I recently interviewed Jarrod Manning, the Associate Pastor of Ministry at Grace Bible Church of Brazosport.

Jarrod studied at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and I found common ground in our understanding of Christianity and government.

Socialism in Scripture? For more than one hundred years, the people of the United States have faced the choice of socialism versus freedom.

Generally, the people have spoken out for freedom and individual rights. Politicians have affirmed these values while campaigning, but not while legislating.

As Christians in America consider socialism, they are sometimes told about “welfare” in the Bible. They are told that a “safety-net” is consistent with Christian values. They are told, “God cares for the poor, and so should our nation.”

The Bible does in fact tell Christians to give to the poor. But the question at hand is who controls the giving? Should individuals give of their own goods, of their own choice? Or should a politician decide how much one owes—and to whom one owes it?

So Christians should ask: Does God have anything to say about socialism? Is “welfare” in the Bible? Let’s look into the Bible’s most famous case of “socialism.”