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Was Jesus a Socialist?
The short answer? No. The long answer? It’s complicated, but it certainly is likely.
If you even asked this question, chances are you’d be laughed at or accused of blasphemy. However, it’s a question that people have been asking since the advent of American industrialism. In a nation that prides itself in its godly principles, it can seem absurdly hypocritical that many Christians can go from listening to sermons about loving the poor one moment only to call them lazy and unintelligent when actually confronted with their needs. This has led many people to say that Jesus was a socialist in order to appeal to the God-guided consciences of the American masses.
Since socialism wasn’t a defined ideology during Biblical times, Jesus did not have the option to label Himself as such. However, it’s not a far stretch to say that Jesus would most likely condemn the exploitative practices associated with capitalism as we know it today. During the clearing of the temple, Jesus primarily targeted dove sellers and money changers. This makes it clear that Jesus had a particular message to send to the people who offered those particular goods and services.
With his “two and a half degrees in theology”, Corey Farr explains that it wasn’t the mere presence of commercial activity that offended Jesus. During ancient…
