CRISTIANISMO Y SOCIALISMO

Ponencias

Resumen

President Hugo Chávez's political actions are moving toward tuming Venezuela into a socialist State. He has referred, in multiple occasions, to the figure of Jesus of Nazaret as the first socialist in mankind. He has also mentioned the first Christians, and more specifically the community of Jerusalem, as appeared in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, as the first socialist organization. Toe purpose ofthis essay is to <leal with these notions from the eyes of the Gospels, through a theological and exegetical approach. After dealing with such analysis one concludes that Jesus was not a socialist nor precursory of the socialism, although he has played an important role in sorne aspects of the socialist political horizon, Nevertheless we have to recognize truly that his praxis differs of sorne socialist political and anthropological principles in an absolute way. In congruence with the evangelical message, this essay propases the model of social democracy as a synthesis beyond socialism and mere capitalism that truly assumes liberal personal freedom in a good balance with State control procedures.