Here’s a fun topic for today: Marxism, Black Lives Matter, and white Christianity! Learn something new, or pass this along to someone who needs to hear it. (Subscribe to my newsletter here.)
Conservatives have recently been labelling Black Lives Matter (BLM) as a “Marxist movement” – apparently as a put-down. Because I support BLM, I have been labeled a Marxist myself, a number of times. I didn’t know anything about Marxism. So I did something crazy: I looked it up!
In the years before I got my grace-colored glasses, I assumed I knew what Marxism was. I assumed that it was something dangerous, probably not much different from Socialism or Communism – which obviously (to me) were evil. I associated all three words with the Soviet Union (that’s how old I am).
To recap: I knew nothing about subject of Marxism, but I had it figured out.
Are you with me so far?
I want to ask you a question: do you know what Marxism is? I mean, actually know?
And do you know whether BLM is a “Marxist movement”? Or why Black activists would be “trained in Marxism,” as several BLM leaders are?
Here’s a challenge: if your mind is made up about Marxism (and/or BLM), keep reading and see whether your understanding is accurate.
(If you don’t think you are teachable, you should just close this tab and move on. Detractors: I welcome intelligent discussion about this, but if all you want to do is throw around vague accusations and insults, you should also close this tab and move on.)
(Disclaimer: I’m not an expert on Marxism, but I have made an attempt to understand it on a basic level. I found this source particularly helpful, though it was by no means my only source of information.)
Marxism for Beginners
Now keep in mind, Marx was not inventing an ideology – he was describing what he saw, both in history and in his time.
Karl Marx looked at society from a class perspective: he recognized that there are basically a ruling class and a working class. The ruling class has power and is primarily a consumer; the working class is primarily a producer/server. The ruling class wants to get as much production/service out of the working class as possible – at the lowest possible cost. The worker wants a better life, a piece of the pie that he sees the ruling class enjoying.
Class struggle is inevitable, according to Marx, because rulers want to keep all the goodies, and workers seek political power in order to get a share for themselves (a reasonable objective, in my opinion). When you recognize that you’re oppressed (and your life sucks), it is only natural to try to break free.
If you’re wondering, “what about us in the middle class?” I propose that it’s a matter of identification. If you feel threatened by protest, you’re with the ruling class (even if your bank account doesn’t agree); if you sympathize with protest, you’re with the workers.
Are you with me so far?
Can you see why activists for Black equality might identify with Marxism?
Is Marxism inherently dangerous? (No.)
Class struggle is not intrinsically violent – it does not automatically mean riots and looting. Historically, we know that it can lead to this (and worse), but it generally reaches that point only if the ruling class refuses to acquiesce to nonviolent pressure. The existence of class struggle is a fact; the methods used by the sides to gain or keep power is up to them.
Historically, a lot of social change has been gradual, putting pressure on existing systems till they reached a breaking point – sometimes violent, sometimes not.
Members of the ruling class say they fear violence, but for the most part, the ruling class is the perpetrator of violence, not the recipient. Think about the Civil Rights movement: activists were nonviolent – but the state, and some individuals and groups, reacted violently when Black Americans made demands for equality. Remember?
What’s the point of protest?
Protests then, and protests today, are designed to demonstrate how hard the powerful will fight to stay in power.
Remember then, the clash is not simply between a group of protesters and their local police. Protesters feel the weight of decades or generations of inequality – and they’re up against the entrenched system that generally wants to maintain status quo, and will use its considerable power to do so.
To put it simply, the ruling class would rather order police to suppress protest than have a conversation about equality.
When protests get “out of hand”
When protesters’ reasonable demands (i.e. equality) are brushed off or tear-gassed (or worse), they can understandably become angry. Some protesters may have a lot of pent-up anger and resentment, and lose control – that’s not Marxism in action. That’s what happens when the ruling class perpetuates inequality instead of eradicating it. That’s a fact.
Marxism understands the world through this lens. Marxism itself is neither good nor bad.
BLM activists trained in Marxism are just activists who understand that they are organizing to take on the ruling class and demand equality. It doesn’t mean they’re trying to destroy America.
Where would Jesus be in a protest?
Before my grace-glasses days, I might have answered this question from a law-and-order perspective: Jesus would want good behavior. Remember how orderly the parade was on Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:1-9)?
Jesus would be on the side of the police, and he would be ok with a little roughness, if the occasion required. Remember how he knocked over the moneychangers’ tables (Matthew 21:12)?
Also, Jesus said, “the poor you will always have with you” (Matthew 26:11)!
But now, I feel sure that Jesus would be with the workers.
Jesus was a disrupter of the status quo – that’s why he knocked over the moneychangers’ tables; that’s why, a few days after Palm Sunday, he was crucified. He upended everything (read this and this for a few examples).
Jesus cared about the poor. Remember how he started his ministry, according to Luke 4:18?
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.
Jesus wants us to care for the hungry, the stranger, the sick, and the incarcerated. He wants us to set the oppressed free!
He didn’t specify that we should only “help those who help themselves,” or those who ask nicely. The only qualification is need.
If you say the life of every Black person is just as precious and important as anyone else, if you say God made ALL of us in His image, and every life matters regardless of race, gender, or age (I’m quoting an actual comment right now) – then why would you not support equality for all? Why would you demand that protests be quiet and orderly if that doesn’t achieve equality?
And if a protest turns ugly, why wouldn’t you rebuke those who are perpetuating injustice for allowing it to come this far?
BLM condemns looting, by the way. So do I – but we must not throw out the baby with the bathwater. We need to acknowledge that when there is a large gathering of rightfully angry people, some might get carried away. That’s not ok, but it’s also not an excuse to discount a legitimate movement.
Christians should support equality and the fight for equality. We can not just look at the current moment and judge it as “violent” without acknowledging how we got here. We can not ignore the legitimacy of the demand for equality. And I hope by now, you understand that we can’t ignore a movement just because “Marxism” is in the mix.
As Christians, we can only make the world a better place when we really understand what’s going on. If the idea of a ruling class lording it over a disgruntled working class rings true to you – then you, my friend, are a Marxist. Ain’t nothing wrong with that.
If these ideas make sense to you, please sign up for my newsletter. If not please keep your comments civil and specific.
FEATURED IMAGE: “Karl Marx” by Dunechaser is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 (tweaked)
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