Christian socialism - Definition and Overview

This article is about politics that is a conjunction of Christianity and Socialism. See notes at bottom about other uses of the term "Christian Socialism".

Christian Socialism generally refers to the politics of people who are both Christian and socialist and who see these two things as being interconnected, perhaps because one derives from the other. Broadly speaking, this category can include Liberation theology and the doctrine of the social gospel. The term "Christian Socialism" is used in this sense by organizations such as the Christian Socialist Movement (CSM), a specifically Christian grouping affiliated with the British Labour Party. The term also pertains to such earlier figures as the nineteenth century writer Frederick Denison Maurice (The Kingdom of Christ, 1838) and Francis Bellamy — Baptist minister and author of the United States' Pledge of Allegiance.

Clearly, parallels can be drawn between what some have characterized as the egalitarian and anti-establishment message of Jesus, who certainly spoke against the religious authorities of his time, and the egalitarian, anti-establishment, and sometimes anti-clerical message of most contemporary socialisms.

Example Usage of Christian