To mention the name of a famous socialist, a contemporary of Vlad Lenin at that, and Christianity in the same sentence would strike many as not just being strange, but being oxymoronic. Then again, that is because we Americans have the tendency to pigeonhole people by pejoratively labeling them and then think of them in all-or-nothing terms.
And so I am writing about how Rosa Luxemburg's approach to socialism could apply to how we approach Christian living. Of course by identifying Luxemburg, I am reminding people of what Marx and Lenin said about religion: That religion is the 'opium of the people.' When Lenin said that, he was complaining about how religion was used to either support the bourgeoisie oppression of the proletariat or encourage people to be passive in the face of that oppression (click here for his writing on this). In contrast, Luxemburg, while acknowledging the same support for that oppression did so in an appeal to Christians to join the Socialist call. And in making such an appeal, she went through Church history to see how the Church had reacted to wealth in the past (click here for her writing on this).
In reviewing the Russian Revolution, Luxemburg showed both sympathy toward and criticisms of Lenin's political approach. Part of that criticism showed a contrast between utopian approaches to socialism and a scientific approach. In utopian approaches, problems already have predetermined solutions that a government only needs to implement enthusiastically. Note the following lengthy quote below (click here for the source):
'The tacit assumption underlying the Lenin-Trotsky theory of dictatorship is this: that the socialist transformation is something for which a ready-made formula lies completed in the pocket of the revolutionary party, which needs only to be carried out energetically in practice. This is, unfortunately – or perhaps fortunately – not the case. Far from being a sum of ready-made prescriptions which have only to be applied, the practical realization of socialism as an economic, social and juridical system is something which lies completely hidden in the mists of the future. What we possess in our program is nothing but a few main signposts which indicate the general direction in which to look for the necessary measures, and the indications are mainly negative in character at that. Thus we know more or less what we must eliminate at the outset in order to free the road for a socialist economy. But when it comes to the nature of the thousand concrete, practical measures, large and small, necessary to introduce socialist principles into economy, law and all social relationships, there is no key in any socialist party program or textbook. That is not a shortcoming but rather the very thing that makes scientific socialism superior to the utopian varieties.'
Note what I underlined above. She stated that the scientific socialism, which one could also be labeled a trial-and-error or experimental approach, has only a few signposts to hold up. She later goes on to say that practicing a scientific socialism consists of learning how to apply those signposts in solving problems for as long as we live.We learn from experience about what works and what doesn't.
Now regardless of whether one wants to learn from Luxemburg or not, the question is whether Christians are in the same boat as those Russians who lived under Lenin's utopian approach to socialism when it comes to living out their Christian lives. That is because us religiously conservative Christians are constantly inundated with all sorts of rules, principles, guidelines, and disciplines that are, in many cases, predesigned to guide every decision we make. And what is lost with all of that guidance are relatively few signposts that should be used when making decisions and interacting with others. In fact, some, if not all, of our signposts can also serve as reasons for doing what we are called to do. We should note that the Christian faith has both predesigned rules to follow in some situations while having more signposts for Christian living that Luxemburg has for socialism. But with all of that, we need to idenify at least some of those signposts so that we don't lose sight of the signposts for the rules.
Regarding how we should treat others, the first signpost we should take note of is that of how we treat others. How we treat others should reflect how God has treated us through Christ. A summary of what Christ has done for us is described in the passage below. Note how Paul describes how God treated us through Christ in Romans 5:6-11 (click here for the source):
'6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous person; though perhaps for the good person someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also celebrate in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation'
Paul describes our standing before God when God sent Christ into the world to save us as 'helpless,' 'sinners,' and 'enemies' of God. And that is true for every one of us Christians before we came to faith. So when we use the above passage as a signpost, how should we treat other people? Doesn't the above signpost imply that we should love and forgive all including our enemies. And if we are to love our enemies, how much more should we care for the marginalized and vulnerable as well as others including neighbors, friends, and family?
Certainly rules can help us flesh out how we express that love. In fact, I Corinthians 13 lists a bunch of rules or principles about love. But rules can also distract us from this signpost--which in this case tells us why we are to love the way that God tells us to love. In fact, how to love others, or how to be guided by the signposts, can be a messy, trial and error venture. It might take a lifetime to learn how to love some problem people in the way that God has loved us. And I personally probably belong to that group of 'some problem people' for certain people just as I have my own group of 'some problem people' for whom it will take me a lifetime to love as God has loved me.
The point is that we can invent all of the rules, disciplines, guidelines, and principles we want to tell us how to treat others and still miss what God is trying to teach us. The basic lessons of what God is trying to teach us is first found in the signposts provided by the Scriptures. Learning those rules etc can make us feel spiritual. Also, as a side note, there is no doubt that along with those rules, disciplines, guidelines and principles, we try to find exceptions so that we can excuse ourselves from following the rules. Or we might discover that how to love some people might not be covered by those rules etc. Still, the signposts remain and they can often better guide us on how to love others than mere rules etc. And so the rules, guidelines, and principles we choose to employ must serve the signposts instead of using the rules etc help us deduce what the signpost should have said.
Yes, there are other Christian signposts to consider. Signposts such as how we should relate to the world, how we should seek holiness, how we should interact with the government in order to honor God's name, and so forth. And we need to search through the Scriptures to discover them. We need to discover them so that when we are inundated with rules, guidelines, disciplines, and principles, we can put those rule etc in their proper context and so not lose sight of the signposts that God has provided for us.
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