What if Saul Never Became Paul?
A Catholic’s Comparison of St. Paul and Saul Alinksy
St. Paul is one of the most interesting men in Christendom. He wrote much of the New Testament and yet first appears in it as Saul of Tarsus nodding in approval of the stoning of St. Steven. A Jewish and Roman citizen, he was an overachiever as displayed by his education, his zeal and eventually his evangelism. After he converted to Christianity, the faith he had so longed to destroy, he started churches all over the ancient world and it is his writings today that drive all denominations in their study of Christian moral principles.
St. Paul is the perfect example of intellectual blindness cured by an encounter with Truth. Convinced that he was right, he sought to exterminate Christians because they were the enemy. It was not his intellect that cured his blindness, but submission to the God who got his attention. St. Paul is known throughout history not because he was brilliant but because he was good. His encounters with the living God transformed the entire purpose of his life and he spent the rest of it magnifying Jesus Christ. The fruits of his earthly work are reflected in the millions of souls over the generations who were brought out of despair and into a life of encounter with the Jesus he glorified. His humility became the cure for his blindness. When Saul met the Lord, he became Paul and his wrath became righteousness. His holiness sent others to Heaven and brought Heaven towards earth.
But what if Saul had never become Paul? What if he had decided that he was right and had gone on killing Christians? There would have been no redemption. He would have perpetuated chaos in his time and would have left no lasting legacy beyond the destruction of a few generations. Puffed up in pride, he would never have seen that his fight against the enemy was actually the devils’ bidding.
Meet Saul Alinsky.
Many people do not know about this Saul, for he is not as famous as St. Paul, and yet we are living out the effects of his principles. Saul Alinsky is most known for his method of community organizing and his book, “Rules for Radicals”. The purpose of his movement was to gain rights for citizens who are considered the “have nots” of society. At first glance, his intentions seem noble. After all, Jesus Christ demanded that we take care of the poor. We have heard throughout our lives that, “The last shall be first and the first shall be last.” Christianity is supposed to be the defender of the “have nots” but the methods Christianity are drastically opposed to the methods of Saul Alinsky. This makes all of the difference.
In Alinskyian organizing, a group must pick an issue on which they know they can win. and must pick an enemy: an oppressor. An easy example of this would be unions vs. “The man”. The group then must apply pressure to the enemy mainly through criticism in order to transfer power from the oppressor to the oppressed. On criticism, Alinsky said the following, “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon. It is almost impossible to counterattack ridicule. Also, it infuriates the opposition, who then react to your advantage.”
In his book, Rules for Radicals, Alinsky claims that the purpose of man is warfare. Men are meant to transform the world from what it is into what they want it to be. The book is a how-to for the “have-nots” who would like to take power from the “haves”.
Alinsky based his principles on the teachings of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, and Friedrich Nietzsche to name a few. His world view was at best agnostic and he saw morality only as a vehicle by which to win popular opinion stating, “you do what you can with what you have and clothe it with moral garments.” He did not believe in objective truth claiming that the end justifies almost any means. Although not religious, he was deeply interested in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church as he repeatedly claimed that the Catholic Church was the lever by which they could move the world. Many of his most faithful disciples were Catholic priests. Today there are 65 organizations in the nation exclusively affiliated with Alinskyian organizing. His principles are the driving force of social justice in the political arena.
St. Paul and Saul Alinsky have almost nothing in common. Saul Alinsky submitted to the authority of worldly power and the illusion of relativism. He preached the idea that oppression is caused by outside forces that are inherently unfair and can only be overcome by warfare. His wisdom was the wisdom of man.
St. Paul, on the other hand, submitted to the authority of the God who created the universe. He preached the oppression a consequence of sin, the sick heart of man. He claimed that the purpose of man is union with God and submission to one another. It is an interior freedom that sets us free rather than a constant earthly power struggle. He too defined an enemy when he said, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm.” His version of social justice is meant to flow from the heart of the individual transformed by mercy and inspired to generosity.
As I continue to watch out nation implode, I have to ask the question. If every oppressed people group has to find an enemy in another people group, where does aggression stop and the peace begin? When is it enough? Many Alinsky enthusiasts are members of the democratic party such as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Why is it that in places like Chicago and Detroit, where the government has been democratic for years, we are not seeing a positive shift in society? In communities where a group like the “Missionaries of Charity” exists, however, people are getting cared for body AND soul.
I do recognize that good has come from community organizing. I know wonderful Jesus-loving Christians who have made huge differences in the lives of many through similar methods with hearts of charity and there have been many incredible church leaders who have risen out of such movements. It is, however, the foundation, motive and desired outcome put forth from a man like Alinksy whose influence is so broad that makes me skeptical. We know a tree by its fruit and America is becoming more divided before our very eyes.
Believer, we are meant to submit ourselves to one another. Our faith demands that where we have power, we humble ourselves for the sake of the other. It demands that we allow our minds to be transformed by the mind of Christ and not entranced by the cunning words of a false prophet. We must exit our comfort zones and enter into communities that need the gospel. We MUST become active in the right way or the wrong will continue to fill in the gap. We need to elect officials that don’t believe that government can save and do not visibly set up enemies in this nation.
We can live by objective Truth and nurse a hurting world back to health but we can only do so if we choose to be transformed as did Saul of Tarsus. If we continue to practice the principles of a Saul unchanged, I’m afraid the worst is yet to come.
