Christian anarchism: Encyclopedia - Christian anarchism

Christian anarchism

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Christian anarchism (also known as Christian libertarianism) is the belief that the only source of authority to which Christians are ultimately answerable is God, embodied in the teachings of Jesus. Christian anarchists are pacifists, and oppose the use of both proactive (offensive) and reactive (defensive) physical force. Christian anarchists feel that earthly authority such as government or the Christian Church do not, and should not, have power over them. They believe individuals seeking liberty and a path to freedom will only be guided by the grace of God if they show compassion to others and turn the other cheek when confronted with violence.

Christian pacifists arrive at anarchism as they oppose governments using physical force. Anarchist Biblical literalists also suggest there is complete compatibility between the Bible and anarchism. They claim that one of the reasons Jesus was so unpopular with the Sanhedrin is that he was viewed as an anarchist inspiring a rebellion and a threat to the status quo.

Adherents believe freedom is justified spiritually through the teachings of Jesus, some of whom are critical of the Church. They believe all individuals can directly communicate with God and will eventually unify in peace under Monotheism.

Many regard Leo Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God is Within You [1] (1894) to be a key text in Christian anarchism. Tolstoy called for a society based on compassion, nonviolent principles and freedom. Leo Tolstoy's work was one of the inspirations behind Mahatma Gandhi's use of nonviolent resistance during India's struggle for independence.

Some Christian pacifists oppose war and other statist aggression through tax resistance, while others submit to taxation. Adin Ballou wrote that if the act of resisting taxes requires physical force to withhold what a government tries to take, then it is important to submit to taxation. Ammon Hennacy, who like Ballou also believed in nonresistance, managed to resist taxes without using force.

Christian anarchism - Fall of the Roman Empire

History of Christianity
Jesus of Nazareth
The Apostles
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Great Schism
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God the Father
Christ the Son
The Holy Spirit

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The Gospels
Ten Commandments
Sermon on the Mount

Christian theology
Salvation · Grace
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The Bible illustrates that the early Christians, shortly after Jesus' death, were living a simple and anarchist-like way of life, with "no poor" and "total equality". There are anarchic traces in much of the history of Christianity. For example, Edward Gibbon felt that Christianity contributed, perhaps passively, to the fall of the Roman Empire:

He goes on to suggest that military expansionism gave way to devotion and piety, and religious conflict replaced military conquest.

A Washington State University paper states that the Roman Emperor codified, and accommodated to the radical teachings of Jesus:

Christianity was legalised under Emperor Constantine's Edict of Milan in 313 and First Council of Nicaea in 325, bringing an end to Christian persecution. In 392, it became Rome's sole official religion when Emperor Theodosius passed legislation prohibiting all pagan worship in the Empire and declaring Christianity the state religion. Christian anarchists point out that this merger of Church and state marks the beginning of the Constantinian shift, in which Christianity gradually came to be identified with the will of the ruling elite and, in some cases, a religious justification for the exercise of power.

Christian anarchism - The Reformation

In the 16th century, the Protestant Reformation emerged as a series of attempts to reform the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe. The main front of the Reformation was inspired by Martin Luther and can be seen as an anarchist, or at least anti-establishment, movement based on the possibility that the individual was able to have a direct relationship with God. The earlier notion that salvation had to be earned through a range of good works and practices, interpreted and prescribed by the Church, was left behind. Instead, the concept of grace was seen to produce salvation for genuine believers who accept and follow God's revealed word. This simple and apparently controversial interpretation of the scriptures, seriously threatened a millennium of established Church power, wealth and authority. Reformists include the Anabaptists, such as the Amish and Mennonites, who were regarded as heretics by the Roman Catholic Church.

Christian anarchism - Other trends towards anarchism

Christian anarchism - Nonconformism

In 1533, Anglicanism was formed after Henry VIII opposed certain Vatican decisions and directives, including Pope Clement VII's refusal to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon and England's obligation to pay taxes in the form of Peter's Pence. Then over the 17th and 18th centuries several English Dissenters, such as George Fox, Isaac Watts and John Bunyan, criticised the Church of England and split away from Anglicanism. Nonconformist organisations include the Religious Society of Friends, also known as the Quakers.

