Christian left
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The Christian Left encompasses those who hold a strong Christian belief and share left-wing or socialist ideals. Many such people assert that their left-wing views derive directly from their Christian faith, and some cite Jesus as "the first socialist". Adherents hold that the early Church practiced socialism, or even something resembling communism ("The community of believers were of one heart and one mind. None of them ever claimed anything as his own; rather, everything was held in common." - Acts 4:32) and that Jesus often seemed to advocate pacifism, while being opposed to the wealthy elite of his day.
History
Early Christianity as anti-establishment movement
- Early Christian anti-materialism
- Opposition to Rome
Movements
A number of movements of the past had similarities to today's Christian Left:
- Heretical movements such as the Cathars
- Lollard, John Wycliffe
- Role of Christians in the Peasants' Revolt in England, See Lollard priest John Ball.
- Erasmus
- William Tyndale
- Puritanism, Fifth Monarchists, Diggers, Quakers
- Methodists, John Wesley
- Other Christian movements
- German Peasants' War
Unitartarian Universalism
Early antagonism between the Left and Christianity
For much of the early history of anti-establishment leftist movements such as socialism and liberalism (which was highly anti-clerical in the 19th century), established churches were led by a reactionary clergy who saw progress as a threat to their status and power. Most people viewed the church as part of the establishment. Revolutions in America, France and Russia were in part directed against the established churches (or rather their leading clergy) and instituted a separation of church and state.
Early socialist thinkers such as Robert Owen, Charles Fourier, and the Duc de Saint-Simon based their theories of socialism upon Christian principles. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels reacted against these theories by formulating an atheistic theory of socialism in The Communist Manifesto.
Alliance of the Left and Christianity
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, some began to take on the view that Christianity had much in common with a Leftist perspective, pointing out that there is an extremely strong thread of egalitarianism in the New Testament. Other common leftist concerns such as pacifism, justice, racial equality, human rights, and the rejection of excessive wealth are also expressed strongly in the Bible. In the late 19th century, the Social Gospel movement arose (particularly among some Baptists and Methodists in North America and Britain,) which attempted to integrate progressive and socialist thought with Christianity and produce social activism. Later, in the 20th century, Mikhail Gorbachev famously said that "Christ was the first socialist".
Christian Left and campaigns for peace and human rights
Some Christian groups were closely associated with the peace movements against the Vietnam War as well as the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. Religious leaders in many countries have also been on the forefront of criticizing any cuts to social welfare programs. In addition, many prominent civil rights activists (such as Martin Luther King, Jr.) were religious figures.
Christian Left in the United States
In the United States, members of the Christian Left come from a spectrum of denominations: peace churches, elements of the Protestant Mainstream, and Roman Catholicism.
The Christian Left has sometimes been viewed as a counterpart to the Christian Right, but in fact it is very different. While the Christian Right is almost uniquely American, the Christian Left is more global and diverse.
However, the Christian Left does not seem to be as well-organized or publicized as its right-wing counterpart. Opponents state that this is because it is less numerous; supporters contend that it is actually more numerous but composed predominantly of persons less willing to voice political views in as boisterous a manner as the Christian Right.
Liberation Theology
One of the most important strains of Christian Left thinking has been in the developing world, especially Latin America. Since the 1960s, Catholic thinkers have integrated left-wing thought and Catholicism, giving rise to Liberation Theology. It arose at a time when Catholic thinkers who opposed the despotic leaders in South and Central America allied themselves with the communist opposition. However, the Vatican decided that, while Liberation Theology is partially compatible with Catholic social teaching, certain Marxist elements of it (such as the doctrine of perpetual class struggle) are against Church teachings.
Christian Left and Homosexuality
The Christian Left sometimes differs from other Christian political groups on issues such as homosexuality. This is usually not a matter of different religious ideas, but one of focus -- viewing the prohibitions against killing, or the criticism of concentrations of wealth, as far more important than social issues emphasized by the religious right, such as opposition to homosexuality.
