Everything about Christian Anarchism totally explained
Christian anarchism is any of several traditions which combine
anarchism with
Christianity. Christian anarchists believe that
freedom is justified
spiritually through the teachings of
Jesus. This has caused them to be critical of
government and
Church authority. Some believe all individuals can directly communicate with God, which negates the need for a system of clergy.
Leo Tolstoy's
The Kingdom of God Is Within You is a key text in modern Christian anarchism.
History
The Life and Teaching of Jesus
More than any other text, the four
Gospels provide the basis for Christian anarchism.
Dorothy Day,
Ammon Hennacy, Leo Tolstoy and others constantly refer back to the words of Jesus in their social and political texts. For example, the title "The Kingdom of God is Within You" is a direct quote of Jesus from
Luke 17:21.
Dorothy Day and the
Catholic Worker Movement particularly favored the
Works of Mercy (
Matthew 25:31–46), which were a recurring theme in both their writing and art.
The early Church
Some of the early Christian communities seem to have practiced certain features of anarchism. For example, the Jerusalem group, as described in
Acts, shared their money and labor equally and fairly among the members. From the earliest period, women and men seem to have shared religious duties equally, though the public offices, such as missionary work and Temple observances, seem to have been held exclusively by men. In respect to the latter, Christianity didn't differ from any of the other Jewish sects active in the ancient world.
Some, such as
Ammon Hennacy and
Keith Akers, have claimed that a "shift" away from Jesus' practices and teachings of nonviolence,
simple living and freedom occurred in the theology of
Paul of Tarsus. These individuals suggest that Christians should look at returning to pre-"
Pauline Christianity". Although there's some evidence that
egalitarian Jewish Christians existed shortly after Jesus's death, possibly including the
Ebionites, the majority of Christians soon followed the
hierarchical and
authoritarian religious structure which they attribute to Paul.
As the Christian community grew and spread, some prominent members began to advocate
legalism and strict
obedience to church
doctrine. This type of
religious authority and adherence has been compared to the theological economy of Israelite sacrificial religion in the
second Temple period which Jesus directly attacked in throwing the money changers out of the Temple district (Matt 21:12).
Other Christians say that Paul's teachings emphasized congregational autonomy, servant-like leadership within the churches, prohibitions on one-man rule even in a local church, and other practices which contrast with this claim. Evidence of this interpretation can be found in
Galatians 3:28, in which Paul describes a radically egalitarian Christian community where race, class and gender are abrogated.
The conversion of the Roman Empire
After the conversion of the emperor
Emperor Constantine, Christianity was legalised under the
Edict of Milan in 313 bringing an end to the persecution of Christians. Some Christian anarchists argue 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.
Anarchist Biblical views and principles
Antinomianism
Some Christian anarchists are antinomian, often meaning that they don't consider themselves subject to a moral law given by religious or other authorities (see
Antinomianism), but most frequently applying to the Old Testament. Many base their beliefs upon an interpretation of the simple principles and historic messages of Jesus, such as the
Sermon on the Mount, while others hold a
higher critical view of the Bible, allowing for more lenient interpretation.
Opponents of Christian anarchism, ranging from Jewish to Catholic to certain Protestant sects, have
criticized the anarchist viewpoint for what they view as rejection of the "inerrant Word of God" and also of church leadership. They believe that there's a need for a law to maintain order, while anarchists claim that good people don't require a law.
Mysticism
The
spirituality of a Christian anarchist can be as diverse as in any Christian tradition. For Christian anarchists who have their roots in the New Testament their spirituality may be described as
mystical but is also very orthodox. In both
Christian monasticism and
lay spirituality certain elements of anarchism which, while being present in normative Christianity, move more to the forefront.
Thomas Merton, for instance, in his introduction to a translation of the
Sayings of the Desert Fathers describes these early monastics as "Truly in certain sense 'anarchists,' and it'll do no harm to think of them as such."
Directly, anarchists have borrowed from
Quakerism the method of facilitation and meetings known as
consensus decision making. This technique, which forms a fundamental part of Quaker worship, is used in most anarchist meetings.
Other anarchists would hold to the syncretisms of Christianity and the
New Age movement, which describes a broad movement of the late 20th century and contemporary
Western culture. It is characterized 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 if it's seen as being based on individual freedom and choice rather than keeping within rigid boundaries.
