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:''Miki redirects here, for other uses, see [[Miki (disambiguation)]]''.
{{Anarchism}}
{{Christianity}}
'''Christian anarchism''' is the belief that there is only one source of authority to which [[Christian|Christians]] are ultimately answerable, the authority of [[God]] as embodied in the teachings of [[Jesus]]. Christian anarchists therefore feel that earthly authority such as [[government]], or indeed the established church do not and should not have power over them. Christian anarchists are [[pacifism|pacifists]] and oppose the use of all physical force, both proactive and reactive. Many Christian anarchists are [[vegetarianism|vegetarian]] or [[veganism|vegan]].
'''Miki''' (三木市; -shi) is a [[cities of Japan|city]] located in [[Hyogo Prefecture|Hyogo]], [[Japan]].
Some have compared ''Christian anarchism'' with mainstream [[anarchy]], but it differs in the belief freedom from earthly authority will only be guided by the grace of God if individuals display compassion for others and [[turn the other cheek]] when confronted by oppressors. Its adherents believe this quest for freedom is justified spiritually and quote the teachings of Jesus, some of whom are critical of the existing [[establishment]] and church. They believe all individuals can directly communicate with God and will eventually unify in peace under this one God.
As of [[2003]], the city has an estimated [[population]] of 76,452 and the [[population density|density]] of 636.41 persons per [[square kilometer|²]]. The total area is 120.13 km². The population in 2003 was 75,424 and the density was 627.85/km². Miki is located northwest of downtown [[Kobe, Japan|Kobe]] and is bounded to the south and east.
[[Leo Tolstoy]] (who wrote ''[[The Kingdom of God is Within You]]'' [http://www.kingdomnow.org/withinyou.html] in [[1894]]) and [[Ammon Hennacy]] were notable Christian anarchists. Leo Tolstoy's work inspired [[Mahatma Gandhi]]'s [[nonviolent resistance]] movement in the 1930's.
*[[List of postal codes in Japan|Postal code]]: 673
==The Fall of Rome==
*[[Area codes in Japan|Area code]] and number: 79482
There are anarchical traces in much of the history of Christianity. For example, Gibbon felt that Christianity contributed, perhaps passively, to the fall of the [[Roman Empire]]:
Miki has schools, middle schools, high schools, a post office, a few squares and parks.
:"As the happiness of a future life is the great object of religion, we may hear without surprise or scandal that the introduction... of Christianity, had some influence on the decline and fall of the Roman empire." [http://www.ccel.org/g/gibbon/decline/volume1/chap39.htm]
==History==
He goes on to suggest that military expansionism gave way to devotion and piety, and religious conflict replaced military conquest.
The city was founded on [[June 1]], [[1954]].
==Transportation==
A Washington State University paper states that the Roman Emperor codified, and accommodated to the radical teachings of Jesus:
Miki is accessed with [[Route 175 (Japan)|Route 175]] and an expressway.
Miki has prefectural roads numbering [[Hyogo prefectural road 20|20]], [[Hyogo prefectural road 22|22]], [[Hyogo prefectural road 23|23]], [[Hyogo prefectural road 83|83]] and [[Hyogo prefectural road 85|85]].
:...the foundational Christian texts are not only anti-Roman ... but consistently dismissive of human, worldly authority. If Christianity were going to work as a religion in a state ruled by a monarch that demanded worship and absolute authority, it would have to be changed. To this end, Constantine convened a group of Christian bishops at Nicea in 325; there, the basic orthodoxy of Christianity was instantiated in what came to be called the Nicene creed [http://www.mit.edu/~tb/anglican/intro/lr-nicene-creed.html], the basic statement of belief for orthodox Christianity. [http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/ROME/LATE.HTM]
Christianity became the official religion of the Empire in c390. Within a century Rome was overrun by the barbarians, and the Empire began its end.
==The Church - The Reformation==
The Bible illustrates that the original Christians, shortly after His death, were living an anarchist-like way of life, with "no poor", and "total equality".
Anarchist, or at least anti-establishment, principles are found in the [[Reformation]] idea that the individual believer could have a direct relationship with God. The earlier notion that salvation had to be earned through a range of good works and practices, interpreted and prescribed by the Church, was left behind. Instead, the concept of grace was seen to produce salvation for genuine believers who accept and follow God's revealed word. This simple, apparently uncontroversial interpretation of scripture seriously threatened the centuries of established Church power, wealth and authority.
