This is called MY introduction rather than AN introduction due to the fact that everyone is unique and has their own take on these ideas. It would be misleading to assume that I could posit an introduction to these ideas that would be collective, embodying the thoughts of all people dealing with these issues, and conclusive, summing the dialogue up for all time. There are probably no two Christians who agree on every last detail of their beliefs, just as there are probably no two Anarchists who agree on every last detail of their ideas. And for people claiming both titles, it is the same. There are quite a variety of opinions out there–I give you my own.

This is an explanation regarding my ideas/thoughts behind my understanding and approach to the relationship between Christianity and anarchism. I want to say, firstly as does Jacques Ellul in his book Anarchism and Christianity, that my goal as a Christian and an Anarchist is neither to convince non-Christian Anarchists to become Christians nor to convince all Christians to become Anarchists. My goal is simply to live my life as authentically as possible and be true to the things that are important to me as an individual. I want to keep it real.

Alexander Berkman (an Anarchist activist and writer) described anarchism thusly:

“Anarchism means you should be free; that no one should enslave you, boss you, rob you, or impose upon you. It means you should be free to do the things you want to do; and that you should not be compelled to do what you do not want to do…That is to say, there should be no war, no violence used by one set of people against another, no monopolies and no poverty, no oppression, no taking advantage of your fellow-people. In short, Anarchism means a condition or society where all men and women are free, and where all enjoy equally the benefits of an ordered and sensible life.” –Alexander Berkman from ABC of Anarchism

The core of Anarchist thought as I understand it is a critique of class distinctions in society. The class structure wherein there exists the wealthy and the poor is critiqued, with an emphasis on taking actions which would disarm classism and produce a world in which everyone is equal and in which the distinctions of “poor”or “wealthy” no longer exist. And from the Anarchist critique against classism flows an equally compelling critique of similar forms of domination including racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia. From my point of view, such Anarchist critiques of oppression are directly in line with what the Apostle Paul (who wrote much of the Christian Bible) wrote about in the Biblical book of Galatians: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

As I understand it, this means that if I am a person who claims the title Christian, then I am to disavow all false distinctions, whether they be racial distinctions (Jew nor Greek), class distinctions (slave nor free), or binary gender distinctions (male nor female), and that I am to embrace all people as equal persons with equal dignity and equal rights. And the part at the end about “all one in Christ Jesus” doesn’t mean that the “all” being referred to is limited only to Christians, but rather, it means that for those of us who claim to be Christian, we are to embrace all people as part of a common humanity with the kind of love embodied by the teachings and life of Jesus. In other words, Christians must treat people rightly, treat all people as equals, and be involved in their struggles against various forms of domination and control. Christians must, as Jesus once said, love their neighbors as they love themselves. The understanding being that “neighbor” means everyone and that love for oneself (being naturally abundant) must also be freely given to help other people in need.

Now, it must be noted, of course, that a very conservative Christian would possibly disagree with what I’ve said thus far, and s/he might want to uphold some of the (false) distinctions previously noted and use them to support various kinds of discrimination…Yet, so would a conservative non-Christian Anarchist, such as those Anarchists that concentrate only on critiquing class distinctions to the effect that they completely ignore issues such as sexism, or queer and transgender rights (I always wonder why some folks can’t see that all of these issues are connected and interdependent in many ways). The reality is that there are conservatives and progressives in every sphere of life, whether they be religious, atheist, or Anarchist. For me, dealing with this reality means simply that I must define where I fit in the scheme of things as an individual while being able to recognize the variety inherent in every person’s unique approach to social and political issues. I also think it’s important (for me at least) to recognize that terms such as “conservative” and “radical” are often quite fluid and people often times don’t fit so neatly into the categories we’ve defined. And this realization itself (that these categories are fluid) is an Anarchist one too because it recognizes that “conservative” and “radical” are also binary distinctions of a sort that don’t always hold up under close scrutiny. So, while I do find it important to define myself as a radical on the far left politically, I also think it’s important recognize the limitations of those definitions.

