Is a society with equitable distribution of resources and mutual support possible?

Many older folk in particular are dismayed by socialism’s resurgence because they conflate socialism with repressive Communist regimes of the 20th century. They’re not wrong to be concerned. Much evil has been done in the name of socialism. Just because evil has been done in the name of socialism doesn’t mean the ideals socialism promotes are evil per se. Christianity and socialism overlap, not in terms of a political system, but as a practical way of living. In Acts 2 and 4, the earliest example we have in the gospels of church community, all goods were commonly owned and there were no rich and poor. Common ownership and economic equality are also hallmarks of political socialism.

The zeal of the early Church cooled over time although voices like that of Basil of Caesarea and John Chrysostom continued to decry economic inequality. And while the concept of the universal destination of goods – the idea that God gave the earth and its goods to the whole human race – remains a principle of Catholic doctrine, it’s honored more in the breach than the observance. Modern political socialism by contrast espouses some of the same values exemplified by the early Church, but it does it without Jesus. It replaces voluntary acts of love and self-giving with political system that ultimately relies on coercion, bureaucracy and force.

What might Christian Socialism look like today? From monastic orders to grassroots urban communities, shared living has been a recurring vision. Some have lasted for decades, others burn out after only a couple years. Because they’re not mainstream, and none have lasted forever (yet), there’s a common consensus that the error must lie in the concept of community, rather than in the fallibility of those who attempt it.

Looking back over our own movement’s history, it’s hard to believe that the Bruderhof has held to this tenet of sharing everything in common through times of great crisis and testing, because it’s not something you ever become “good” at. As Eberhard Arnold put it, life in community is “a venture dared again and again.” Find out more about the Bruderhof here.