Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 15.djvu/31

 CHRISTIAN SOCIALISM IN AMERICA 17

Dr. Stocker — has long been the subject of merciless criticism by those who denied its right to be considered either Christian or socialist. On its economic side, at least, Pastor Todt's work was originally quite in harmony with the Marxian socialist theory, but the aggressive "atheism" of the leaders of the social-Demo- cratic party developed in him a sort of mania. Starting out to convert the social democrats from this cardinal error, he and his friends became more and more concerned with fighting the socialists upon the religious issue than with supporting them upon the economic issue. For many years the Mucker-Socialismus of the Christian socialists has taken the form of bitter opposition to the social-democratic party. It has stood for the reactionary policy of strengthening the monarchical power, to make the sovereign absolute and independent of parliament, and for that most detestable of propagandas, at once repulsive to Christian and socialist ethics, anti-Semitism. It is easy to understand the intense, immeasurable hatred and contempt of the average Ger- man socialist for this kind of Christian socialism, and the spread of that hatred and contempt to other lands.

In the United States we have, happily, never had Christian socialism of the German, Todt-Stocker brand. We have always had a few Christian socialists of the Kingsley-Maurice type, mostly confining their activities to the Protestant Episcopal church, and never coming into contact with the actual socialist movement. But the Christian Socialist Fellowship represents neither of these types. It is concerned only with the carrying of the doctrines of socialism as taught by the socialist party to the Christian church. It has thus a very close relation to the political socialist movement.

When one reflects that the socialist movement in America was for many years, and until very recent times, almost exclu- sively composed of Germans, and that the German influence, while rapidly declining, is still quite an important factor in the movement, it will be easy to understand the consternation with which the foimation of the Christian Socialist Fellowship, by active members of the socialist party, was viewed. Here, indeed, was treason to the cause! That some of the most prominent and