Their Fire Has Gone Out of the Universe. (part 1)
Christian anarchism 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 feel that government and sometimes even established churches do not, and should not, have power over them.
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 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 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.
One challenge to the legitimacy of states and state control is found in Luke 4:5-8 which says, "For the second test he led him up and spread out all the kingdoms of the earth on display at once. Then the Devil said, 'They're yours in all their splendor to serve your pleasure. I'm in charge of them all and can turn them over to whomever I wish. Worship me and they're yours, the whole works.' Jesus refused, again backing his refusal with Deuteronomy: 'Worship the Lord your God and only the Lord your God. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.'"
This passage does not directly refer to human rulers. However sometimes it may be necessary to disobey human rulers in order to obey God. As in Acts 4:19, "They called them back and warned them that they were on no account ever again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John spoke right back, 'Whether it's right in God's eyes to listen to you rather than to God, you decide. As for us, there's no question—we can't keep quiet about what we've seen and heard.'"
The most common challenge for the ideology is integrating the passage in Romans 13 "Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it's God's order. So live responsibly as a citizen. If you're irresponsible to the state, then you're irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible. Duly constituted authorities are only a threat if you're trying to get by with something. Decent citizens should have nothing to fear."
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 cannot qualify as duly constituted 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 moral laws against "doing harm to a neighbor" in verses 8-10.
"Your damn laws! The good people don't need them and the bad people don't follow them."
-Ammon Hennacy; Christian anarchist, Vegetarian, and founding member of the Catholic Worker Movement.
"This is the kind of fast day I'm after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts. What I'm interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage. Then when you pray, God will answer. You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.'"
-Isaiah 58:6-7
ps. All verses quoted are from the Message translation.
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 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 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.
One challenge to the legitimacy of states and state control is found in Luke 4:5-8 which says, "For the second test he led him up and spread out all the kingdoms of the earth on display at once. Then the Devil said, 'They're yours in all their splendor to serve your pleasure. I'm in charge of them all and can turn them over to whomever I wish. Worship me and they're yours, the whole works.' Jesus refused, again backing his refusal with Deuteronomy: 'Worship the Lord your God and only the Lord your God. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.'"
This passage does not directly refer to human rulers. However sometimes it may be necessary to disobey human rulers in order to obey God. As in Acts 4:19, "They called them back and warned them that they were on no account ever again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John spoke right back, 'Whether it's right in God's eyes to listen to you rather than to God, you decide. As for us, there's no question—we can't keep quiet about what we've seen and heard.'"
The most common challenge for the ideology is integrating the passage in Romans 13 "Be a good citizen. All governments are under God. Insofar as there is peace and order, it's God's order. So live responsibly as a citizen. If you're irresponsible to the state, then you're irresponsible with God, and God will hold you responsible. Duly constituted authorities are only a threat if you're trying to get by with something. Decent citizens should have nothing to fear."
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 cannot qualify as duly constituted 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 moral laws against "doing harm to a neighbor" in verses 8-10.
"Your damn laws! The good people don't need them and the bad people don't follow them."
-Ammon Hennacy; Christian anarchist, Vegetarian, and founding member of the Catholic Worker Movement.
"This is the kind of fast day I'm after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts. What I'm interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage. Then when you pray, God will answer. You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.'"
-Isaiah 58:6-7
ps. All verses quoted are from the Message translation.
posted by Ryan at 9:04 AM
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