James: 5 Canons

We confess: Christ is Lord, not Capital.
We resist: exploitative wealth and systems that crush workers and the poor.
We proclaim: God hears the harvesters’ cries.
We practice: repentance, generosity, solidarity, and good news to the poor.
We invite: churches, workers, and neighbors to follow Jesus in public—toward mercy, equity, and hope.

Christian Anti-Capitalism

Christian anti-capitalism is the conviction that Christ is Lord over economic life, and that any system that normalizes exploitation, domination, or the treating of workers as disposable contradicts the Gospel. It names the spiritual danger of Mammon, rejects profit as the highest good, and insists that economic arrangements must serve human dignity and the common good.

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Key Scriptures

  • James 5:1-6 - Woes to the rich who exploit labor.
  • Matthew 6:24 - You cannot serve God and Mammon.
  • Luke 4:18-19 - Good news to the poor, liberty to the oppressed.
  • Amos 5:24 - Let justice roll down like waters.

Notes

Add a short paragraph that connects these texts to your thesis and the movement’s commitments.

Christian Socialism

Christian socialism is the practice of organizing political and economic life around solidarity, justice, and material care for the vulnerable, grounded in the lordship of Christ. It emphasizes the social obligations of wealth, the priority of workers and families, and the call to build institutions that distribute power and provision more fairly.

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Key Scriptures

  • James 5:1-6 - Woes to the rich who exploit labor.
  • Matthew 6:24 - You cannot serve God and Mammon.
  • Luke 4:18-19 - Good news to the poor, liberty to the oppressed.
  • Amos 5:24 - Let justice roll down like waters.

Notes

Add a short paragraph that connects these texts to your thesis and the movement’s commitments.

What do different traditions say about…

Question Capitalism Materialist Socialism Christian Socialism
To whom does your labor belong? Your employer The collective God
What is labor for? Profit Planned production Love of neighbor
View of the worker Economic unit Class actor Image-bearer of God
View of wealth Private accumulation Collective control Gift held in trust
Ultimate authority The market The party / state Christ

While Marxism, Leninism, and Maoism differ in important ways, they share a materialist view of labor, history, and authority that distinguishes them from Christian Socialism’s theological foundation.