Christian Socialism? A Critical Evaluation of Christian Socialist Theology Anthony A.J.Williams KEY WORDS
| Christian Socialism | Social Gospel | Liberation Theology | | Politics | Political Theology | Eisegesis | ABSTRACT
Despite the more obvious associations between Christianity and right-wing politics, left-wing Christianity does exist in various forms, one of which is the Christian Socialism of Britain. This paper draws on British Christian Socialism from the late-Nineteenth to mid-Twentieth Century – a formative period, following from the paternalistic “Christian Socialism” of Maurice and others, coinciding with the formation of the British Labour Party, and leading up to the formation of the Christian Socialist Movement (now Christians on the Left) in 1960. Christian Socialism is shown to be drawn from Christian theological thought, including Scripture, church teaching, and the sacraments. Christian Socialism’s key concepts – equality, collectivism and democracy – are drawn from the core concept of human brotherhood, itself drawn from the notion of God’s universal Fatherhood. However, this foundation of Christian Socialism in theological thought is deeply flawed, the result of misinterpretation, misapplication and eisegesis. Biblical warnings against the wresting and twisting of Scripture and against the preaching of any false gospel are therefore to be taken into account, indicating that Christian Socialism may not be Christian at all.
IN T RODU C T ION The idea of Christian Socialism can appear to be an aberration when Christianity in the US and UK – particularly evangelical Christianity – is more readily associated with conservative politics. White evangelicals in America form a solid base for the Republican Party, and hold to a variety of conservative political positions.1 This political partnership has led to the notion within British politics that Christians are necessarily right-wing. While, for example, research by Theos indicates that there is not a comparable Religious Right operating in the UK, several instances are given of where the media and others have made the assumption that such a phenomenon does exist; a commentator in the New Statesman, to take one, argues that “the Christian movements both here and in the D.K. Williams, God’s Own Party: The Making of the Christian Right (Oxford, 2010), p.193 and p.206. 1
USA clearly feel most at home on the right”, because “the agendas of the Christian church and the political right-wing make comfortable bed-fellows. You know the kind of thing: antiabortion, anti-unions, opposed to same-sex marriage and tough on crime”.2 Left-wing Christianity nevertheless does exist. It cuts across denominational and cultural lines, from the primarily Roman Catholic liberation theology of Latin America, to the progressive evangelicalism and “red-letter” Christianity of Sojourners in the US, to the largely Anglican and Nonconformist Christian Socialism of Britian. Neither is this left-wing A. Walton, A. Hatcher and N. Spencer, Is there a ‘Religious Right’ Emerging in Britain? (London, 2013), pp.11-13; A.Z. Williams, ‘Faith should not dictate political affiliation’, New Statesman; http://www. newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2011/06/goddebate-faith-grayling; accessed 14th Dec 2015. 2
The Evangelical Review of Theology and Politics Vol. 4, 2016, page A29