Ep 33 - Christians for Socialism pt 1

The Magnificast

It's no secret that we think Christianity and socialism are Very Good. Over the course of the podcast we've tried to find some ideas and movements that help illuminate the relationship between Christians and socialism. But we're hardly the first to think about that. In Chile in the early 70s, a group of 80 priests founded Christians for Socialism, a contingent of Christians who wanted not just political change, but revolutionary change, supporting the energy behind the Allende government. The group famously hosted Fidel Castro, which kicked off an amazing few decades of dialogue between Marxists and Christians in Latin America, and they had rigorous disciplinary measures to ensure the movement stayed radical. This week on The Magnificast we decided to get some encouragement from this incendiary movement of radical Christians, witnesses of a radical faith and a radical political vision. We look at an oral history of the movement and reflections by Marxist economist and Jesuit priest Gonzolo Arroyo. The research was wild, the discoveries were exciting, and the conversation was encouraging. And just wait--there's more around the corner!