Pacifism and nonviolence
Many Christian anarchists, such as
Leo Tolstoy and
Ammon Hennacy, are pacifists opposing the use of both proactive (offensive) and reactive (defensive) physical force. Hennacy believed that adherence to Christianity meant being a pacifist and, due to governments constantly threatening or using force to resolve conflicts, this meant being an anarchist. These
individuals believe
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 anarchists appear far more likely to be pacifists than either secular anarchists or non-anarchist Christians.
A few of the key historic messages many 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
Hebrew Bible (for example the sixth commandment,
Exodus 20:13
and
Deuteronomy 5:17, "You shan't murder").
Simple living
Christian anarchists, such as Ammon Hennacy, often follow a
simple lifestyle, for a variety of reasons, which may include environmental awareness or reducing taxable income.
States and state control
The most common challenge for the Biblical literalists is integrating the passage in
Romans 13:1–7 where Paul defends obedience to "governing authorities", arguing that "there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God." Christian anarchists who subscribe to Paul's teachings argue that this chapter is particularly worded to make it clear that organizations like the
Roman Empire can't qualify as governing authorities because they're not "approved" of God and don't recognize Him in word or action. 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 (see
tort and
contract law). This interpretation makes all
statute laws of states illegitimate, except as they restate Biblical moral precepts. Some Christians subscribe to the belief that God didn't establish all authorities on the earth.
A different interpretation of Romans 13 which is used to support Christian anarchism grants that the passage commands submission to all governing authorities, but points out that this doesn't equate to a vindication of those authorities. Vernard Eller articulates this position by restating the passage this way: "Be clear, any of those human [authorities] are where they're only because God is allowing them to be there. They exist only at his sufferance. And if God is willing to put up with ... the Roman Empire, you ought to be willing to put up with it, too. There is no indication God has called
you to clear it out of the way or get it converted for him. You can't fight an Empire without becoming
like the Roman Empire; so you'd better leave such matters in God's hands where they belong." This was the position held by French philosopher and Christian anarchist
Jacques Ellul.
Ernst Kaseman, in his
Commentary on Romans, has challenged the usual interpretations of Romans 13 in light of German Lutheran Churches using this passage as justification to support the Nazi holocaust. Others hold that Romans 13 teaches submission to the state while not encouraging or even condoning Christian participation in the workings of the state. According to this view Jesus submitted to the state while still refusing its means.
Another passage of the New Testament also appears to require some amount of harmonization with the ideals espoused by Christian anarchism. Hebrews 13:17 commands Christians to "obey your leaders and submit to their authority", without referencing to any circumstantial qualifications as to when this command applies.
There are other Christians, such as
Ammon Hennacy, who don't see the need to integrate Paul's teachings in Romans 13:1–7 into their anarchist way of life. Ammon Hennacy believed "Paul spoiled the message of Christ"
(External Link).
Tax resistance
Some Christian anarchists resist taxes in the belief that their government is engaged in immoral, unethical or destructive activities, such as
war, and paying taxes inevitably funds these activities.
Adin Ballou wrote that if the act of resisting taxes requires physical force to withhold what a government tries to take, then it's important to submit to taxation.
Ammon Hennacy, who, like Ballou also believed in
nonresistance, managed to resist taxes without using force.
Opponents cite that Jesus told his followers to "
give to Caesar what is Caesar's," (Matthew 22:21) without regard to what Caesar would then do with the money.
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism in the Christian tradition has a long history commencing in the first centuries of
Church with the
Desert Fathers and
Desert Mothers who abandoned the "world of men" for intimacy with the
God of
Jesus Christ. Vegetarianism amongst
hermits and
Christian monastics in the
Eastern Christian and
Roman Catholic traditions remains common to this day as a means of simplifying one's life, and as a practice of
asceticism. Many Christian anarchists, such as Tolstoy and Hennacy, extend their belief in nonviolence and compassion to all living beings through
vegetarianism or
veganism. Vegetarianism is also common among non-Christian anarchists. Other Christian anarchists point out that the decision to be vegetarian is purely a personal choice, as there are many passages in the Bible that could be interpreted as permitting inclusion of meat and fish within a diet.
Later anarchistic Christian groups
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.
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:
Claretian Missionaries in 1983.
Pope John Paul II granted the
Archdiocese of New York permission to open Day's "cause" in March of 2000, calling her a
Servant of God.
