Communism, Common Property, and Coming Judgment

Several years ago, I was flipping through the television channels and I landed on TBN. There stood Paul Crouch telling how he went to China (to try to get permission to broadcast) and told leaders in Beijing that early Christians were "Communists" because they sold all their processions and had everything in common. He remarked how the Chinese leaders were very interested in that revelation. Mr. Crouch was referring to passages in Act 4 and 5 where we see the early church in Jerusalem selling all their property and laying it at the feet of the Apostles:

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. (Acts 4:32-35 ESV)

Even though, in my opinion, Paul Crouch isn't qualified to be a spokesman for Christianity, what he said about the early church bothered me. At first glance, it looked as if he had a point. I really began to wonder, were the Apostles and members of the early church Communists? If not, why did they do this? Should we do the same today? Some have advanced this theory. In fact, according to a Catholic Traditionalist named Patrick Odou, (in this article) certain authors have used Acts 4:32-35 to support Distributism and other Socialist notions.

Unless I missed something, I don't see anything in the Bible about Christians selling everything and having common property in other cities. Could there been some other underlying reason for the saints in Jerusalem do this? If so, what would it be? I've thought about it for a while and I now believe the behaviour of the Jerusalem Christians may have had quite a bit to do with the judgment Christ warned would be poured out on Jerusalem within their generation:

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. (Luke 21:20-22 ESV)

History records that our Lord's words were fulfilled in A.D. 70. when the Romans sacked Jerusalem and leveled the Holy Temple. An estimated 1 million Jews were slaughtered. However, those who were Christians heeded Christ's words and fled for the hills during a brief withdraw of the Roman armies. Because the Christian Jews fled the city, it has been said that not one Christian was killed during the Roman siege.

Think about it... If you knew -for certain- that your city would be totally leveled and everyone killed within your lifetime (see Luke 21:32), wouldn't you be making preparations to leave? I don't know about you, but I certainly wouldn't be worrying about buying more real estate, adding onto my house, or investing my money in municipal bonds!

They knew judgment was coming, therefore they began liquidating their assets. Their love for one another was their motivation for pooling their assets -instead of each taking his money and moving to another town. By selling off everything, they were able to care for the poor and needy among them and had nothing tying them to the city when the Day of Vengeance finally arrived.

I was actually surprised to find that I'm not the only one holding to this theory. In the aforementioned article by Patrick Odou, Odou quotes St. Thomas Aquinas who held a similar view:

“Now, the first way, that is, for all to live in common on the proceeds of possessions that are sold, is one which will work, but not for a long time. So, the Apostles instituted this way of living for the faithful in Jerusalem, because they foresaw through the Holy Spirit that they would not remain together for long in Jerusalem, both because of the persecutions to come from the Jews and because of the imminent destruction of the city and its people. As a result, it was not necessary to provide for the faithful, except for a short time. Consequently, when they went out to other peoples, among whom the Church was to be established and to continue to endure, there is no account of their establishing this mode of living” (Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles, Book 3, Part 2, chap. 135, 2, p. 182)

In conclusion, you can't use the Bible to support any Communistic or Socialist agenda. Paul Crouch was wrong to tell the Chinese officials that the early Christians were Communists, though he may have scored a few points with them on his broadcasting proposal.. Paul Crouch -like many in our day- does not understand the eschatological significance of the destruction of Jerusalem. The saints at Jerusalem were not Communists: they simply believed Christ's warnings about the judgment to come!

Soli Deo Gloria!