True Christians - Why do you support capitalism and own private property when....?

Question

...the earliest Christians lived communally and held all goods in common? One of the earliest controversies in Christian history concerned a couple who sold their farm and held a part back for their own use. James, brother of Jesus, and then head of the Christian community in Jerusalem, ruled they were in the wrong. Have not you as Christians departed so far from the original Christian doctrine and lifestyle that you can no longer call yourselves true Christians?

Ivan B - My question was in no way meant to be derogatory. invincible - Why do you ask if I am a Communist? Since when has YahooQ&A been the HUAC? Is it because I used words like "capitalism" & "communal"? In my own country I happen to be an academic with qualifications in social science, economics and political philosophy, with a personal interest in religious thought and history. To answer your question I'll give the answer I give to Marxists - a quote from Marx: "Whatever I am I am not a Marxist."

Answer 1

Politically, I like to think of myself as a Christian Socialist, however I Iive in a society where socialism has been largely discredited as a political system.

I do agree that owning property etc can seem to be hypocritical, but we have to live in the world and support ourselves. Me and my husband pray regularly about how we should use our money, and give monthly amounts to various charities.

In the bible it clearly states that faith, rather than good deeds, is what is needed to be 'saved'. However we will all have to give an account of ourselves before God when we die, and good stewardship of the things we have been given is one of the things that I am sure we will have to give an account of.

Answer 2

You are confused about what the Bible says and what it means. Just because SOME of the early Christians lived that way, there were reasons for that. There was no "controversy" over the couple that sold their property. The problem was they held back some proceeds and lied about it. It was the lie that was the problem. I am a true Christian, it has nothing to do with capitalism and owning property at all. You need to enroll in a good Bible study so you can understand not just the wording in the Bible but the meaning behind those words, the translations/transliterations and history and culture. Without that knowledge, you don't have the means for a true understanding of the Bible.

Answer 3

By the way, was it James? I think it is not. It is also not wrong to keep some for themselve. But it is wrong if one keep some money for themselve, but report that all has been given to the church.

The story is from Act 5, about Ananias and Sapphira, and it was Peter who was filled by the Spirit rebuking them.

Anyway, Well, it is ture that the very early church did that: Commune living. But it is not a coommandment. Just shortly after that, the system seems to change, especially when Gospel spread to the Gentile like us.

In the later part of the Bible history, you will also find that the Greek christian now have business and property, and are sending money to the Jewish Christian in Jerusalem. That kind of model look more like todays church.

Again, in bible, we are not wrong to have our own wealth and land. But if they are place in higher position than our love for the Lord and fellow believers, it is wrong.

Remember in proverb 30, it says, do not make me too poor that I may rob and tarnish the glory of God, neither make me too rich that i do not need God. This has always been my pray since i was a youth.

In the Bible, there are a few guide line in understanding the meaning. Best book to read to understand it is "Reading the Bible for all it's worth". A very good book.

Some are law, which may not be directly applicable to us, but the principle of the law does.

Some are example to follow, not commandment, so it is good to observe.

Some are commandment, and it is a must to follow, like no sex with same sex.

Answer 4

Maybe if it were practical, communal living would be more common. I reckon that God always provides for us and that as long as you are aware of why you're working, why you're earning what you earn and don't succumb to the worship of money, the Lord understands that we are all doing what we have to do. Sure, most of us would love to live communally with like minded Christians, dedicating ourselves to self-sustenance and worship, but .... even doing that requires a level of property ownership and planning and financing, which by your definition of 'real' Christianity is too much involvement with capitalism so it's no good anyway.

The thing is, if you trust in the Lord, you'll always have enough. He'll never leave you. I'm never going to be a financially rich person but i don't really care. if i never own property, i don't care. if it's the Lord's will that i own something, it will come into my life and i'll take the opportunity that the Lord gives me. you can live in a capitalist world and maintain your faith, as long as you don't start worshipping money. I'd love to work for a moral-based company or one whose purpose is to further the word of God, but the Lord puts us where we're needed, too - even Jesus hung out with the tax collectors :)

Answer 5

Your story is not accurate. That couple lied about what they gave. They said that they gave all of the it when they actually held some back for themselves. Then God struck them down, and they were dead. Here is how you become a true Christian, and it's the only way to be saved:

Have you ever lied, stolen, or used God's name in vain? It's appointed to man, once to die, then judgment. When you die, God will judge you by His Moral Laws. If you stand guilty before God on Judgment day, you will end up in Hell. The good news is that God is so kind that He provided a way for you to be forgiven and accepted into Heaven. Jesus Christ died on a cross and rose again to pay the debt for your sins. What you must do is Repent, which means to turn away from your sins, ask God's Forgiveness, and put your complete Trust in Jesus Christ. Only then will you be forgiven, and granted Eternal life in Heaven.