Student Christian Movement
Streams within the
World Student Christian Federation, an international
ecumenical network, follow anarchistic principles of Biblical interpretation, including non-creedal faith expressions, radical
social justice activism, non-hierarchical decision-making structures and commitment to resisting oppression and imperialism. Some member movements, or
student christian movements, openly embrace a Christian anarchist ethic and structure, for instance the
Student Christian Movement of Canada which makes decisions by consensus, adheres to a decentralized, autonomous structure and opposes hierarchies.
Anarchist quotations
Petr Chelčický
Ammon Hennacy
David Lipscomb
Leo Tolstoy
Jacques Ellul
Nicolas BerdyaevKey individuals
The following people may be considered key figures in the development of Christian anarchism. This doesn't mean that they were all Christian anarchists themselves (see ).
Adin Ballou
Adin Ballou (1803–1890) was founder of the Hopedale Community in what is now Hopedale, Massachusetts, and a prominent 19th century exponent of pacifism, socialism and
abolitionism. Through his long career as a
Unitarian minister, he tirelessly sought social reform through his radical Christian and socialist views. Tolstoy was heavily influenced by his writings.
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 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.
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. Though not commonly regarded as a Christian anarchist, his essay
Civil Disobedience does include many of the Christian anarchist ideals.
William B. Greene
William B. Greene (1819–1878), an
individualist anarchist based in the
United States, was a Unitarian minister, and the originator of a Christian Mutualism, which he considered a new dispensation, beyond God’s covenant with Abraham. His 1850
Mutual Banking begins with a discussion (drawn from the work of
Pierre Leroux) of the Christian rite of communion as a model for a society based in equality, and ends with a prophetic invocation of the new Mutualist dispensation. His better-known scheme for mutual banking, and his criticisms of usury should be understood in this specifically religious context. Unlike his contemporaries among the
nonresistants, Greene wasn't a pacifist, and served as a Union Army colonel in the American Civil War.
Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) wrote extensively on his anarchist principles, which he arrived at via his Christian faith, in his books
The Kingdom of God is Within You,
What I Believe (aka My Religion), The Law of Love and the Law of Violence, and
Christianity and Patriotism which criticised 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, which he mentions specifically in his novel
Resurrection.
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 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 (symbolically; Bakunin was an
atheist). Christian anarchists claim Man enslaves Man, not God.
Léonce Crenier
Léonce Crenier (1888–1963) first rejected religion, becoming an
anarcho-communist when he moved to
Paris from rural
France in 1911. In 1913 he visited his sister in
Portugal where he stayed for several years. During this period he suffered a debilitating and agonising illness. Receiving the attentions of a particularly caring nurse, he survived, despite the gloomy predictions of the doctors. Converting to Catholicism, he became a
monk. He is particularly known for his concept of
precarity, and was influential on Dorothy Day.
Ammon Hennacy
Ammon Hennacy (1893–1970) wrote extensively on his work with the Catholic Workers, the
IWW, 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.
Dorothy Day
Dorothy Day (1897–1980) was a journalist turned social activist (she was a member of the Industrial Workers of the World) and devout member of the
Roman Catholic Church. She became known for her social justice campaigns in defense of the poor, forsaken, hungry and homeless. Alongside
Peter Maurin, she founded the
Catholic Worker Movement in 1933, espousing nonviolence, and hospitality for the impoverished and downtrodden. Dorothy Day was declared
Servant of God when a cause for sainthood was opened for her by Pope John Paul II.
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) asserting that anarchism and Christianity are socially following the same goal.
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 isn't 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."
Philip Berrigan
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.
Ivan Illich
Ivan Illich was a
libertarian-socialist social thinker, with roots in the Catholic Church, who wrote critiques of technology, energy use and compulsory education. In 1961 Illich founded the Centro Intercultural de Documentación (CIDOC) at Cuernavaca in Mexico, in order to "counterfoil" the Vatican's participation in the "modern development" of the so-called Third World. Illich's books
Energy and Equity and
Tools for Conviviality are considered classics for
social ecologists interested in
appropriate technology, while his book
Deschooling Society is still revered by activists seeking alternatives to compulsory schooling. Ivan's view on Jesus as an anarchist is highlighted
here.
Vernard Eller
Vernard Eller is a member of the
Church of the Brethren and author of
Christian Anarchy: Jesus' Primacy Over the Powers (1987)
(External Link).
Anarchist organisations
Further Information
Get more info on 'Christian Anarchism'.
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