Last week, New York City elected former state representative Zohran Mamdani, a socialist, as the city's new mayor. Even more so than normal, the topic of socialism is at the forefront of American political discourse as a result. But what should Christians think about the political ideology?
For most of the nation's history, the United States' economy has been rooted in capitalism. That remains the case today. However, socialism is becoming a greater part of American conversations regarding economics and politics.
Perhaps pushing the discussions to their heaviest point since the 1980s obsession with communism, New York City just elected Zohran Mamdani as its new mayor. Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, will be the first fully-fledged, public socialist to lead the United States' largest city, though previous mayors like Fiorello LaGuardia and David Dinkins identified with the DSA at times during their political careers.
Mamdani isn't the first prominent US politician to publicly and consistently identify as a socialist. Former Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, who many thought would win the 2016 Democratic primary, is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. The same is true of recent members of Congress like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cori Bush, and Jamaal Bowman.
Young people in the Western world are identifying with the economic philosophy at a growing rate, though that growth has begun faltering in recent years (more on that later). Some even hold favorable feelings toward communism, a more extreme version of socialism that also includes a totalitarian government.
But what should Christians believe about the ideology of socialism?
This story will include some facts and observations about socialism, will examine what liberals and conservatives think about socialist ideals in America, and, most importantly, will dive into what the Bible has to say on the topic.
Some facts and observations about socialism
- Though there is no official, organized beginning to socialist thought, principles from the 17th-century Age of Enlightenment and the 1789 French Revolution seemingly sparked a movement that was latched onto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the mid-1800s. The Marxist term "scientific socialism" then gave way to the more modern idea of "democratic socialism." More ancient theocratic or otherwise religiously-based governments and economies shared some societal beliefs with socialism, but those principles typically stemmed from neighborly care and didn't require governmental coercion.
- Socialism is defined in the Encyclopedia Britannica as a "social and economic doctrine that calls for public, rather than private, ownership or control of property and natural resources." Essentially, within a socialist society, individuals' responsibilities to their community and nation dictate that everything they produce or earn is, at least in part, owned by the entire community and/or nation. Therefore, society, via the government, must own at least part of everyone's individual property for the benefit of the whole. Redistribution, a piece of every form of economics in some way, is a much larger focus of socialism. The philosophy also rejects the idea of private property and a free market.
- Many modern socialists decline to officially define or explain socialism, instead opting for anti-capitalistic language or "woke" talking points. That includes the official "What is socialism?" statement on the Democratic Socialists of America's webpage.
- One of, if not the biggest, talking points within socialism is the philosophy's dogmatic approach to lowering the wealth of society's elite to enrich the wealth of society's lower and middle classes. Some version of an "equal distribution of wealth" is at the center of all socialistic policy.
- Communism, a more extreme version of socialism that essentially puts the government completely in charge of all resources, became synonymous with certain authoritarian governments of the 1900s, especially in Russia (a nation whose empire was known as the Soviet Union), China, Vietnam, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, and Laos.
- In recent decades, socialism has grown tremendously in popularity in the Western world, especially among young people. However, in recent years, the growth in the United States has wavered. According to a 2022 report from Pew Research Center, 6% of Americans have a "very favorable" view of socialism, and 30% call their support "somewhat favorable." Those numbers are down a bit from a similar study in 2019. 41% of US residents under the age of 50 hold a very favorable or somewhat favorable view of socialism, but that too is somewhat down from 2019.
- Based on the same Pew Research Center study, economic status seems to be an obvious separator in American views on socialism. Families that make over $125,900 annually have positive thoughts on socialism at a 33% rate. Those who make between $42,000 and $125,900 have an almost identical support level for socialism. However, that number jumps all the way to 41% for those families who make less than $42,000 annually. Within those statistics, less than 5% of upper income families (more than $125,900 annually) are "very favorable" in their opinions on socialism, 5% of middle income families (between $42,000 and $125,900 annually) say the same, but that number grows to 10% of lower income families (less than $42,000 annually).
- Similarly, though somewhat inconsistently, racial and ethnic minorities hold a higher opinion of socialism than American white people.
What the Left says about socialism
Socialism is a complicated issue for those on the left side of the political aisle. On one hand, there are some liberals who are proud socialists. Others oppose it altogether. Then, a large group in the middle of the Democratic spectrum supports certain tenets of socialism without being willing to call themselves full-fledged socialists.