Confronting the Communist

by John Badamo, Marian Martin and Allan Rohrbaugh

To Conservative Baptist missionaries, the young man seemed an answer to prayer. Young, energetic, intelligent, member of an evangelical church, he worked as a clerk in the Naples (Italy) Bible Center. The shock came when it was discovered that, though a professing Christian, the youth was also an active member of the Communist party and served as secretary of the Communist Youth League in his nearby home town.

To Conservative Baptist missionaries, the young man seemed an answer to prayer. Young, energetic, intelligent, member of an evangelical church, he worked as a clerk in the Naples (Italy) Bible Center. The shock came when it was discovered that, though a professing Christian, the youth was also an active member of the Communist party and served as secretary of the Communist Youth League in his nearby home town.

The missionaries questioned him. Of course, he was a Christian. Of course, he was a Communist. What other party had the answer for Italy’s economic and social difficulties? Why couldn’t he be both?

The young man’s position points up a major dilemma faced by both national Christians and missionaries in Italy. Is it possible to be both a believer and a Communist? What should be the Christian’s stand in the light of the growing tendency of Italians to vote Communist in hopes of bettering their desolate conditions?

THE BACKGROUND
To understand the problem, one must look at the story of Communism in Italy. Modern communism came to Italy in 1917, at the time of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia. Since then, the Italian Communist party has grown steadily in numbers and power, having increased its votes in every major election. By 1958, 22.7 percent of the votes cast were Communist; in 1963, 7,700,000 people, or some 25 percent, chose the Communist ticket; in 1964, 26 percent did so.

Part of the reason for this rise lies in Italy’s political picture. For years the Christian Democrat party has dominated the scene. Supported by the Roman Catholic Church, it has wealth; it has prestige; it has the backing of the landowners; it has power.

In contrast, the average Italian is in desperate plight. He wants to farm, but he cannot secure land of his own. He wants to establish a small business, but he cannot raise capital or find available sites. He wants to compete in business, but he lacks the training and investment necessary. He cannot balance the family budget in the face of increasing inflation. Many Italians live a fringe life, not quite poverty-stricken, but not comfortable, either:

Who can help this average Italian? He turns to the Christian Democrats. But there is the vested power of the landowner, the authority of the church. In practice, the party has been neither "Christian" nor "democratic." It is graft-ridden, tottering, dominated by the hierarchy, unpopular among both intellectuals and the masses.

Is there nowhere else to turn? There are several Socialist parties as well as the Liberal and Republican parties. None of them is strong enough to be effective. In fact, an "opening-to-the-left" coalition is made up of the Christian Democrats, Republicans, and two Socialist parties.

Finally, there is the Communist party. Chameleon-like, it has changed its color to appeal to the Italians. Palmiro Togliatti, its late leader, developed the theory of polycentrism. Insisting that each country be free to promote its own brand of communism, he originated a sort of "spaghetti communism" for Italy.

Your water pipes have burst? The Communists will see that they are fixed. Your taxes seem heavy? You need a quick loan? See the Communists; they will help. They are not revolutionaries, but reformers. Of course, they expect your next vote . . .

WHY THEY VOTE COMMUNIST
And they get that vote. If you are anti-clerical or anticapitalist, if you feel the economic or social pinch, you will

likely vote for the Communists in the next election. An article entitled "Italians Tell Why They Voted Red," in an Italian paper, quoted the following candid statements, based on a street survey:

A student at the University of Rome: "We are getting impatient for social and economic reforms. I voted for the Communists because Italy needs real progress and not phony promises and empty half-measures."

A farmer from Salerno: "I am a good Catholic; I go to

Mass on Sunday. The Pope should run the church and the priest should rule the parish. I voted Communist because I don’t want either of them to run my town or my country."

A construction worker from Milan: "When we have a large Communist party here in Italy, it makes us breathe a lot easier. Without the Communists, the Christian Democrat party and the gotten capitalists will clamp down upon us like a vise."

A housewife from Florence: "My husband is a Communist. I’m a good Catholic, but frankly, I hate the priests. I used to vote for the Socialists because I was afraid I would be excommunicated if I voted Communist. But Pope John (in his encyclical, Pacem in Terris, "Peace on Earth") said that the Communists aren’t so terrible. So I voted for the Communists this time, just like my husband."

How can Catholics conscientiously vote Communist? How can a religious person tolerate a party with such an atheistic concepts? Are such individuals denying their faith?

