–– Tim Cantrell
The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.
Recently, one astute analyst of South African news went beyond the usual reporting to identify competing ideologies. Since our national crime and violence have been recently exposed on a global stage, what’s at the root of such ugly fruits?
Turns out that a 1961 book still exerts an enormous influence on the Ramaphosas and Malemas of our day (just as it did on the Gaddafis, Mugabes and many other tyrants), a kind of Marxist ‘Bible’ for many – entitled, The Wretched of the Earth, by French psychiatrist, Frantz Fanon.
Thanks to Fanon’s influence, hate and crime (or utterly failed policies like BEE or Eskom) can be justified as long as they are done in the name of liberation. Instead of believing that mankind is universally evil and needing to be civilised, we’re told man is basically good but oppressed, so Western civilisation must be deconstructed and rebuilt by the liberators.
Ideas have consequences, and it helps to know what our rulers are reading. Show me your favourite books and I know what you’ll do when you have power. Marxism has been one of the bloodiest, most deadly ideas in human history (some 94 million deaths in the 20th c.) – fueling violent revolutions across Africa and beyond.
If Christians proclaim the lordship of Christ over all of life, we must recognise and refute godless philosophies, “taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” through biblically renewed minds (2 Cor. 10:3-5; Rom. 12:2).
If our churches are called to be “the pillar and support of the truth”, and if overseers are called to “refute those who contradict”, that includes warning our people about deceptive philosophies that hold people captive (1 Tim. 3:15; Tit. 1:9; Col. 2:8). Here then are four major lies of Marxism.
(1) Lies about God & Creation
The Bible says God created all things and made man in His image (Gen. 1). But Marx says Darwin was right. There is no supernatural realm, no God, and nothing unique or sacred about human dignity. Mankind is just a higher species of animal. It’s the law of the jungle, ‘might makes right’, survival of the fittest. Religion and morality are merely tools of the oppressors.
Marx wrote, “…I wish to avenge myself against the One who rules above: I shall build my throne high overhead….” As Solzhenitsyn warned, “The world has never before known a godlessness as organised, militarised and tenaciously malevolent as that preached by Marxism. …Hatred of God is the principle driving force…militant atheism is the central pivot.”
No wonder that even pastors in communist Venezuela were heard praying, “Our Chavez who art in Heaven”!
(2) Lies about the Fall & History
Here’s how Marx introduces his Communist Manifesto: “All history has been a history of class struggles, of struggles between exploited and exploiting.” This is the Hegelian view of history as a series of struggles between oppressors (the bourgeois) and the oppressed (the proletariat), where wealth is created at the expense of the poor.
But the Word of God shows that history is a struggle between God and the Serpent, between good and evil, not fundamentally between rich and poor, or strong and weak (Gen. 3:15; Rev. 12). Economic and power struggles are but symptoms of human depravity (Rom. 1-3). Our root problem is spiritual, not economic.
No amount of military coups or state control will change the heart of man. While socialism says man is oppressed and can be saved by revolt, Scripture says man is a sinner and can be saved by grace alone.
(3) Lies about the Future
If Marx was wrong about the past and the present, he was also wrong about the future. He claimed history was moving inevitably toward the utopia of an ever-increasing proletariat (working class). They would eventually take over, and a new, classless order would emerge, with no more oppression. All wealth would finally be used for the good of all.
But the Bible declares that only the return of our Lord Jesus Christ to set up His kingdom upon the earth will bring in true righteousness and lasting peace (Isa. 9:1-7; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 19:11-21). Man cannot achieve utopia; only King Jesus will bring it.
(4) Lies about Economics & Government
Margaret Thatcher once said, “The problem with socialism is you eventually run out of other people’s money.” Socialism is legalised theft, institutionalised envy (think, ‘Expropriation Without Compensation’). Socialists are parasites who consume what others have earned by hard work and ingenuity. There is a world of difference between voluntary Christian generosity and compulsory confiscation.
Private ownership of property and of the means of production is biblical. Both the 8th and 10th Commandments require a concept of private property (Exod. 20:15,17). Marx was wrong about economics at every level – about consumer demand, about buyer preferences, and about owner profits.
Marx was also wrong about God’s design for human incentive in labour. Coercion kills motivation and productivity. In a communist state, everyone is forced to work, so why innovate, why work harder? Yet the Bible is clear, “If a man doesn’t work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thess. 3:10). For those unable to work, like widows and orphans, Scripture commands charity (Jm. 1:26-27; 1 Tim. 5:3-16).
Christianity unlocked the forces of charity and mercy in history. Christ taught the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37). Says one economist and historian, “There has not been one real-world success story under the communist banner.” Revolutionary slogans about ‘power to the people’ only bring power to the dictator and bondage to the people.
As Jesus taught, “You will know them by their fruits”, and the nasty fruits of Marxism are undeniable (Matt. 7:16).
Conclusion
R.C. Sproul said, “The fundamental thesis of Marxism is irreconcilable with historical Judeo-Christianity.” D. James Kennedy states, “While socialism proclaims Paradise to those who try it, in reality it only delivers one nightmare after another. …Any system that tries to dethrone God and undermine the biblical truth about human nature is destined to fail.”
Yet I see Christian leaders openly identifying with violent, thieving political parties?! “Let those who name the name of the Lord depart from wickedness” (2 Tim. 2:19).
May our God raise up an army of discerning believers who will refute Marxist lies, champion a biblical worldview, and be salt and light in our society for the glory of His name.