What about Acts 4:32— “All the beleivers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” The passage goes on to say how the early church testified to the resurrection with great power. It also states that there were no needy people among them, because from time to time landowners or homeowners would sell their propery and bring the money to the apostles to be distributed to those in need.
Capitalism is evident here, because the indiviuals owning private property made use of their personal resource to aid in the ministry of the gospel, and ultimately the advancement of Christianity. Socialism presents itself as well—because “No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” This idea of a humble equality presents itself numerous times in the New Testament and in the writings of the early Church.
A heavy responsibility rests on the individual to strike this (for lack of a better image) elusive balance. Iceland and its people are not employed and intelligent because of its system of government, but its people’s system of values. They are the ones choosing to read books—the government does not enforce this. They also choose to work. If they did not work, the country’s economy would soon crumble. These desires lie in the individual’s heart, which the culture around it shapes.
As for us in the United States, our capitalistic culture has raised us in rampant individualism (which has even invaded some of our praise choruses). Our churches in middle class America today have all but detached from this early congregation in Acts. Socialism is clearly wrong, but if American Christians could, in a sense, redefine the idea of socialism (of sorts) within this Biblical paradigm found here in Acts, pehaps we could advance the gospel with a greater, further concetrated, synergic, unified, unignorable power.
This, however, requires our individual hearts to change. Essentially, we need to rid ourselves of so many messages culture delivers in order to make full use of the best ideas capitalism and socialism alike offer us. Like mentioned before, both ideas are sinful in their purest form, but the use of the two ideas’ greatest benefits can only help propel the gospel.
I also think that Carthage must be destroyed.
Norm
Feb 25 2003
07:04 pm
What about Acts 4:32— “All the beleivers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” The passage goes on to say how the early church testified to the resurrection with great power. It also states that there were no needy people among them, because from time to time landowners or homeowners would sell their propery and bring the money to the apostles to be distributed to those in need.
Capitalism is evident here, because the indiviuals owning private property made use of their personal resource to aid in the ministry of the gospel, and ultimately the advancement of Christianity. Socialism presents itself as well—because “No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.” This idea of a humble equality presents itself numerous times in the New Testament and in the writings of the early Church.
A heavy responsibility rests on the individual to strike this (for lack of a better image) elusive balance. Iceland and its people are not employed and intelligent because of its system of government, but its people’s system of values. They are the ones choosing to read books—the government does not enforce this. They also choose to work. If they did not work, the country’s economy would soon crumble. These desires lie in the individual’s heart, which the culture around it shapes.
As for us in the United States, our capitalistic culture has raised us in rampant individualism (which has even invaded some of our praise choruses). Our churches in middle class America today have all but detached from this early congregation in Acts. Socialism is clearly wrong, but if American Christians could, in a sense, redefine the idea of socialism (of sorts) within this Biblical paradigm found here in Acts, pehaps we could advance the gospel with a greater, further concetrated, synergic, unified, unignorable power.
This, however, requires our individual hearts to change. Essentially, we need to rid ourselves of so many messages culture delivers in order to make full use of the best ideas capitalism and socialism alike offer us. Like mentioned before, both ideas are sinful in their purest form, but the use of the two ideas’ greatest benefits can only help propel the gospel.
I also think that Carthage must be destroyed.