COMMUNISM’S OPENING
The Catholic does not think so. Of course, the average Catholic considers theology something for the clergy to handle. He has been taught to let the church think for him in these matters and then to accept its position in every area of his life. Thus, he does not understand the atheism of the Communists and shuts his eye to it.

Furthermore, the Catholic may labor under a misinterpretation of a statement by Pope John XXIII, in his celebrated Pacem in Terris letter (referred to by the housewife above). Hoping to unite differing factions in the fold, he suggested tolerance for "the person who errs." With this statement, Catholic vigilance against Communism relaxed. If "the Pope himself" said it was all right to like Communists, it was! It should be noted that Pope Paul’s attitude is not so cordial.

Pouncing on this misunderstanding, the Communists sponsored a joint Catholic-Communist textbook, into which they have woven the argument that communism and atheism are separate, and that one need not deny God to be a Communist nor need a Catholic avoid cooperation with the party, for such action does not contradict his conscience. To spread this theory, members of the party sponsor "coffee-klatsches" of a sort all over Italy. At such gatherings men sit down to drink and talk over this Catholic-Communist relationship from the party’s point of view!

WHY EVANGELICALS JOIN COMMUNISTS
Naturally, the evangelicals know about this. Perhaps they even attend these discussion groups. And they find themselves thinking along the same lines-one can be a Christian, and a Communist too. Even though this may be fallacious thinking, it is none the less the reasoning of many Italians.

Too, evangelicals may feel they will gain socially and economically under Communist leadership. For years believers have been subjected to church and civic harrassment because of their faith. They have been ridiculed, even openly persecuted at times. This situation has been rectified to some degree in most areas, and evangelicals are more free to pursue their own business and conduct their own worship.

They are, however, in desperate financial need in many cases, so, not understanding all the implications, believers may ally themselves with the source of immediate, practical help, the Communists.

By default, also, they sometimes turn to communism. In the minds of many Italians, all who are not Catholics must be Communists. If one is not "for" the Roman church, he must be in the opposite camp! The Italian press has attacked Protestant ministers as "errand bays" for the Communist party. A bishop declared that "Perugia is a hotbed for communism and Protestantism." So, if one is already lumped with the Communists in theory, why not become one in fact?

What does this mean to missions? What is the missionary to do? How does this affect him? What does it mean to the future of the national church?

MISSIONARY CAUGHT
In a way, the missionary is caught in the crossfire. He is accused by the press as being Communist; he is condemned

by the people as being pro-Christian Democrat. The reasoning is this. He is supported by American dollars; thus he may be an agent of the American government, which has approved the Christian Democrats. Either way, he is opposed by some.

In the past, missionaries distributing Gospel literature have had to face charges concerning the alleged distribution of communistic propaganda. On the other hand, the missionary may be swamped by the aggressive communist program.

In Aversa, a town of 50,000 people, there are 20,000 ardent Communists, plus 5,000 left-wingers. A Bible study drew many from these groups. Missionary John Badamo wrote, "They came to our meetings trying to find Marxist doctrine in every verse and mercilessly twisting the Scriptures to conform to the Communist party line." What is the missionary to do?

The missionary has a clear-cut goal in Italy. He is there to bring the love of Jesus Christ to souls in spiritual need. He sees great opportunities. Italians struggling with economic problems need Christ. Italians debt-ridden, hungry, housed in slums, need Christ. Intellectuals, "as yet uncommitted to either Roman Catholicism ox communism," need Christ.

The missionary generally seeks to steer clear of political issues and invites all-Communist, Catholic, Socialist and Fascist-to find the answer to their problems in a personal knowledge of the Savior. As Paul did not openly oppose slavery, but taught, by precept and example the dignity of the individual, thus destroying the foundations of slavery, so the missionary in Italy, while not condemning communism as such, teaches the Word of God and indirectly condemns the atheistic and materialistic philosophy of Marxism.

But when necessary, missionaries in Italy openly oppose any wrong doctrine, including communism. In the incident mentioned above, the young man was dismissed from the Naples Bible Center. The resulting legal action brought against the center proved he was more Communist than Christian.

There are times when God alone knows how to handle a situation and missionaries are not sure if they should spear or be silent. Although there is no clear-cut answer to the problems, the fact remains, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him" (James 1: 5). It is God’s work. God alone can guide.

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Reprinted from Conservative Baptist Impact, January, 1966, by permission.

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