The Misunderstood Story of the First Christian Socialist

The story of Christian socialism in its “first wave” in England from 1848 to 1854 starts with the Anglican priest and theologian F.D. Maurice. The Paris Revolution broke out while Maurice was preaching a series of sermons on the Lord’s Prayer at Lincoln’s Inn, where he served as chaplain while professor of theology at King’s College, London. Maurice’s theology rested on a concept of “divine order.” In short, fatherhood grounded Maurice’s worldview—fathers (and mothers) over families, monarchs and aristocrats over nations, and God above all and in all through the Church. As Maurice put it, “A Fatherly Will is at the root of Humanity and upholds the Universe.” From this perspective, Maurice’s sermon on the words “give us this day our daily bread,” preached March 12, 1848, on the first Sunday of Lent, contain a surprising affirmation for a socialist: “Property is holy.”