Christian Anarchism

| Educational level: this is a tertiary (university) resource.

|

| Educational level: this is a non-formal education resource.

|

| Completion status: this resource is just getting off the ground. Please feel welcome to help!

|

## Course Introduction

[edit | edit source]

This course (in rudimentary stub-form at this time) is designed to be a basic introduction to Christian Anarchism. It would be appropriate for clergy, seminarians, college students and activists.

> Christian anarchism is a movement in political theology that claims Christianity is fundamentally anarchistic.It is an important movement. It is grounded in the belief that there is only one source of authority to which Christians are ultimately answerable, the authority of God as embodied in the teachings of Jesus, and thus rejects the idea that human governments have ultimate authority over human societies. Christian anarchists denounce the state as they claim it is violent, deceitful and, when glorified, idolatrous. Christian anarchists hold that the proper relationship between God and people is the "Reign of God" in which human relationships would be characterized by divided authority, servant leadership, and universal compassion rather than the hierarchical, authoritarian structures normally attributed to religion.

> More than any other Bible source, the Sermon on the Mount is used as the basis for Christian anarchism. Most Christian anarchists are pacifists and reject the use of violence, such as war. Leo Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God Is Within You is often regarded as a key text for modern Christian anarchism.[1]

> ## Course Structure

[edit | edit source]

### Section 1: Introduction

[edit | edit source]

#### Definitions: what is Anarchism? What is Christianity? What is Christian Anarchism?

[edit | edit source]

Anarchism which aligns itself with socially libertarian ideals in the Bible, and the belief in the abolition of the state, which includes all unnecessary hierarchies.

#### Political theory and taxonomy

[edit | edit source]

### Section 2: Anarchism in Religious History

[edit | edit source]

#### Anarchism in The Jewish Tradition

[edit | edit source]

#### Anarchism in Jesus and The Sermon on the Mount

[edit | edit source]

#### Anarchism in The Early Church

[edit | edit source]

#### Anarchism in the context of Christendom

[edit | edit source]

Woodcut from a Diggers document by William Everard.

#### Anarchism in the context of the Reformation

[edit | edit source]

#### Leo Tolstoy

[edit | edit source]

Leo Tolstoy wrote extensively about Christian pacifism and anarchism.

#### Liberation Theology

[edit | edit source]

#### The New Monastic Movement

[edit | edit source]

#### Interfaith connections

[edit | edit source]

### Section 3: Practical Application/Orthopraxy

[edit | edit source]

#### Anarchism and Ethics

[edit | edit source]

#### Anarchism and the church

[edit | edit source]

#### Religious vs. Non-Religious Anarchism

[edit | edit source]

## More information

[edit | edit source]

### Videos

[edit | edit source]

* Coming soon

### Audio

[edit | edit source]

* Coming soon

### Books

[edit | edit source]

* Coming soon

### Web

[edit | edit source]

* Coming soon

### See also

[edit | edit source]

| Search for Christian Anarchism (simple) on Wikipedia.

|

| Search for Christian Anarchism (full) on Wikipedia.

|

### External links

[edit | edit source]

## References

[edit | edit source]

1. ↑ Wikipedia: Christian anarchism