Christian anarchism - Restorationism

Restorationism saw itself as a rediscovery of the original form of Christianity. In the 19th century, two Latter Day Saint sects with Restorationist and Anabaptist affinities grew up, the Community of Christ and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, both of which attempted to live by what is known as the Law of Consecration and Stewardship and United Order of Enoch. Communitarian in nature and sharing some aspects of anarchism, the Law of Consecration was administered both on a local and church wide basis.

Then in the early 20th century, the Community of Christ, under the leadership of Frederick Madison Smith, grandson of Latter Day Saint movement founder Joseph Smith, Jr., laid the basis for research and development efforts toward gathering members of the Community of Christ to the Kansas City Missouri region (the Centerplace) to build a cooperative commonwealth (Zion) networking the cooperative economies of its federated local jurisdictions organised as stakes. Raymond Zinser and Wilford Winholtz are notable Latter Day Saint advocates of the Cause of Zion.

Christian anarchism - The Doukhobors

The origin of the Doukhobors dates back to 16th and 17th century Russia. The Doukhobors ("Spirit Wrestlers") are a radical Christian sect that maintains a belief in pacifism and a communal lifestyle, while rejecting secular government. In 1899, the Doukhobors fled repression in Tsarist Russia and migrated to Canada, mostly in the provinces of Saskatchewan and British Columbia. The funds for the trip were paid for by the Quakers and Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy. Canada was suggested to Leo Tolstoy as a safe-haven for the Doukhobors by anarchist Peter Kropotkin who, while on a speaking tour across the country, observed the religious tolerance experienced by the Mennonites.

Christian anarchism - Catholic Worker Movement

The Catholic Worker Movement, founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin on May 1, 1933, is a Christian movement dedicated to nonviolence and simple living. Over 130 Catholic Worker communities exist in the United States where "houses of hospitality" care for the homeless. The Joe Hill House of hospitality (which closed in 1968) in Salt Lake City, Utah featured an enormous twelve feet by fifteen foot mural of Jesus Christ and Joe Hill.

The Catholic Worker Movement has consistently protested against war and violence for over seven decades. Many of the leading figures in the movement have been both anarchists and pacifists. Catholic Worker Ammon Hennacy defined Christian anarchism as:

It is important to note that Maurin and Day were both involved in the Catholic Church and believed in the institution, thus showing it is possible to be a Christian anarchist and still choose to remain within the Church.

Christian anarchism - Spirituality

New Age describes a broad movement of the late 20th century and contemporary Western culture. It is characterised by an eclectic and individual approach to spiritual exploration, such as mixing Christian principles with meditation and yoga practices from the East. One could describe Spirituality as anarchic, as it's based on individual freedom and choice rather than keeping within rigid boundaries. The emphasis in Spirituality is on listening to within and personally connecting with the Divine, rather than following any set traditions, rituals or doctrines.

Christian anarchism - Anarchist Biblical views and principles

Many Christian anarchists hold a higher critical view of the Bible and therefore do not feel obliged to follow the complete text as law. They base their beliefs on what they think are the simple principles and historic messages of Jesus, rather than obediently following every passage in the Christian Bible. Leo Tolstoy and Ammon Hennacy subscribed to this philosophy.

A few of the key historic messages Christian anarchists practice are the principles of nonviolence, nonresistance and turning the other cheek, which are illustrated in many passages of the New Testament and Old Testament (e.g. the sixth commandment, Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17, "Thou shall not kill"). Many Christian anarchists, such as Tolstoy and Hennacy, even extend this belief to include animals through vegetarianism or veganism.

Some regard groups like the Amish and Mennonites, who even though they may not see themselves as such, as anarchists by their complete dedication to pacifism and opposition to participate in coercion or violence sanctioned by the state. However many Mennonites vote, participate in political campaigns, even run for public office, accept protection by police and governmental institutions, or serve on juries which are ostensibly not characteristic of anarchists. Being pacifists though limits their participation in the state.

More recently, the anarchist wing of the libertarian movement has gained some followers from Christian fundamentalism, influencing them to study some writings of historical anarchists like Tolstoy, Lysander Spooner and Peter Kropotkin. This new group, who have taken the name Christian anarchists, also include anarcho-capitalists who are outside the historical anarchist movement. Unlike traditional Christian anarchists, many of these people are not strict pacifists. Many believe the right to self-defense exists for individuals, but do not believe the state should organise a military force for mutual self-defense, as statists advocate. They argue war is essentially about power and domination in which the opposition is dehumanized through propaganda and nationalistic patriotism. Many Christian anarchists consider that this group is more related to fundamentalism than to pacifism and radical Christianity.

