This is Part 2 of a two part series. In Part 1, I spent some time defining socialism and comparing this philosophy to capitalism. While supporting with scriptures, the focus was predominantly on that of God given freedom and rights as ordained by God. I posited and argued that socialism tends to violate biblical views of freedom and God given rights while Capitalism operates in a manner more consistent with true biblical concepts of freedom and rights.  

So, what's the rub?

Many Christians on the Left seek to reinterpret Jesus’ earthly mission in exclusively economic and political terms. In their view, Jesus came primarily to deliver those who were poor and oppressed in a material sense. But every member of the human race is poor in the sense of being spiritually bankrupt. Jesus came to end our spiritual poverty by making available the righteousness that God demands and that only God can provide. It is heresy to state that God’s love for people varies in proportion to their wealth and social class. It is nonsense to suggest that all the poor are good and all the rich are evil.

Once we eliminate the semantics by which some refer to as a non-coercive voluntary utopian type of socialism, it becomes clear that socialism is incompatible with a truly free society.

Part 1 of a 2 part series. At issue is the growth in interest in Democratic Socialism.

"The democratic party is no longer recognizable as the party of Kennedy, or even Bill Clinton for that matter" - a variation of this quote is often stated from those that are NOT a member of the Democratic Party. Members of the DNC disagree with this statement, however, I've been around and paid attention long enough to see a vast difference between the DNC of 2021 to the DNC of the 1990s or even the early 2000's. 

Scriptures that are used to support socialism lean very heavily on those that discuss actions for the poor and love of our brothers and neighbors. In opposition, scriptures that discuss capitalism lean very heavily on talents, performance, and trade while also being very critical of those that are lazy or the husband that fails to take care of his family.   What I noticed missing, somewhat abstractly, were components of God given rights and freedom as ordained by God. When we consider biblical morality when it comes to our God given rights and freedom, the argument against Socialism becomes very clear while support for a free market economy (Capitalism) is also very clear – to me anyway. Socialism is fundamentally at odds with the Christian worldview and seeks to suppress all peoples in support of the state.

The biblical worldview implies that since God is the creator of all that exists, He ultimately is the rightful owner of all that exists. Whatever possessions a human has is temporary and is ultimately accountable to God for how he uses them. The biblical worldview also contains claims about human rights and liberties. Human beings have certain natural rights inherent in their created nature and have certain moral obligations to respect the rights of others.

I found my purpose. I found my strength. I want others to find theirs. No matter what it takes! 

What I realized after coming to Christ is that growing up through adult hood, I never knew my true identity. Because I did not know my identity, I did not understand my purpose. I was orphaned as a sinner.  I did not know the names the Lord had given me.  I was victim to whatever the world threw at me, enveloped into the fallen world of Adam. 

What do you believe your name to me?  Liar, thief, failure, unworthy, unloveable and unlikeable for starters? These were the names that I received from my father and I carried with me for almost 40 years. 

For me, Jesus came to me as the Light of the world and saved me from the darkness I was just as written in John 8:12.  As we also read in 1 Peter 2:9, He called me out of the darkness and into His light.  This allows the character of Jesus to come out when I realize that what was once weak has been raised in glory (1 Cor 15:43). But the struggle is still real. 

Jesus Christ did not die just so we could have a good day or get away with sinning on a regular basis. Galatians 5:13 reminds us that we shall not abuse the freedom we now have in Christ. The names of God (Holy Spirit): Advocate, Comforter, intercessor, spirit of Truth, spirit of God, helper (paraclete), Counselor, teacher, 

Once baptized in the Holy Spirit, I was awakened to my new names:  worthy, trustworthy, lover, friend, and when my wife is angry at me, “Marcus Johnson!”. 

The Johnson Amendment of 1954 attempts to mitigate the direct support or opposition of candidates for elected office from the Church Pulpit? The secular environment agrees with the construct due to the "separation of Church and State", but they neglect the "Establishment Clause" of the First Amendment which places a prohibition against government, not the other way around. The Johnson Amendment is actually a short snippet of words included in a much larger Tax Code, that "supposedly" impacts the 501C3 status of Churches. However, what many people miss is that there are laws in place that place a prohibition on the IRS against acting as "pulpit police". 

So, how did the Johnson Amendment come about and why? What does the Johnson Amendment do, and what can it NOT do? How many times has the Johnson Amendment been applied?

Over the last 3 years, the Lord has been dealing with me regarding how we, as a nation, use Social Media to propagate our “opinions” and “beliefs” in the hopes of spreading our opinions and beliefs to others. This can be good, if used correctly, but also bad for those bent on evil and misdirection. For self-professed Christians, we ought to take our use of Social Media very seriously.

Ten categories of social media users: 1) The Listener, 2) The Activist, 3) The Spammer, 4) The Passionista, 5) The Social Butterfly, 6) The Trolls, 7) The Influencers, 8) The Early Adopter, 9) the Black Booker, and 10) The Family Person.

As Christians, if we pass a false story (whether knowingly or not), this not only impacts your own integrity, but can also impact the Christian community. Some may disagree, but I believe it is ok to share your opinion about a topic, but, you ought to indicate that it is your opinion if not obviously so.  Think about your heart and the impacts to others. Is your message coming from your heart, or, are you so outraged by an issue that your human bias is blocking what your spirit is telling you?

Don't be rude. Don't be excessive. Don't be possessive or too dependent. Don't be secretive. 

Christians need to be distinctively (yes, even radically) different in the way that we use whatever the world promotes or the culture deems acceptable. The strength of the choice is in your hands.

Should the US Census include a question about whether you are a US Citizen or not? Many opinions abound regarding whether this question is legal, or, even whether it is moral. There are two perspectives in which we can consider the basis of a question regarding citizenry: the bible and the US Constitution.

Proponents of including the question claimed it is necessary to gather an accurate statistical count, while opponents claimed it might suppress responses to the Decennial Census and therefore lead to an inaccurate count.

In either case, one thing is clear. The reason we complete a Census in the USA is to determine tax apportionment (which means how much federal dollars communities receive for infrastructure and project initiatives) as well as to determine representation in the US House of Representatives. IF illegal immigrants are counted, this can affect both of these areas of purpose.

When we read the stories breathed into life in the Bible, we can sometimes miss how these stories apply to the world today, particularly scripture found in the Old Testament. Allow me to share, with you, the story of King Rehoboam. 

One upon a time, in an ancient land, there was a king named Rehoboam. King Rehoboam had inherited the kingdom from his father, who was considered the wisest man in all the world.....

The Equality Act, as it supposedly called, is legislation that members of Congress have been attempting to pass for several years; it is not new legislation. While purporting to enforce equality, it comes at the cost of forcing a square peg into a round hole, and they will do whatever it takes to make the round hole a square. It states that it is attempting to recognize gender equality while ironically discriminating against genders. It opens the door to discrimination where discrimination does not exist while simultaneously forcing lifestyle choices and belief systems into the livelihoods of others while disallowing the lifestyle choices and belief systems of others. It is not just an issue for faith based religions, it is an issue for women in general. But, make no mistake, this legislation is an affront to God but as Representative Jerry Nadler, Chairmen of the Judicial Committee stated, God's will has no place in Congress.

For those that are LGBTQ, this would be a blessing as many feel that they have been disenfranchised or hurt based on current policies and regulations.  For supporters of LGBTQ, this might make sense; but, our focus should NOT be on the leaven of Herod, but on the leaven of His Kingdom. As we know, the leaven of Herod involves an exalting of civil law above God’s moral law – putting man’s law above God’s law.