Answer 6

First of all, your question is derogatory, secondly true Christianity is a lifestyle that defines a transformation from sin to the righteousness of God. True you may say there are few Christians who live this caliber, but life of Christ is the way of Christianity, to do what they physically did or did not do in the New Testament Church, does not necessarily make them Christians by their pooling all their resources. It was ok for Ananias and Sapphira to own their property, others still had theirs, but they gave as they saw a need! What the problem was not that had it, or even sold it, but they "lied to the Holy Spirit" that they recieved exactly the amount they gave to the church, they could have said we sold it for xxx amount and we are giving xx amount and keeping x amount for ourselves. Then no controversy no deaths. But they wanted to appear as having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. They paid for it.

Next, it is not wrong to own private property, so long as we view it from the stand point that we are stewards of what we have, and not owners. God may ask us to sell it and give it to the poor, or keep it and use it for others, so long as God has control of it, then there is no problem.

But who made you a judge of what is "true Christianity"? Who made you the officiator of what is and what it is not, or that it no longer exists?

Answer 7

This is a reasonable question. During the times of Jesus, it was much easier to survive without a steady income, because the majority of the people were very religious, and would have given regularly. You would also find that only Jesus closest followers, the people the Bible mainly focuses on gave up everything, a lot of followers, if their jobs allowed it, kept their life reasonably normal with what looked like minimal changes. Nowadays, it is near impossible to lead a healthy life without regular income.

Answer 8

By Peter's own words, the owning and selling of the property was not a sin or against Christianity of the community. What was wrong was lying by omission when asked was that money "all from the sale of the property? "But they were obligated to be honest (Acts 5:4). The major sin of Ananias and Sapphira was dishonesty, deceit, hypocrisy, pretense, presenting a false image of themselves, implying a greater spirituality than they actually possessed, letting people think more highly of them than what they knew was warranted. They were more interested in appearances than in reality. Peter said, “You have not lied to men, but to God” (Acts 5:4).
From this answer, he was struck dead, and later, his wife, when asked the same question.
To be part of a church(communal property-for the good of the church) one professes truth and pledges, that must be lived up to.

This is the part I hold heavy in MY heart....In being separate from the church, the communal property laws do NOT apply to Christians, therefore are not enforceable by the church, so ex-communication, was invented to coerce back into the fold of the church those that stray from it's doctrines. There are christians that do NOT belong to churches, but churches NEVER recognize them, contrary to Jesus' teachings. Peter was right in his spoken truth about the lies, but only so far as it dealt with a church MEMBER. Tithing by non members is not necessary or even implied, unless one listens to the misguided dictates of church leaders.
...jj

Answer 9

Christianity is not communism. The Boblical story to which you refer is of Ananias & Sapphira; they wer struck dead becaus3e they lied top the church by saying they had given ALL the proceeds from the farm sale t the church. It was not that they had to give all the money/they could have kept all the money if they wanted to. It was that they LIED that was the sin. there are many parts of the Bible which actually point to capitalism - the parable of the talents, a teacher is worth his pay, Jesus never criricised the gaining of wealth by capitalist means etc.

Answer 10

Socialism is fine when it is practiced from one's heart, as a response to the Spirit's leading. It is NOT acceptable to governmentally mandate socialism, because it doesn't work. It has never worked.

And by the way, I do practice sharing of property, low profits to benefit workers, etc. I can detail this if you like, but suffice it to say I DO practice what I preach, in the context of the capitalist country in which I live.

I forgot to address the Biblical story you refer to: Annanias and Sapphira were struck dead for lying. They were told they could have freely kept the whole thing, but their sin was lying to the Holy Spirit and their church. Other answerers brought this up as well.