The Consistent Life Ethic
A related strain of thought is the Consistent Life Ethic, which sees opposition to capital punishment, militarism, euthanasia, abortion and the global maldistribution of wealth as being related. It is not specifically Christian (being subscribed to by Buddhists, Hindus, and members of other religions), but uses arguments broadly similar to those used by Christian leftists.
Notable Christian leftists
Canada
- Richard Allen, politician and historian of Christian socialism
- Bill Blaikie, minister and politician
- Andrew Brewin, politician and author
- Lorne Calvert, minister and politician and Premier of Saskatchewan
- Tommy Douglas, minister, politician, Medicare pioneer and "The Greatest Canadian"
- Desmond McGrath, priest, trade union organizer and activist
- Bill Phipps, church leader and activist
- Frank Scott, poet and constitutional expert
- William Horace Temple, politician, minister, and trade union activist
- J. S. Woodsworth, minister and politician
Colombia
- Camilo Torres, Liberation theologian
El Salvador
Germany
- Christoph Blumhardt, Lutheran theologian
- Rudi Dutschke, student protest leader
- Emil Fuchs, Quaker theologian
- Helmut Gollwitzer, Lutheran theologian
- Jürgen Klute, Labor and Social Justice Party candidate
- Johann Baptist Metz, Catholic theologian
- Dorothee Sölle, Lutheran theologian
Italy
- Ermanno Gorrieri, trade union activist, economist and co-founder of Social Christians
- Pierre Carniti, trade union leader and co-founder of Social Christians
Netherlands
- Huub Oosterhuis, theologian and poet
Nicaragua
- Ernesto Cardenal, Liberation theologian
New Zealand
- Walter Nash, prime minister
- Arnold Nordmeyer, minister and politician
Russia
- Leo Tolstoy, writer and social reformer
Slovenia
- Vjekoslav Grmic, Slovenian Catholic bishop and theologian
Switzerland
- Karl Barth, Neo-orthodox theologian
- Hermann Kutter, Lutheran theologian
- Leonhard Ragaz, Lutheran theologian
United States
- John Brown, abolitionist
- Tony Campolo, Baptist evangelist and sociologist
- Diane Drufenbrock, nun and Vice-Presidential candidate for the Socialist Party USA
- Ron Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action
- Jim Wallis, editor of Sojourners magazine
- Dorothy Day, Catholic Worker Movement cofounder
- Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights leader
- Jesse Jackson, politician / civil rights leader
- Brian McLaren, Emerging Church Leader
- Martin Sheen, actor/activist
- Norman Thomas, Socialist Party presidential candidate
- Jerome Davis, labor organizer and sociologist
- John Shelby Spong, a retired bishop and liberal political activist
United Kingdom
- John Wycliffe, Lollard
- John Ball, Lollard
- John Lilburne, agitator for constitutional reform
- Gerrard Winstanley, leader of the True Levellers
- George Fox, Quaker
- R. H. Tawney, economist and historian
- John Wesley, Methodist
- Tony Benn, Minister and politician
- Chris Bryant, Labour MP and former priest
- John Lewis, philosopher
- David Cairns, Labour MP and former priest
- Maurice Reckitt, writer
Parties of the Christian left
- Social Christians (Italy)
- Christian Social Party (Switzerland)
- Evangelical People's Party (The Netherlands)
- Democracia Popular, largest party in Ecuador
- Christian Democratic Party (Uruguay)
- Christian Left Party (Chile)
See also
- Christian communism
- Christian socialism
- Evangelical left
- Social Gospel
- Religion and abortion
- Homosexuality and Christianity
- Christian democracy
- Pacifism
- Religious Society of Friends
- International League of Religious Socialists
External links
- Religious Movements Homepage: Call to Renewal: Christians for a New Political Vision (http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/Callrenu.html)
- Left-wing Christian politics from an American perspective (http://www.geocities.com/greenpartyvoter/)
- NOW with Bill Moyers:The Christian Left? (http://www.pbs.org/now/society/faithpolitics.html)
- Musings from the Christian Left by Michael Bindner (http://www.geocities.com/xianleft_michael/)
- The Christian Libertarian Party Manifesto by Michael Bindner (http://www.geocities.com/christianlibertarianparty/)
| See: Christian politics (index) for articles related to this subject. |
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