Christian Socialism: An Informal Histoy

by John C. Cort

This full-scale study of Christian socialism argues that socialism, per se, is basically Christian. From the beginnings of the Jewish-Christian tradition through the present day, John Cort traces the ideas, events, and personalities which have shaped and continue to shape the Christian socialist movement.

Genres: History, Religion, Politics, Christianity, Philosophy, Nonfiction, Faith

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Cort fought the good fight for a very long time after converting to Catholicism while at Harvard

Reviews

[Ronald Peter Juliano Sr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesus was the first Socialist and made it very plain and clear that this is the way for us to follow and all governments should be based on Christian Socialism and not capitalism nor imperialism nor any other government that is not for the people.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exhaustive but readable overview of the development of Christian socialist thought, which believes (based on scripture, tradition, and the writings of the early church fathers) that capitalism and the teachings of Christ are incompatible, and that as human beings we are held responsible to God for the well-being of all. Cort explains how the Western Christian worldview became so warped by capitalism and individualism, how faith-based socialism developed before Marx, how it interacted with and build on Marxist analysis, and how it has moved on since then, across Europe and in the New World. There are so many fantastic quotes in this book - both the author’s own and those he chose from writers he looked at - that it’s impossible to pick one or two as I had wanted to do for this review. A couple of the later chapters were a bit of a slog, but overall this is a very informative and interesting look at a topic that is of renewed interest in today’s world.

[Carlyon Viles · Rating 5 out of 5]

It seems when this book was written, 1989, that the author’s view was that the Thatcher-Reagan empire was going to be short-lived and that socialism had been temporarily held-up after its gains in the 1970s. How that author would view this new world of today where socialism has all but vanished from the face of the earth where we are now led by leaders who have gained their positions by wealth itself. Socialism, taught by the early church as Christ’s rule on earth, is now an idea held in the uttermost contempt by the rich and not so rich alike.

This book is more a history of Christian Socialism rather than an apology and I wish there had been more polemic against the idea of capitalism itself. Nevertheless, the history is well documented with many quotations and details of personal figures who have made that history. It seems all the more disappointing that the book was written just before the worldwide condemnation of socialism, Marxist or otherwise, where now the church should be screaming from the rooftops against the baneful legacy of many years of exploitative capitalism.

Having tried to find contemporary books on the subject I found this one by chance in an Oxfam bookshop. I do hope there are new books commenting on this subject in the current situation but I haven’t found any.