Karl Marx: Putting the Engine to Work
"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." — 1 Timothy 6:10
Introduction: From Philosophy to Practice
In the previous post, we looked at how Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel redefined truth as a process driven by conflict. His ideas were abstract, philosophical, and easy for many to dismiss as impractical.
Karl Marx proved otherwise.
Marx took Hegel’s method and applied it to everyday life. If Hegel built the engine, Marx put it on the ground and taught the masses how to use it. What had been philosophy became economic ideology, and what had been theory became revolution.
Marx in Plain Terms
Marx taught that all of human history is driven by class struggle. Society, he argued, is divided between those who own the means of production and those who do not. Every institution—family, religion, government—exists primarily to protect the interests of the ruling class.
In Marx’s worldview:
Man is defined by labor
Morality is shaped by economics
Religion is a tool of control
Truth, like in Hegel’s system, is not fixed. It advances through conflict—this time between classes.
The Biblical Collision
Scripture does not deny injustice or oppression. But it locates the root problem not in economics, but in the human heart.
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." — Jeremiah 17:9
"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?" — James 4:1
Marx externalized the problem. The Bible internalizes it.
Where Marx says systems corrupt man, Scripture says sinful man corrupts systems.
Why Marx Had to Reject God
Marx did not merely criticize religion; he had to remove it.
If God exists:
Moral law is fixed
Human value is inherent
Justice transcends class
Marxism cannot tolerate those truths. To make conflict the engine of history, there can be no higher authority to appeal to—only power.
This is why Marx famously dismissed religion as an illusion. Not because it was ineffective, but because it stood in the way.
How Marx Rules from the Grave Today
Marx’s influence is no longer confined to overt communism. His ideas operate quietly beneath the surface.
Culture
People reduced to oppressor and oppressed categories
Moral guilt assigned by group identity
Politics
Redistribution framed as moral righteousness
Power struggles presented as justice movements
Education
History taught primarily as economic exploitation
Critical theories built on class-based analysis
Many who reject Marx’s name still use his lens.
A Human Pause
At this point, someone usually says, “But Marx cared about the poor.”
So does the Bible.
The difference is how and why.
Scripture calls for generosity, compassion, and justice—but never at the cost of truth, responsibility, or worship of God.
Scripture’s Answer to Marx
"If any would not work, neither should he eat." — 2 Thessalonians 3:10
"Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give." — Ephesians 4:28
The biblical model produces charity without envy, justice without coercion, and compassion without resentment.
Conclusion
Karl Marx has been dead for over a century, yet his ideas continue to shape how people understand justice, power, and inequality. He rules not by revolution alone, but by categories—by teaching people how to interpret the world.
When economic conflict becomes the primary lens for understanding life, the gospel is inevitably reduced—or replaced.
Coming Next
Marx explained the struggle. Charles Darwin explained it away.
In the next post, we will look at how evolution redefined life itself—and why that shift was essential for the worldview Marx helped unleash.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for supporting this blog.
Get the book HERE 7 Men Who Role The World From The Grave
No comments:
Post a Comment