==Other trends towards Anarchism==
The [[Anabaptist]] Protestant sect was seen as anarchic in 15th Century Germany, at the time of the Reformation. Some of its adherents lived in communal settlements and vowed to overthrow the established Government. This led to extensive military conflict at the time.
In the mid-19th century [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints|The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] attempted to live what was known as the "Law of Consecration" for several years. While communitarian in nature and sharing some aspects of anarchism the "Law of Consecration" was centrally administered both on a local and church wide basis and can not be considered as anarchism in the formal meaning of the word.
==The Doukhobors==
The [[Doukhobors]] ("Spirit Wrestlers") are a radical Christian sect that maintain a belief in [[pacifism]] and a communal lifestyle, while rejecting secular government, the Bible, and the divinity of Jesus. The Doukabors 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 [[Religious Society of Friends|Quakers]] and the Russian novelist [[Leo Tolstoy]]. As an interesting historical sidenote, 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 voluntary poverty. 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 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:
:...being based upon the answer of Jesus to the [[Pharisees]] when Jesus said that he without sin should be the first to cast the stone, and upon the [[Sermon on the Mount]] which advises the return of good for evil and the turning of the other cheek. Therefore, when we take any part in government by voting for legislative, judicial, and executive officials, we make these men our arm by which we cast a stone and deny the Sermon on the Mount.
:The dictionary definition of a Christian is one who follows Christ; kind, kindly, Christ-like. Anarchism is voluntary cooperation for good, with the right of secession. A Christian anarchist is therefore one who turns the other cheek, overturns the tables of the moneychangers, and does not need a cop to tell him how to behave. A Christian anarchist does not depend upon bullets or ballots to achieve his ideal; he achieves that ideal daily by the One-Man Revolution with which he faces a decadent, confused, and dying world.
==Biblical Arguments==
Some Christian anarchists have held a critical, non-inspired view of the Bible, and base their arguments on what they think are the evidences of what they believe Jesus really said, not needing to find compatibility with the Christian Bible as a whole.
Others defend a complete compatibility with the Christian Bible and anarchism. The most common challenge is integrating the passage of Paul in Romans 13 where he defends obedience to "governing authorities." Christian anarchists point out that this chapter is particularly worded to make it clear that organizations like the [[Roman Empire]] cannot qualify as governing authorities. If it could, then, according to Paul, "they would have praise from the same" for doing good. Instead the early Christians were martyred by the Roman government for doing good. 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." This interpretation makes all statute laws of states illegitimate.
Another challenge to the legitimacy of states and state control is found in [[Gospel of Luke|Luke 4:5-8]], during the Temptation of Christ, where the Bible quotes [[Satan]] as claiming dominion over all the nations of the earth and Jesus replies that not only will he not worship before Satan, but that God is the only authority to be "served".
:5. And he led him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
:6. And the devil said unto him, "To thee will I give all this authority, and the glory of them: for it hath been delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it".
:7. "If thou therefore wilt worship before me, it shall all be thine".
:8. And Jesus answered and said unto him, "It is written, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve".
The principles of [[nonviolence]], [[nonresistance]] and [[turn the other cheek|turning the other cheek]] are explained in many passages of the [[New Testament]] but perhaps the most clear-cut guidance can be found in the sixth commandment, [[Exodus|Exodus 20:13]] and [[Deuteronomy|Deuteronomy 5:17]]:
:Thou shall not kill.
==Thinkers==
===Søren Kierkegaard===
[[Søren Kierkegaard]] (1813 - 1855), a Danish philosopher and theologian can be considered 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 the secular law and government. He has been compared to [[Max Stirner]], the great anarchist individualist. Kierkagaard can also be considered the father of [[Christian existentialism]].
===Henry David Thoreau===
[[Henry David Thoreau]] (1817 - 1862) was an American author, [[pacifism|pacifist]], nature lover and [[tax resistance|tax resister]]. He was an advocate of [[civil disobedience]] and a lifelong [[abolitionism|abolitionist]]. His essay, ''[[Civil Disobedience (Thoreau)|Civil Disobedience]]'' (1849), is accredited with influencing Leo Tolstoy's ideas.
===Leo Tolstoy===
[[Leo Tolstoy]] (1828 - 1910) is notable for having written extensively on his anarchist principles, which he arrived at via his Christian faith. Notably his books ''[[The Kingdom of God is Within You]]'' [http://www.kingdomnow.org/withinyou.html], ''[[The Gospel in Brief]]'' and ''[[Christianity and Patriotism]]'' expounded a philosophy critising the state, industrial capitalism, the exploitation of the peasants and the Church in general while calling for the founding of a society based on [[nonviolence|nonviolent]] principles. His ideas have been compared to those held by [[Mikhail Bakunin]]. Tolstoy was a [[vegetarian]] and [[tax resistance|tax resister]].
