Socialism and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

I never thought I would see the day when a blatant socialist was receiving so much traction among the American electorate, but, alas, that day has come. And in listening to Bernie Sanders’s speeches and hearing the rapturous cheers of his audience, I can’t help but be reminded of the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang . . .

The scene opens with a cheerily cloaked man prancing through the square leading a horse-drawn cart as light-hearted music is heard. As the camera reveals his face, the music turns more ominous, suggesting to the audience that trouble might be on the way. However, the unsuspecting Jeremy and Jemima, playing inside nearby, hear only the calls of “Ice cream! Chocolate! All free today!”

Despite Jemima’s warnings, Jeremy is drawn to the window and gazes wide-eyed at the lollipops appearing just outside. The man continues to lure the children with promises of “cherry pie, cream puffs, ice cream, treacle tart…” once again reminding them that the items are “aaallll freeee  today!”

“Treacle tart!” Jeremy exclaims. “And all free!”

Only one more call from the man as he turns to leave and Jeremy is sold. He turns to run out the door, but Jemima reminds him that Truly instructed them to stay inside. His response? “We’ll get Truly some as well! Come on!”

With that, the siblings run to catch the man and his colorful cart. Elderly neighbors see Jeremy and Jemima run by and yell warnings but to no avail. Hearing the children run up behind him, the man with a sinister gleam in his eye turns to greet the children, pasting on a disarming smile and encouraging them with, “Come along, my little dears, my little mice.”

The children reach the cart, and their delighted screams reach a fevered pitch as the man asks what they would like, once again listing all the “free” items he had to give. All it takes now is for him to tell the children that the free goodies are inside the cart, and Jeremy and Jemima rush up the ladder. No sooner do their feet cross the threshold than they receive a rough push that sends them stumbling into the vehicle.

Immediately, the door slams shut and the colorful trappings of the cart fall away to reveal the children trapped in an ugly metal cage. The children’s screams have turned from delighted to horrified as the man carries them away with a maniacal laugh. The Child Catcher has struck again.

With this unsettling scene the parallels to socialism are staggering. Simply replace “cherry pie, cream puffs, and ice cream” with health care, housing, and a college education, and you begin to see the dangerous nature of socialists’ claims.  After all, who doesn’t like the sound of “free”? Especially, “All free!”

But just like the empty promises of the Child Catcher, socialist promises of free health care and free college are naïve at best, deceitful at worst. Yes, there really were lollipops, but there was no ice cream, no cream puffs, and certainly no treacle tart. We might get free health care, but what good will it do when there is nowhere to go to get that health care? Free college sounds great, but with degrees already as insignificant as they are now, of what value will they be when everyone has them?

Socialists are able to sell the public on the idea of all this free stuff because they imply that if these things were free, then our lives would be better. But a thoughtful consideration of the logical progression of such a state leads to the exact opposite conclusion—not to mention the fact that a reality where all is free is categorically impossible.

The phrase, “Nothing is free” is not just a description of the current state of affairs; it is an explanation of the persistent reality that everything costs something and someone has to pay that cost. Our own salvation is a perfect example of this. Eternal life is not free. No, we do not have to pay the price for our depravity ourselves, but the price was monumentally high, and it was paid by God Himself through the death of His Son Jesus.

Similarly, free health care, free college, free fill-in-the-blank is impossible. Everything costs, if not in money, then in time, in resources—i.e. in capital. But maybe you’re okay with that, as long as you’re not the one that has to pay. You might be thinking, Even if it costs someone, it can still be free for me . . . right?

Aside from that mentality’s being characterized by greed (which ironically is the vice that Bernie Sanders seems to be repudiating), it’s also naïve because, in the context of a socialist society, the services that are promised to be free are paid for by increased taxation—for everyone—and by government control of resources—everyone’s resources. So it might seem that you aren’t paying the cost, but you are—in money and, more importantly, in freedom.

The term “socialism” sounds positive enough, but its definition reveals the disturbing truth behind the disarming title: “Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy” (The American Heritage College Dictionary, Fourth Edition).

