Marxism, the deadliest ideology in the Modern world, is displacing Christianity in America. As people opt out of the Church, they look for spiritual replacements. They’re unknowingly embracing the gospel of Marx that’s been repacked into culturally relevant forms by the social justice movement and woke culture. Americans and our Christian kids resonate with this secular religion that promises to save humanity through tolerant equality while it liberates sexuality from Biblical righteousness. It’s freedom for every lifestyle and earthly salvation for all.
Church attendance is at an all-time low; a recent Gallup poll shows only 31 percent of Americans attended a religious service in the last seven days. Barna surveys show that two-thirds of Christian kids walk away from God when they leave home for college and careers. They’re responding to social justice pathways of liberation and freedom. What happens when people leave Christianity? They don’t continue to live as Christians. In his book Seven Types of Atheism, John Grey shows people adopt religious replacements for the faith they leave behind.
Today, the social justice movement and woke culture wrap Marxism in culturally relevant narratives that meet the spiritual needs of a generation that turns from God. Marxism denies the fundamental truths of Christianity to offer a pathway of earthly salvation, while social justice narratives provide the freedom to pursue lifestyles of everyone’s choice. Their message of social change through sexual freedom, liberation, peace, tolerance, and equality heavily influences unchurched young adults and our Christian kids. This allure makes Marxism a force as it becomes a new form of spirituality.
Yet there’s a warning for all of us. People are drawn like moths to a flame without any idea that Marxists murdered 100 million souls who chose to resist totalitarian control. Jesus warned us to beware of false prophets that come to us in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves that we recognize by their fruit (Matt 7:15-16).
Here are five things every Christian needs to know about Marxism’s counterfeit spirituality.
Marxism is a secular religion for those who lack one.
Marxism is a secular religion that attempts to provide humanist solutions to the questions that cause us to turn to God. What causes suffering? How do we end it? How do we define justice and fairness in society? How do we develop as individuals if God does not create us, male or female, as unique persons? How are we saved? Where is heaven? Christianity provides answers through theology based on God and His word. Marxism provides answers with human solutions because it denies God’s existence and divine work in the world. This appeals to fallen humanity that wants solutions on its terms. Atheists and agnostics seek justice, mercy, and spiritual purpose while choosing preferred lifestyles and destinies. Marxism provides the answers that give people the freedom and control they desire. It’s a form of Godliness that lacks the power that Paul warned Timothy (2 Tim 3:5).
Marxism gives people control over their identity and destiny.
Marxism believes the material world is all there is and is responsible for creating the identity and salvation of every person. It rejects the fundamental truths of Christianity by denying God’s existence and His influence in the world. It rejects the Fall and sees humanity as good and perfectible here on earth. It denies Christ’s incarnation, death, and resurrection as God’s plan of salvation and believes heaven is found as a man-made utopian existence here on earth. Karl Marx believed that society determined everything about humanity. It creates our social conscience and identity, and he elevated the influence of social relationships above all others. Society determines the identity of every person and controls the outcome of people’s lives. As people control society, they control their destiny.
Society constructs gender and sexuality.
Today, Marxism accepts that people are born as blank slates to absorb whatever concepts of personal identity societies create. Gender and sexuality are social constructs, concepts that societies generate based on unique cultural experiences and preferences. These are imprinted on people through their social experiences living within their community. Male and female are no longer defined by God’s creative work (Gen 1:27) but can be any concept a society constructs, and people adopt. Sexuality is also a construct, which means every pleasure between consenting people is tolerated and celebrated. In a world with no God, there are no boundaries. Christianity’s narrow Biblical confines of heterosexuality within marriage are considered an oppressive lie that was forced on humanity. When gender, sexuality, and morality are disconnected from scripture, people are free to define them as they please.
Marxism teaches humanity needs to be saved from society, not sin.
Marxism denies the Fall and its impact on sin and death. It argues humans are not fallen; they are perfectible and susceptible to the societies they live in. Societies that pursue social justice (communism) create utopias that perfect humanity, while those that pursue exploitation (western democracies) create suffering and genocide that destroy it.
Marxism attributes the total suffering of humanity to the exploitation and oppression within Western capitalist democracies like America. Karl Marx argued a society that gave wealth to the privileged did so by exploiting the by exploiting poor, keeping them mired in poverty. Poverty denied the poor the resources they needed to thrive, causing them to die from starvation, disease, and endless suffering. This was negative social pressure that caused war, slavery, violence, addiction, crime, and conflict as people reacted to the pain of their suffering. Marx’s solution required eliminating wealth inequality by completely reordering society to achieve equal outcomes and equity for all (communism). Societies with equal outcomes (equity) create a utopia that saves humanity from the endless suffering and death created by exploitation.
Marx declared capitalism was a form of genocide because inequalities were the sources of all human death and suffering. Capitalist societies must be reorganized to achieve equal outcomes if humanity has any hope of salvation from the genocide of exploitation. Marx’s early disciples, Lenin, Stalin, and Mao, took him literally, exterminating tens of millions who refused to comply with their efforts to reorder society to achieve a utopia and save humanity.
Critical theorists of the Frankfurt School theory expanded Marx’s concept of exploitation beyond economics and wealth. They developed the critical theory that argued every social interaction in Western society was based on exploitation. They claimed that the inequalities of wealth, patriarchy, racism, discrimination, and the experience of the LGBTQ community were evidence that our society was irredeemably corrupt and must be radically reorganized to achieve equity. Critical theorists agreed with Marx society must be transformed to save humanity. Today, the social justice movement translates Marxist critical theory into culturally relevant narratives that speak to a spiritually searching nation.
Marxism offers a spiritual replacement for America.
The social justice movement is the glue that connects Marxism with the spiritual needs of a post-Christian American society. It turns theory into practice, providing social justice initiatives to transform America that connect with w=searching Americans. People don’t read the Communist Manifesto to choose Marxism over God. They connect with Marxism through social justice narratives that preach a vision of a progressive, tolerant America that can end patriarchy, income inequality, homophobia, transphobia, racism, and discrimination by pursuing equality and equity. When people engage, they find spiritual meaning and a form of social righteousness in a nihilistic world that rejects God.
Social righteousness replaces Biblical righteousness, which allows people to have spiritual values without the constraints of Biblical morality. People are free to pursue any lifestyle or pleasure they choose to save humanity in the fight for social justice. Everything is permissible in a world of tolerance and equity. Woke culture liberates gender and sexuality from the Biblical tradition, opening it to a world of limitless fulfillment through personal expression. It’s the best of all worlds for fallen humanity. They have a false form of godliness that frees them from the constraints of Biblical morality and the freedom to pursue the pleasures and lifestyles of their choice.
There is a deadly irony that stands as a warning to the Church. Marxism claims to end the oppression and genocide of American society, offering a utopian vision of peace, tolerance, and equality. It’s a lie; Marxism is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It’s caused more genocide, suffering, and inequality than any ideology in history. People embrace the promises of social justice, unaware of Marxism’s murderous ideology. Few of us know Marxism’s brutal history of suffering and genocide. We must be wise as serpents while we are gentle as doves and listen to the Apostle Paul.
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ (Col 2:8).
