This post is by volunteer Verity Chapman Gibbs

Since starting to volunteer at the Co-operative Archive last year, I have been working on cataloguing the archive’s Christian Socialist collection. I found the movement very interesting and I started to research more its beliefs and aims.

The origins of the movement

The Christian Socialist movement became significant in Britain in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. There were close ties with the co-operative movement with many Christian Socialist also being co-operators as many of the principles aligning with those of the co-operative movement. Christian Socialists believe that Christianity and socialism are interconnected and attempt to apply the social principles of Christianity to everyday life. It is a philosophy that supports socialist economics according to the Bible as many Christian Socialists believed that capitalism was rooted in the sin of greed and they argued that this was the cause of social inequality.

Many parts of the Bible including references to social justice for the poor and the teachings of Jesus were seen as socialist. For example, Psalms 82 (81): 3, 4:

 ‘Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.’

Here, Jesus emphasises the socialist sentiment of looking after people in need, even people we might be expected to shun.

Christian Socialist publications

Socialism and Christianity by Rev M Kaufmann, 1880s, CSP53, Christian Socialist Pamphlets, Co-operative Heritage Trust

The Christian Socialist movement published many pamphlets and journals to educate its members of the ideas and aims of the movement. These included The Christian Socialist Movement of Co-operation, which was published by the Co-operative Printing Society and Socialism and Christianity,  which was published by the Religious Tracts Society in the 1880's.

The Christian Socialist Movement of Co-operation set out its principles and aims, including the desire to achieve a society of co-operation, collectivism, equality, democracy and peace. It also argued that for the co-operative movement to be successful, a religious and moral, as well as social and economic revolution was needed. It discussed the success of The Working Men’s Association founded inn 1850 (E.V. Neale, an influential Christian Socialist activist, was a member) that aimed to apply “the practical application of Christianity to the purpose of trade and industry”.

Working Men's College

The Working Men's College followed on from the Working Men’s Association and was founded in 1854 by Christian Socialists such as Frederick Denison Maurice, Thomas Hughes, and John Malcolm Forbes Ludlow. E.V. Neale was an early promoter of the college and it provided higher education to working-class men. Maurice liked the word ‘college’ as he thought it implied the acquisition of culture and knowledge collectively.

Edward Vansittart Neale

Edward Vansittart (EV) Neale was very influential in both the Christian Socialist and the Co-operative Movements. Neale became a Christian Socialist in 1850, and he was later appointed to the Council of Promoters of Christian Socialists. In 1852 he also founded the Co-operative League, which held regular public meetings to provide a space for discussions about co-operative ideas. In 1873 he became General Secretary of the Co-operative Union (Today Co-operatives UK), which he retained until the year before his death. In this role, Neale took an active interest in the laws and rules guiding co-operative societies. He wanted to bring unity and organisation to the Co-operative Movement and drew up many editions of model rules for individual societies, thereby making the Co-operative Movement more collaborative and in line with Christian Socialist values.

Neale published important pamphlets on co-operation, for example Associated Homes: a Lecture, which was published in 1880 by the Central Co-operative Board.

Associated Homes: a Lecture by E V Neale, 1880 CSP6, Christian Socialist Pamphlets, Co-operative Heritage Trust

In this pamphlet, Neale discussed the links between Christianity and Socialism, including working for the greater good, promoting the welfare of others, avoiding over-consumption, and educating workers, which Neale asserts are all the will of God. Neale also places emphasis on morality and expresses the Christian Socialist view that moral order would be gained by having a collaborative society where production is organised around the needs of workers.

Thomas Blandford Memorial Lectures

The Thomas Blandford Memorial Lectures included the publication of many Christian Socialist pamphlets, for example, Life and Liberty in Co-operation by George Walworth, which was published in 1945 by the Leicester Co-operative Printing Society Ltd.

Life and Liberty in Co-operation, George Walworth, 1945, CSP25, Christian Socialist Pamphlets, Co-operative Heritage Trust

and Industrial Relations in Co-operative Employment by Alan Birch, which was published in 1960 by the Co-operative Co-partnership Propaganda Committee

Industrial Relations in Co-operative Employment, Alan Birch, 1960, CSP29, Christian Socialist Pamphlets, Co-operative Heritage Trust

In Life and Liberty in Co-operation, Walworth pays tribute to Thomas Blandford who was very influential in the co-operative movement. Blandford believed that co-operation would be achieved through having skilled and satisfied workers and that the economic system should be based on use not on profit. He also emphasized the importance of education and believed that this was the way to spread the co-operative spirit and engage people to progress social change.

J.J. Worley wrote the third Thomas Blandford Memorial Lecture, called Thomas Blandford, The Man and His Message, which was published in 1943 by the Co-operative Co-partnership Propaganda Committee

Thomas Blandford, The Man and His Message, J.J. Worley, 1943, CSP28, Christian Socialist Pamphlets, Co-operative Heritage Trust

Worley set out what he thought the key principles of co-operation were, including working towards a 'New Moral World' in which the workers would be the owners of the means of production and co-operation and Christian values of equality and democracy would thrive. Worley also discusses the importance of the work of Christian Socialists, such as F.D. Maurice, Charles Kingsley, and Neale, in the Co-operative movement and in helping to gain social changes. Kingsley was the author of Water Babies, a pro-environmentalist book with a stance against child-labour.

Legacy

The Christian Socialist movement is still influential today – it has been known as Christians on the Left since 2013, and it is also affiliated with the Labour Party. Christians on the Left has had many notable members, including Labour leaders John Smith, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, R. H. Tawney, and Donald Soper. An earlier blog post about Co-operator Roger Sawtell describes the influence on his work.

Christians on the Left has over 40 members in the House of Commons and the House of Lords, making it an influential organisation. Learning about this is very important as Christianity and religion are so often associated with the right and conservatism, however, Christianity has important links with Socialism and the left that should not be forgotten.