Sunday Sermon with Dr. King #10
How Should a Christian View Communism?
“Let judgment roll down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.”
~Amos 5:24
So, this week, I’ll be writing slightly differently. There are four parts to this sermon**, and I’ll be summarizing each part separately. I feel secure enough to say that this was not one of Dr. King’s most popular sermons, but it was one that he preached differently at different times. While I could not find the date when this was preached, I did find another sermon on a similar topic “Can a Christian Be a Communist?”* that was preached in September 1962. The text for both of these sermons are similar but not identical. This is why I highlight that the topic itself is important because it was preached more than once and in slightly different forms. The introduction includes three reasons why Dr. King feels that as a Christian minister he should be preaching about Communism: 1. There was widespread influence, 2. It was the only serious rival to Christianity, and 3. “It is unfair and certainly unscientific to condemn a system before we know what that system teaches and why it is wrong” (p. 100).
“Let me state clearly the basic premise of this sermon: Communism and Christianity are fundamentally incompatible: A true Christian cannot be a true Communist, for the two philosophies are antithetical and all the dialects of the logicians cannot reconcile them. Why is this true?” (p. 100)
[Before I dive into a few complex topics, I have to say every week I think of what a genius he was, which is fact. But for me to have that same thought week by week, prompted by from the way he writes, or breaks something down, speaks volumes to his genius. I’m blown away weekly! I’ve said this before: PLEASE do not take my blogs as substitutes for reading his original work!)
Part 1
First, Communism is materialistic and humanistic. This means that it is secularistic and atheistic, where there is no God, or spirit of any kind and that humans can save themselves. In contrast, Christianity is theistic and idealistic, meaning that there is a God at the center who sends a Savior for humans, who are bound by “sin and finiteness” (p. 101). Secondly, Communism supports that ends justify the means, where there are no moral absolutes. “Right and wrong are relative” (p. 101). He quotes Lenin by saying that anything goes to attain a goal, including lying, violence, murder, and torture. In contrast, in Christianity, there is absolute right and wrong with moral principles. Lastly, Communism “attributes ultimate value to the state” (p. 101), which means that there are no inalienable rights, “his only rights are derived from, and conferred, by the state” (p. 102). In contrast, Christianity says that man is a child of God, with the gift of freedom. He ends this section with how the “spirit and threat of Communism challenges us” (p. 102).
Part 2
Communism challenges us to be more concerned about social justice. From my personal readings of Communism, this is the grand appeal to its theory. Dr. King eloquently explains in this part of the sermon how the Bible highlights a plethora of acts and directives of social justice but that “the church has often lagged in its concern for social justice” (p. 104). He also taught me something new that Karl Marx, the author of The Communist Manifesto, was born of Jewish parents, who later adopted Christianity when he was six. He later became an atheist. This is where the verse from the book of Amos ties in because Dr. King believes Marx’s writings on social justice includes his upbringing with the knowledge of the Old and New testaments. Dr. King ends this part with a very long description of the church’s failure to continue on its social justice mission when it comes to racial justice. “How often the church has been an echo rather than a voice, a taillight, behind the Supreme Court” (p. 105). He ends with “The judgment of God is upon the church” (p. 105).
Part 3
Here is where he breaks down capitalism. “Capitalism has often left a gulf between superfluous wealth and abject poverty” (p. 105). This fits the descriptions from today surrounding the terms “shrinking middle class” and “1% owning as much wealth as the bottom 90%.”*** He contrasts by saying that God intends all of his children “shall have the basic necessities for a meaningful, healthful life” (p. 106). Finally, “capitalism failed to discern the truth in collective enterprise and Marxism failed to see the truth in individual enterprise” (p. 106). However, The Kingdom of God…is a “synthesis that reconciles the truth of both” (p. 106).
Part 4
Dr. King states that Communists “go hard” [my use of modern colloquialism] for their cause, whereas Christians do not. “Would that the Christian fire were burning in the hearts of all Christians with the same intensity as the Communist fire burning in the hearts of the Communists!” (p. 107). He questions the fervor of Christians but states that this fervor and devotion is the best defense against Communism.
OK, there you have it. The most intellectually complex sermon thus far in the series! I hope I helped with some of the understanding of it. Whether I did or didn’t, let me know below!
**King, M. L. (1963). Strength to love. New York: Harper & Row.