In the first century, the book of Acts documents the growth of the Christian church…

And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. - Acts 2:44-45

This is a beautiful picture of the faithful, called by the Lord in His Word to share resources with the needy. Many equate this voluntary offering, similar to Christian churches today, as a form of socialism, providing a safety net for the poor. Yet Webster defines socialism as…

“Any of various egalitarian economic and political theories or movements advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.”

Note the difference between socialism with “government ownership and administration” and the verse from Acts 2 above. The difference lies between forced distribution through taxation and voluntary distribution to those who have a need.

The more America moves toward a secular nation, the fewer resources (both human and financial) the church and individuals in general have at our disposal in voluntary support for the unfortunate.

Instead, the blind machinery of bureaucratic government overreach continues to take over, often antiseptically and inefficiently, handing out indiscriminate support in the form of checks and benefits without oversight. In one recent example, in Minnesota, organized Somalis defrauded taxpayers out of perhaps $1 billion dollars from government-managed social programs.

The more success socialism has in our country, the more our government acts as a poor intermediary in its attempt at providing total support for the needy. There is clearly a need, but also the need for a balance between a government social safety net and private support. Capitalism provides a means for the accumulation of wealth and a basis for motivating those individuals willing to strive toward a goal. The counterpoint to government handouts includes examples such as Michael and Susan Dell (both Jewish… God’s chosen people) voluntarily donating $6.25 billion to invest in the futures of 25 million children, targeted by zip codes to maximize those families who need it most.