By giving in to a socialist government, you are giving over control of your life and your resources to a small group of people in the government who get to decide what is best for you and for everyone else. Don’t be deceived for a minute. It’s not just the Wall Street billionaires who are the target of socialist policies—everyone is affected.

Oh, but, everyone will benefit, supporters of Sanders might be thinking. That’s what Jeremy thought, too. He rationalized chasing after a suspicious man and ignoring the instruction of someone who knew more about the world than he did by convincing himself (and his sister) that they could get some free goodies for Truly too! But in truth no one got free goodies—only imprisonment.

Jeremy and Jemima didn’t heed the warnings of the townspeople either—people who knew who the Child Catcher was, had seen what he had done to other children in the past, and could see through his disarming façade. And in the end their dreams of free treats turned into the nightmare of being captured by the Child Catcher and enslaved to his will.

May we learn the lesson from those who have gone before us in other nations around the world. May we recognize that just as the “People’s Republic of China” is neither the people’s nor a republic, so can other democratic-sounding terms be plastered on an ideology that is the furthest thing from what they portray. And most importantly, may we not be deceived into giving up our freedom and our resources for the empty promise of “All free today!”

Love and Truth, Part 2: The Practical Side of Things

In an earlier post, I explored Romans 12:9-10 and the concepts of speaking truth from a posture of love.

I don’t know about you, but I’m an incredibly practical person. I can intellectually understand ideas, even ascribe to them, but I always want to know Okay, how is this going to happen? What does it look like when it’s fleshed out in everyday life?

This case is no exception, so it’s my hope in this post to share with you some of my ruminations on the practical side of things.

First of all, it is important to note that Paul writes, “Abhor what is evil” not who. We are to detest teachings and actions that are contrary to the gospel but not the people who hold to them. This is where it gets tricky. How do we convey utter detestation of the tenets to which someone holds without conveying abhorrence of the person? How do we communicate the love we have for someone while telling them that they have missed the mark?

Hold up, you may be thinking. What right do I have to tell anyone that they’ve “missed the mark”? Who am I to call out anybody on how they’re acting or what they say they believe?

Well, if you’re a follower of Christ and the other person is too, then you don’t just have a right to call them out, you have a responsibility. God has placed us as believers in a community of other believers for a variety of reasons, one of which is so that we can hold each other accountable. To do this requires opening our mouths and lovingly speaking the truth.

Which brings us back to the question, “How?” 

I don’t claim to have all the answers—or even most of them—but I do think one thing that is certainly beneficial is to do your “calling out” in person—or at least over the phone. Tone and body language can convey so much more than written words, from which any number of postures can be inferred.  

In addition, listen more than you talk. Ask questions. Yes, you are holding them accountable to what they say they profess to believe, but people straying from God are hurting people. So let them know that you care by listening to what they have to say and by providing a safe space for them to share their struggles openly.

Another thing we should remember is to avoid entering such conversations while depending on our own strength, our own intelligence, or our own ideas. In short—pray. A lot!

After all, if we are calling out a fellow believer on his or her behavior because it is contrary to Scripture, it’s because it is contrary to what God says, not because it goes against some code we invented ourselves. Therefore, we shouldn’t let our own opinions or egos get in the way. If, however, our calling them out is not because their behavior is contrary to Scripture, then I’d submit that we need to give second thoughts to calling them out at all. And, again, if we are saturating the issue in prayer, I believe God will reveal to us when we are out of line ourselves.

Sometimes, though, it will be necessary for us to voice concern to a fellow believer over the way he or she is living. For many of us, this does not come easily. We would rather shy away from situations that make us uncomfortable than risk offending someone or being hurt ourselves. But we followers of Christ are family; families are to have each other’s best interests at heart; and in the family of God our best interests are being right with Him.

So when we see a fellow believer living in open rebellion, we should be compelled to put aside our selfish considerations of comfort and speak to them in love. Because sometimes being silent is the most unloving course of all.