There is a strange specter haunting the modern church. It is the specter of "Christian Marxism." We hear it in the claim that the first socialist was Jesus of Nazareth. We hear it in the assertion that the only "Christian" economic policy is one of total state redistribution. And we hear it in the accusation that any enforcement of national borders is an act of heresy.

This view is seductive because it uses the language of the Gospel -- concern for the poor, the stranger, and the oppressed. But it twists that language into a shape that would be unrecognizable to the Apostles. It confuses the City of God with the City of Man.

The Difference Between "Ours" and "Mine"

The Christian Marxist often points to the Acts of the Apostles, where the early believers "held all things in common." They say: "See? Communism."

But look closer at the text. When Ananias is chastised for withholding his money, St. Peter says to him: "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?" (Acts 5:4).

Peter affirms private property even while praising generosity. The community of goods in the early Church was voluntary. It was the fruit of a supernatural love. It was not a system imposed by the Roman Empire.

Marxism is the exact opposite. It does not wait for the heart to change. It uses the power of the State to force a redistribution of goods. It replaces the virtue of Charity (I give because I love you) with the machinery of Justice (I take because the State demands it). When you outsource your charity to the bureaucracy, you kill the soul of mercy.

The Materialist Trap

The deeper incompatibility lies in the view of the human person.

Marxism is a materialism. It believes that the root of all evil is economic inequality. Therefore, it believes that man can be "saved" by economics. If we just seize the wealth and redistribute it, we will create the New Man.

Christianity teaches that the root of evil is Sin. A man can be rich and wicked; a man can be poor and wicked. Changing the economic structure does not heal the wound in the human heart.

When the critic says that "only Christians support Marxism," they are essentially saying that Christians should believe that matter is more important than spirit. But Christ said, "Man does not live by bread alone." The Marxist says, "Bread is all there is."

Order and the Criminal

The critic argues that supporting the deportation of criminal aliens is un-Christian. This rests on a sentimental view of the State.

God is a God of Justice as well as Mercy. In the Christian political tradition, the State exists to restrain evil. When a guest in a country commits a crime -- harming the citizens who welcomed him -- justice demands a consequence. To remove him is not an act of hatred. It is an act of protection for the common good.

If a father allows a violent man to stay in his house and threaten his children because he wants to appear "welcoming," he is not being a good Christian. He is being a bad father. The State is the steward of the national family. It has a moral duty to enforce the laws that keep the peace.

The Idolatry of the State

Ultimately, the attempt to merge Christianity and Marxism fails because they serve two different masters.

Christianity serves a God who died for His enemies. Marxism serves a Revolution that kills its enemies.

When we confuse the two, we end up with a "Political Messianism." We start believing that the State can bring about the Kingdom of Heaven. We start treating the border patrol as demons and the revolutionary leaders as saints. But history warns us: Whenever we try to build the Tower of Babel to reach the heavens, we end up only with confusion and scattered tongues.