If you listen to the modern evangelical movement in this country, you'd think Jesus was a devotee of Ayn Rand who advocated for the accumulation of wealth at any and all cost and thought unbridled capitalism to be just the most perfect system ever devised for running the world.
But did Christianity arise out of such roots, and, when they were figuring out how their new religion would operate, did the original Christians use the capitalist system as their model?
Personally, I have serious doubts as to the historical accuracy of the Book of Acts (but let's leave that for another diary), but since fundamentalist Christians consider the book to be not only factually correct down to the tiniest detail but divinely inspired to boot, I thought it might be interesting to look at just how the writer of that work portrays the structural and organizational principles upon which the early church was built.
Let's start with Chapter 4:
4:34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
4:35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
Now, does that sound more like Ayn Rand or Karl Marx?
Let's continue:
5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,
5:2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.
5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?
5:4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
5:5 And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
5:6 And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.
Wow, now there's someone who takes his socialism seriously! That Peter dude sure wasn't fooling around, and neither, apparently, was God, when it came to forking over one's hard-earned wealth to the common pot. Together, they make Vito Corleone look like Robin Hood.
But we're not done yet, for Peter, being the prankster that he was, had a similar fate in store for poor Ananias' wife, Sapphira.
5:7 And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.
5:8 And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.
5:9 Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.
5:10 Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.
5:11 And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
I'll bet it did, and you know what else I'll bet - that Peter had no trouble keeping the church coffers filled from that moment forward.
So what happened to God and Jesus being such free market advocates, such haters of socialism and lovers of capitalism as we are always being told by the leaders of our churches?
Doesn't look much like that's the case here.