One challenge to the legitimacy of states and state control is found in Luke 4:5-8, during the Temptation of Christ, where the Bible quotes Satan as claiming dominion over all the nations of the earth and Jesus replies that not only will he not worship before Satan, but that God is the only authority to be "served". This passage does not directly refer to human rulers. However sometimes it may be necessary to disobey human rulers in order to obey God (Acts 4:19).

The most common challenge for the Biblical literalists is integrating the passage in Romans 13:1-7 where Paul defends obedience to "governing authorities." Christian anarchists argue that this chapter is particularly worded to make it clear that organizations like the Roman Empire cannot qualify as governing authorities. If it could, then, according to Paul, "they [Christians] would have praise from the authorities" for doing good. Instead the early Christians were persecuted by the Roman Empire for doing good, and became martyrs. Further, the "governing authorities" that are legitimate in the passage were never given the authority to make laws, merely to enforce the natural laws against "doing harm to a neighbor" in verses 8-10. This interpretation makes all statute laws of states illegitimate.

Christian anarchism - Biblical passages cited by anarchists

• Thou shall not kill (Exodus 20:13).
• Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword (Matthew 26:52).
• Do to others what you would have them do to you (Matthew 7:12).
• Love your neighbour as yourself (Mark 12:31).
• Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you (Luke 6:27).
• But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also (Matthew 5:39).
• My kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36).
• We must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).
• 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 realms (Ephesians 6:12).

Christian anarchism - Anarchist Biblical interpretations

• To seek rule by man is to reject the rule of God (1 Samuel 8).
• Honest people are too busy making an honest living to accept political power, so only the corruptible will accept political power (The Parable of the Trees Judges 9:7-15).
• The devil controls man-made governments (Matthew 4:8-10).
• The gentiles have rulers over them, but it shall not be so among Christians (Mark 10:42-45). (Notice that the word for rulers here in the Greek version is archos. Therefore some say Christians are by simple deduction an-archos or in English anarchists).

Christian anarchism - Quotes

• All violence consists in some people forcing others, under threat of suffering or death, to do what they do not want to do - Leo Tolstoy.
• In all history there is no war which was not hatched by the governments, the governments alone, independent of the interests of the people, to whom war is always pernicious even when successful - Leo Tolstoy.
• Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself - Leo Tolstoy.
• In the name of God, stop a moment, cease your work, look around you - Leo Tolstoy.
• Both the lies and the truth have been handed down by the church - Leo Tolstoy.
• Oh, judge, your damn laws: the good people don't need them and the bad people don't follow them, so what good are they? - Ammon Hennacy.
• An anarchist is anyone who doesn't need a cop to tell him what to do - Ammon Hennacy.
• Being a pacifist between wars is as easy as being a vegetarian between meals - Ammon Hennacy.

Christian anarchism - Thinkers

Christian anarchism - Søren Kierkegaard

Søren Kierkegaard (1813 - 1855), a Danish philosopher and theologian who some consider to be the archetypal Christian anarchist for his theory that the claims culture and state make on an individual lie in opposition to the claim God makes on all people. Kierkegaard advocated perfect obedience to God even if that conflicted with the bourgois customs, secular law and government. He has been compared to Max Stirner, the great individualist anarchist. Kierkegaard is regarded as the father of Christian existentialism.

Christian anarchism - Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862) was an American author, pacifist, nature lover, tax resister and individualist anarchist. He was an advocate of civil disobedience and a lifelong abolitionist, who dreamt of the world becoming a utopia. Though not commonly regarded as a Christian anarchist, his essay Civil Disobedience (available at wikisource) is accredited with inspiring some of Leo Tolstoy's ideas.

Christian anarchism - Leo Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy (1828 - 1910) is notable for having written extensively on his anarchist principles, which he arrived at via his Christian faith. Notably his books The Kingdom of God is Within You [5], The Gospel in Brief and Christianity and Patriotism which critised government and the Church in general. He called for a society based on compassion, nonviolent principles and freedom. Tolstoy was a pacifist and a vegetarian. His vision for an equitable society was an anarchist version of Georgism, to which he mentions specifically in his novel Resurrection.

