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Presbyterians, Karl Marx, New Hampshire and the Zapatistas?

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mwkruse
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Naming His Grace (Viola Larson): Presbyterians, Karl Marx, New Hampshire and the Zapatistas?

During the late summer I placed several posts on my blog entitled “Presbyterians Dancing with Karl Marx.” Just about a week ago I placed some correspondence on my blog between myself and Stephen Bartlett, Coordinator for Constituency Education, with Agricultural Missions Inc. a organization affiliated with several mainline Christian denominations including Presbyterian Women and Presbyterian Hunger Program.1

One of my points in the posts was that Agricultural Missions Inc. was too deeply affiliated with a new movement which includes both the World Social Forum and the United States Social Forum. Both of these movements are related and have their roots in extreme socialism and Marxism. I asked Mr. Bartlett some questions about statements he had made including his statements about the 2006 World Social Forum which was:

"How socialism is defined and envisioned today goes beyond rigid Marxist Leninist or even Maoist concepts, and seeks for its roots in indigenous cosmovision and collective governance practices, in a radically decentralized vision for a world in which, as the Zapatistas demand, all worlds fit."

All of Mr. Bartlett’s essay about that forum can be found here: …

Comments

4 responses to “Presbyterians, Karl Marx, New Hampshire and the Zapatistas?”

  1. David Walters Avatar
    David Walters

    I enjoy reading your blog. Even if I do not agree I Still enjoy and appreciate your thought. But thgis post is deepy troubling. Viola’s writing remind mer of the anticommunists spawned by House unamercican Activities Committee and their cousins. One of their spawnees was the Rev. Carl McIntyre who left our fellowship and founded the Bible Presbyterin Church. One of his favorite targets was Stated Clerk of the UPUSA, Eugene Carson Blake. Also the NCC And The WCC, both of which Blake was very much involved. Viola’s ranting is just like Carl’s. Starout with a fact or a quote related to ones target and go to some, oftenly minute, connection to ones target. Viole!! yyou hasve and instant smear of the target that wiil imflame the reader. I hope you will lose your link to this womens rantings

    Reply
  2. Viola Larson Avatar
    Viola Larson

    David,
    It was hard to write all of this particular post and not be able to include all of the material from my other posts on the same subject. But it would have been too long. May I suggest that you read all of those posts. Begin with this one: http://naminghisgrace.blogspot.com/2007/09/presbyterians-dancing-with-karl-marx.html.

    Reply
  3. Viola Larson Avatar
    Viola Larson

    Okay David, or anyone else, I have placed links to all three of the other articles, “Presbyterians Dancing with Karl Marx,” at the end of this posting and right before my notes. They are there to read and give additional information about why I am writing what I am writing.

    Reply
  4. Michael W. Kruse Avatar
    Michael W. Kruse

    David, Marx is one most important political/economic philosophers of the past 200 years. He has had a profound influence in framing how we approach a variety of questions. One of the most potent theological expressions of Marxist philosophy has been liberation theology in the last half of the 20th Century. Seminaries to this day are heavily dominated by liberationist theology as well as Niebuhrian-Barthian socialism (another Marx influenced framing of issues.) Viola can speak for herself but I understand her to be using “Marxist” in this way, not in an evocative pejorative sense to demonize opponents (although she clearly disagrees with Marxist philosophies.) I think her earlier articles (now linked) give further insight as to what she is talking about.
    I’ve said in the past that reflection on economic questions in theological academies frequently has much more to do with the Gospel of Marx than the Gospel of Mark. I find that some think I’m trying to demonize them by such a statement when in fact I’m trying to be quite literal. I’m not accusing them of being underground evil subversives trying to overthrow the government. I’m suggesting categories and lenses coming from Marx have become incorporated into Christian economic analysis.
    Viola is working through this. I’ll be interested to read how she sees things.

    Reply

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