My understanding of the Christian idea of “original sin,” (the sense that people sinned and fucked things up and then were longing to making things right again) relates to the concept of evolution. The biblical mythology of the garden of Eden, where people were created from the primordial dust of the earth and soon after made a mess of the world and destroyed paradise, seems a close parallel to evolution. As we know through scientific observation, life did emerge from the primordial ooze–creatures evolved to walk on land and apes ultimately evolved into Homo Sapiens (modern Human beings). There is archaeological and paleontological evidence demonstrating that the early human and pre-human species were in some ways quite barbaric and in other ways more peaceful than modern war propagating peoples. 3 Both theology and evolution (at their best) offer narratives detailing a move away from early barbaric practices coupled with an ever-expanding embrace of peaceful means and measures embodied in all areas of life.

Evolution in particular (both biological and social), tells of the human species struggling towards equilibrium, towards greater equality and awareness. It tells of a need to accomplish these goals by letting old prejudices die while practicing peace among people in all strata of life. The Christian mythology for me is a religious way of saying essentially the same thing. We (human beings) are endowed with the task of making things right, of evolving or becoming more loving, more peaceful, more liberated, and more understanding; thus, in the Christian context, fulfilling the teachings of Jesus while embodying God’s spirit (which is Love) in our lives. So for me, theology and scientific inquiry are equal and supportive ways of looking at the same ideas from different angles.

To elaborate, my understanding of sin is that it operates on both a personal and a collective level. A society enforcing slavery or class oppression is an example of collective sin. An individual person involved in discrimination against queer or transgendered folks is an example of individual sin. I also believe in the idea that we’re all sinners, that we’re all flawed or fucked up and we all have things to work through as people. This recognition of personal sin provides a sense of balance and a bulwark against self-righteousness, and it opens the door to further communication. When groups of people can recognize collectively that they do indeed have flaws, they can begin to work through them together, to forgive people, and to grow towards greater solidarity in thoughts and actions. Whenever people think they’ve got everything figured out (such as fundamentalists) or that they’re fully enlightened (such as bourgeois elitists), they intentionally or unintentionally force other people into subservient positions. Therefore, a healthy, non-abusive, self acknowledging, recognition of individual and collective flaws or sins is a preventative against this kind of elitism (that’s how I see it, other people will probably have different approaches or ways of understanding the concept of sin).

To sum this up, the Christian understanding of sin has often been defined this way: Anything that separates humans from God is sin. And it follows that if God is Love (as Christians believe) than anything which prevents us from loving other people (or other animals, or the earth, or any part of creation) and from treating others as equals, is sin. By that definition, classism, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, environmental degradation, and state sponsored war are all sins. Conversely, movements that work towards dismantling those sins or oppressive forces of domination, are acts of Love–movements such as feminism, anarchism, and animal rights for example. These movements of Love bring us toward peace, into right standing with one another collectively, with the earth, with other animals, and ultimately, with God, who surrounds and sustains all things (again, that’s simply how I understand it).

There are of course passages in the Christian Bible that seem to speak of preserving domineering authority structures when read on their own, outside of any context or history that might illuminate their true meaning. But, when these passages are understood in their proper context both historically and in within the greater thrust of the Christian story, these writings take on a wholly different meaning, one which actually speaks of dismantling false power structures. In fact, after studying the history of the early Christians and learning how they lived out what they were writing about (writings which were later bound together and became part of the Christian Bible), it seems clear to me that these early Christians were radicals. They had absolutely no intention of supporting the state or other forms of domination but rather, they were building a new liberated world in the shell of the old one. It is this liberation theology in the Christian tradition that speaks to me and inspires me as I work to build everything I know about anarchism into a life worth living.

I hope my thoughts here have been clear and easily digested, without too much overwrought theological terminology. I’d like to end this with a quote from Nicolas Berdyaev, a Christian Anarchist who was active in the 1930’s and 40’s in Russia and France. I think this quotation is a nice summary of my thoughts on the relationship between Christianity and anarchism:

“There is absolute truth in anarchism and it is to be seen in its attitude towards the sovereignty of the state and to every form of state absolutism…The religious truth of anarchism consists in this, that power over people is bound up with sin and evil, that a state of perfection is a state where there is no power of person over person, that is to say, anarchy. The Realm of God is freedom and the absence of such domination or power . . . thus, the Realm of God is anarchy.” –Nicolas Berdyaev, from Slavery and Freedom (translated by R.M. French)

About Leo Day Hennacy

I am a Christian. I am an Anarchist. I believe in love though I hate corporate control over our lives as human beings.