2 Timothy 2:16 (KJV) Is Socialism Historically Christian?

2 Timothy 2:16 (KJV)
But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

I saw an article just the other day that claimed Christianity is historically socialist. I get where a person might get that.

The Christians in Jerusalem in Acts 2 appear to have adopted that sort of economy.They had all things common and sold their possessions and gave the money to the Apostles to distribute as needed.

However:

• It was not everyone in the church who did that 
• It didn’t work out very well and 
• The church was in a young and primitive state 

While we do want to pattern our churches after the first churches, we do not necessarily want to pattern our churches after this church in this area.

Historically, many of the Anabaptists appear to have practiced communal livingTo this I would suggest that, while I trace Baptists through Anabaptist roots, that doesn’t mean I think everything they did was right. They were, after all, just people.

Besides, we don’t know that all of them did that. Information on the Anabaptists is pretty sketchy. Their opponents did a great job of destroying most records they produced of themselves. Then, most information we do have was generated by the Catholics, who had a vested interest in presenting them in the worst light possible.

Regardless of the historic evidence, the New Testament teaching in this verse and many others is much more capitalist.
A basic premise of capitalism would be that the laborer should receive the first fruits of his increase. It’s the bedrock of capitalism. The hard working man has no incentive to work hard unless he is rewarded for his hard work.

To my readers:
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2 Timothy 2:16 (KJV) Is Socialism Historically Christian?

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