Journal: Journal of Dispensational Theology
Volume: JODT 26:73 (Autumn 2022)
Article: What To Think Of Marxism
Author: Ron J. Bigalke, Jr.

JODT 26:73 (Autumn 2022) p. 179

What To Think Of Marxism

Ron J. Bigalke

* Ron J. Bigalke, M.Apol., M.Div., M.T.S., Ph.D., Ph.D., Georgia State Minister, Capitol Commission; author and lecturer, Eternal Ministries; research associate, University of Pretoria (Missions and Ethics Project); church plant pastor (Flowery Branch, GA), Gwinnett Metro Baptist Network

Marxism is a body of doctrine becoming ever more popular. To understand whether it is good or bad necessitates understanding the foundation upon which Marxist theory exists. In 1847, Marx joined the Communist League, where he and Friedrich Engels (1820–95) became the dominant personalities. Marxism emerged during the nineteenth century with the publication of the 1848 pamphlet The Communist Manifesto (written on behalf of the League) and the three-volume Das Kapital (the first volume was published in 1867; the second and third volumes were published posthumously in 1885 and 1894, respectively). Classical economists such as Adam Smith and David Ricardo were an inspiration to Karl Marx (1818–83), yet his own form of economics was not favored among the majority of modern thinkers. Nevertheless, the impact of Marx’s ideas have been most prominent in communist experiments, such as those in China, Cuba, and the former Soviet Union (USSR).

According to Marx, the entire Industrial Revolution of the 1800s in England consisted of capitalists exploiting workers, and his writings indicated as much. Appalling working conditions, which he regarded as the degradation of human dignity, outraged Marx. Workers had no basic rights and both men and women worked lengthy days in factories and with dangerous equipment. Coal was a primary source of energy during the Industrial Revolution, and was extremely important because it burned hotter than wood. The primary use of coal was for energy and to power the steam engines of factories. The value of life became so demeaning that many families found it necessary to have their children work alongside them in the coalmines. Older children and women had the tasks of “hurrier and thruster” which involved pulling and pushing tubs full of coal along the roadways. Whether they worked below or above ground, workers were exposed to life-threatening conditions that ultimately could be detrimental to their health.

JODT 26:73 (Autumn 2022) p. 180

Marx also witnessed another injustice. With so many people seeking work, business owners could pay low wages. Workers in the coalmines were paid meager wages and struggled to survive. Women were paid half for the same work. Children were paid approximately five times less than men for the same number of hours worked, which could be as much as 14–16 hour days. Factory owners and employers benefited from th...