apostles plainly explain that the property still belonged to the people who gave it.

In stark contrast, when the government takes the property of the people it enriches the government not the poor. It also gives the government greater power and influence over the people it claims to help. This creates the opportunity for tyrants and dictators to seize such power. Of course, this allows a system to be in place for the ultimate dictator, the anti-christ.

Jesus taught that we would always have the poor. If we adhere to the Word of God, we find that we are to provide for those with less. We must set aside from our blessings, blessings for others. We should not consume all the Lord has given us, but rather give from our abundance. It is by God's grace we are able to work hard and give well. Abundance comes from these qualities not from taking. The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, but God gives all that He has that we might live.
 

To promote and support death

It is apparent that progressive (liberal, communist, socialist) mindset is founded on the principle that life hold little intrinsic value (unless of course, it is your life we are talking about). We have many in our country who profess a christian worldview but actually hold to a humanist worldview. Their source of inspiration is not the Word of God, but rather the teachings of men like Karl Marx, Nietzsche, Charles Darwin and others.
Population control is a big part of the equation. Humanism, evolution and global warming are combined into a deadly pseudo- religion that requires that only the fittest and most valuable should be allow to live. At the core of this thought is abortion. The evil that is abortion is encouraged and promoted at every turn. I have pointed this out before. The goal is to control the human population because most of the populace is mere cattle anyway.
This is why it is unimportant for the president to keep his word regarding the public funding of abortion. The backtracking we see now is, of course, an effort to retain power until it can be fully taken.
The president and his minions are promoting abortion worldwide, even to his home country of Kenya. When we take a closer look at his agenda in Kenya, it becomes clear what his agenda is in the US and worldwide. He is influencing changes to the constitution of Kenya to allow leniency in abortion law and to give place to islamic sharia law.
It is plainly obvious that forces are at work even here in the US to give place to islamic radicals. From parades to plans to build near the site of ground zero, we are under attack and so are our children. Be careful, if we are lulled to sleep again, we will find that euthanasia has become common place. There are promotions under way for assisted suicide, encouraging the aged and infirmed (and their caretakers) to end the drain of our society. This is what Germany chose before the chancellor fired up the death camps.        

Privite vs Public, Will Freedom Win?

, We have arrived at a crossroads of sorts. In the era of big government and the new new deal there is a small state with a larger than life conservative swimming against the mainstream. Governor Christie is moving his state away from conventional thought and proposing the privatization of many government strongholds.

The national leadership would have us believe that increase spending would bring us into true recovery. History teaches us, however, that increased taxes and larger government combined with deficit spending puts the beaks on a possible recovery. FDR's economic policy allowed the Great Depression to continue years beyond the what the rest of the world experienced.
My state, like many others, has chosen not to reduce spending or taxes to encourage small business and rebuild the economy. Instead, the progressive (or liberal or as I prefer the spirit of anti-christ) leadership is more interested in promoting their agenda of enslavement to government. State and local governments are unwilling to make the cuts needed to bring things under control. As we have heard many times now, government employees make on average 40%-60% greater income than their civilian counterparts. But instead of cutting bloated salaries, they threaten the elimination of teachers, police and firefighters to make the cutbacks emotional.
Liberty comes at a cost. Jesus paid the ultimate cost for our liberty and freedom. If we wish to see a resurgence of American liberty we must count the cost. We must be willing to do without government running so much of our lives.
We must begin to make the stand of saying no to larger government. Just as Gov. Christie has been willing to take a stand against what is expedient in favor of what is needed. At what cost is our freedom? Does it mean enough to us to allow it to win?

Trust in the Lord

As a bivocational pastor time is at a premium. I look at many of the headlines and stories of our society and want to comment on them all. The big headlines like the economy being at its worst since the 1930's with shanty towns springing up in places like Hawaii. I thought Hawaii was exempt from bad stuff, since it holds such beauty and all. Immigration. I think we have some very insane people who think we are all racist if we dare control our borders. I don't get it.
Then we have stories like the one I read on Albert Mohler about a woman who believes that live starts at conception, but sees the rights of women to be greater than the rights of the children they bear. I don't believe this requires much discussion because evil is apparent and is it's own commentary. My point is this, if I allow the wickedness of this world to consume me, I would be lost. I must trust in the Lord and lean not on my own understanding. My hope is not in the government or even men and women, but the Lord. I would hope that more people would trust the Lord and walk in His ways, obeying His commands. This world would be the better for it.
Unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain. We must remain true to Him. Anything else is foolishness. Love never fails. God never fails. He is at work even now. We can trust Him.

Family, Faith and the Fourth

The fourth of July. Is it just another excuse to eat to excess and indulge in our pyromaniac tendencies? Or is it a time to recognize our heritage and teach our values? On the day he signed the Declaration of Independence, John Adams made two insightful statements. First he said, “This day will be the most memorable epic in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.” and second he said, “It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.” 
I am a big believer in parents teaching their children biblical and by extension American values. I love the 4th of July. Sure we get together and eat hamburgers and hot dogs, and we definitely lite fireworks. We should strive, however, to make it something more, maybe something precious. The Lord has always intended for us to teach the next generation what is good and right. In order to teach the things, we must learn the truth. We need to learn what the Word of God says. We also need to learn correct history. We need to learn our story. 
When is the last time, as a family, we read and discussed the constitution of the United States of America or the Declaration of Independence? The truths in these documents can have such a profound impact on the way we view our lives. 
Consider this line from the Declaration of Independence; We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. 
Who do we serve, the Creator or the government? When we return to the foundations of our country we are reminded of the source of our rights and it is not the legislature, the judiciary, or even the president. Take some time this Sunday to take the family to church and remind yourself and them of who we are as a nation in Christ Jesus.     

Kamikaze Corporations and The Regime

Ok, I have my foil cap firmly in place. As I was getting caught up on the news last night, hearing for the umpteenth time about British Petroleum's contributions to the Obama campaign. And I was mildly roused about BP's green initiative prior to the spill. I remember that ad campaign. As I listened to these things, my memory was stirred. I remembered hearing a very similar story not even two months ago. Remember Goldman Sachs? When we were discussing the terrible financial mess and Goldman Sachs was the bad guy then. They too were big supporters of the Obama and very committed to the green movement. You would think that both of these companies would get a pass and some conservative company or companies would be blamed instead.

Both of these crisis situations have as their end, legislation. Legislation that increases the government's authority, power and size. Both Saul Alinsky and Rham Emanuel have been quoted as saying "never let a crisis go to waste". But what if you don't have time to wait for a 'good' crisis. What if an election is on the horizon and the window of opportunity is quickly closing.

Here it is. Could it be possible that corporations aligned with progressive thought, have made the deliberate choice to sabotage their chosen industry and fall on their own swords for the "greater good". Before the muslims, there were the Japanese kamikaze, a philosophical descendant of the banzai. The central tenant of these tactics was, out of desperation, the use of suicide or near suicide to wreak great psychological and physical damage. The end game is to bring about a radical change.

Jesus pointed out in John 10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." The end game for the Lord is life, not death. We have a choice, what is yours.