Christian anarchism - Nikolai Berdyaev

Nikolai Berdyaev (1874 - 1948), the orthodox Christian philosopher has been called the philosopher of freedom and is known as a Christian existentialist. Known for writing "the Kingdom of God is based on anarchy" he believed that freedom ultimately comes from God, in direct opposition to anarchists such as Mikhail Bakunin, who saw God as the enslaver of humanity. Christian anarchists claim Man enslaves Man, not God.

Christian anarchism - Ammon Hennacy

Ammon Hennacy (1893 - 1970) is notable for writing extensively on his work with the Catholic Workers and at the Joe Hill House of Hospitality. He was a practicing anarchist, draft dodger, vegetarian and tax resister. He also tried to reduce his tax liability by taking up a lifestyle of simple living and bartering. His autobiography The Book of Ammon describes his work in nonviolent, anarchist, social action, and provides insight into the lives of Christian anarchists in the United States of the 20th century. His other books are One Man Revolution in America and The Autobiography of a Catholic Anarchist. Ammon Hennacy is also noted for several famous quotations dealing with force, law, and state powers which continue to inspire nonviolent anarchist action today.

Christian anarchism - Jacques Ellul

Jacques Ellul (1912 - 1994) was a French thinker, sociologist, theologian and Christian anarchist. He wrote several books against the "technological society", and some about Christianity and politics, like Anarchy and Christianity (1991) explaining that anarchism and Christianity are socially following the same goal.

Christian anarchism - Thomas J. Hagerty

Thomas J. Hagerty was a Catholic priest from New Mexico, USA, and one of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Hagerty is credited with writing the IWW Preamble, assisting in the composition of the Industrial Union Manifesto and drawing up the first chart of industrial organization. He was ordained in 1892 but his formal association with the church ended when he was suspended by his archbishop for urging miners in Colorado to revolt during his tour of mining camps in 1903. Hagerty is not commonly regarded as a Christian anarchist in the Tolstoyan tradition but rather an anarcho-syndicalist. Christian anarchists like Dorothy Day and Ammon Hennacy have been members of the Industrial Workers of the World and found common cause with the axiom "an injury to one is an injury to all."

Christian anarchism - Other Christian anarchists

• Philip Berrigan was an internationally renowned peace activist and Roman Catholic priest. He and his brother Daniel Berrigan were on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for "illegal" nonviolent actions against war. Philip was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
• Roy Bourgeois after leaving the US armed forces gained experience in South America as a missionary and agitated against the inhuman practices of those trained in the School of the Americas [6].
• Dorothy Day of the Catholic Worker Movement.

Christian anarchism - Criticism

Passages such as Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:13-17 and Mark 12:13-17 show that it is appropriate to submit to human governments, and that these have roles in restraining evil. Christian anarchists counter this by stating that submission and obedience are not the same thing and that these passages reflect a call for Christians to submit to persecution at the hands of government while offering obedience only to God. They argue that when these passages are taken in context they highlight Christ's example of self-sacrifice and his loving submission to oppressors rather than returning evil for evil. A case for this is argued here: Deconstructing Romans 13: Verse 1-2

Christian anarchism - Organisations

• Christian Peacemaker Teams
• Life and Labor Commune
• Peace churches
• Plowshares Movement
• Tolstoyan Moscow Society

See also

• Mahatma Gandhi (1929) The Story of My Experiments with Truth (available at wikisource)
• Richard Bach (1970) Jonathan Livingston Seagull
• Franco Zeffirelli (1977) Jesus of Nazareth
• Richard Attenborough (1982) Gandhi
• Paulo Coelho (1988) The Alchemist
• Christian vegetarianism
• Opposition to the 2003 Iraq War

Christian anarchism - Reference

• Leo Tolstoy (1894). The Kingdom of God is Within You [7]. ISBN 0803294042
• Ammon Hennacy (1994). The Book of Ammon. Fortkamp/Rose Hill.
• Dave Andrews (1999). Christi-anarchy: Discovering a radical spirituality of compassion. Lion Publishing. ISBN 0745942342

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Christian anarchism", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki