Christian anarchism

E18591

Christian anarchism is a theological and political philosophy that interprets the teachings of Jesus—especially nonviolence, compassion, and rejection of worldly power—as a call to oppose all coercive human authorities and live in voluntary, egalitarian community.

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Statements (63)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Christian movement
anarchist school of thought
political philosophy
theological movement
associatedConcept Christian pacifism
civil disobedience
liberation theology
nonviolent resistance
associatedMovement Catholic Worker Movement
Tolstoyan Christian communities
coreBelief compassion for the marginalized
egalitarian social relations
love of enemies
nonviolence
pacifism
priority of God’s authority over human law
rejection of all coercive human authorities
rejection of capitalism by many adherents
rejection of militarism
rejection of nationalism
rejection of the state
rejection of worldly power
teachings of Jesus are incompatible with coercive authority
voluntary community
ethicalPrinciple Sermon on the Mount as central moral guide
mutual aid
non-cooperation with unjust systems
refusal to swear oaths of allegiance to the state
simple living
turn the other cheek
geographicScope international
historicalRoot Anabaptist traditions
Tolstoyanism
surface form: Tolstoyan movement

early Christian communities described in the Acts of the Apostles
radical wing of the Protestant Reformation
language English
French
Russian
Spanish
notableProponent Ammon Hennacy
Dorothy Day
Jacques Ellul
Leo Tolstoy
Vernard Eller
politicalGoal abolition of hierarchical domination
decentralized, voluntary communities
stateless society based on Christian ethics
religiousTradition Christianity
scripturalBasis Acts of the Apostles
Gospel of Luke
Gospel of Matthew
Romans 13 interpreted critically
Sermon on the Mount
timePeriod modern era
viewOnChurch critique of institutional church power
suspicion of church–state alliances
viewOnLaw divine law is superior to human law
viewOnProperty critique of private property by many proponents
emphasis on sharing of goods
viewOnState state is incompatible with the teachings of Jesus
state relies on violence and coercion
viewOnViolence Christians should not participate in war
Christians should not use lethal force

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Tolstoyanism corePrinciple Christian anarchism
The Kingdom of God Is Within You mainSubject Christian anarchism
Leo Tolstoy religion Christian anarchism