===Nikolai Berdyaev===
[[Nikolai Berdyaev]] (1874 - 1948), the orthodox Christian philosopher has been called the philosopher of freedom and is known as a Christian existentialist. He does not advocate "anarchy" but is a supporter of "anarchism", even though he wrote that "The Kingdom of God is based on anarchy". He believed that freedom comes from God and not nature, like other anarchists such as Mikhail Bakunin have suggested.
===Ammon Hennacy===
[[Ammon Hennacy]] (or Hennessey) (1893 - 1970) is notable for writing extensively on his work with the Catholic Workers and at the Joe Hill House of Hospitality. He was a practicing anarchist, draft dodger, vegetarian and tax resister. 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]]''. Ammon Hennacy is also noted for several famous quotations dealing with force, law, and state powers which continue to inspire anarchist action today.
===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) explaining that anarchism and Christianity are socially following the same goal.
===Father Thomas J. Hagerty===
Father [[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 authoring the IWW Preamble, assisting in writing the Industrial Union Manifesto and drawing up the [http://www.iww.org/cic/history/hagertys.html first chart of industrial organization]. Hagerty was converted to [[Marxism]] before his ordination in 1892 and was later influenced by [[anarcho-syndicalism]]. 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.
==Other Christian Anarchists==
* [[Philip Berrigan]] was an internationally renowned [[peace activist]] and [[Catholicism|Roman Catholic]] priest. He and his brother [[Daniel Berrigan]] were for a time on the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]]'s Ten Most Wanted list for "illegal" [[nonviolence|nonviolent]] actions against war. Philip was twice nominated for the [[Nobel Peace Prize]].
* [[Roy Bourgeois]] after leaving the US armed forces gained experience in South America as a missionary and agitated against the inhuman practices of those trained in the [[School of the Americas]] [http://www.itvs.org/fatherroy/bios.html].
* [[Dorothy Day]] of the [[Catholic Worker Movement]].
==Organisations==
* [[Christian Peacemaker Teams]]
* [[Plowshares Movement]]
==See also==
* [[Mahatma Gandhi]] ([[1929]]) ''[[The Story of My Experiments with Truth]]'' [http://www.nalanda.nitc.ac.in/resources/english/etext-project/Biography/gandhi/]
* [[Richard Bach]] ([[1970]]) ''[[Jonathan Livingston Seagull]]''
* [[Franco Zeffirelli]] ([[1977]]) ''[[Jesus of Nazareth (movie)|Jesus of Nazareth]]''
* [[Richard Attenborough]] ([[1982]]) ''[[Gandhi (movie)|Gandhi]]''
* [[Paulo Coelho]] ([[1988]]) ''[[The Alchemist (book)|The Alchemist]]''
==Reference==
* [[Leo Tolstoy]] ([[1894]]). ''[[The Kingdom of God is Within You]]'' [http://www.kingdomnow.org/withinyou.html]. ISBN 0803294042
* [[Dave Andrews]] ([[1999]]). ''[[Christi-anarchy: Discovering a radical spirituality of compassion]]''. Lion Publishing. ISBN 0745942342
* [[Ammon Hennacy]] ([[1994]]). ''[[The Book of Ammon]]''. Fortkamp/Rose Hill. ASIN B0006BMMH2
==External links==
* [http://www.radcity.netmiki.nz/anarchist_bible_commentaryhyogo.jp/ AnarchistMiki Bibleofficial Commentary Wikiwebsite] in Japanese
* [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Lost_Religion_of_Jesus/ A Christian anarchism Yahoo! Group community]
* [http://www.catholicworker.org/ Catholic Workers]
* [http://www.compassionatespirit.com/index.htm Compassionate Spirit]
* [http://cust.idl.net.au/fold/ Jesus Christians]
* [http://www.jesusradicals.org Jesus Radicals]
* [http://www.jesusreligion.com/ Jesus Religion]
* [http://www.kingdomnow.org/ Kingdom Now! Radical Christian Community]
* [http://www.lovarchy.org/ Lovarchy] - Anarchy with a heart
* [http://www.theapostlesscreed.com/ The Apostles Creed]
* [http://www.ekklesiaproject.org/ The Ekklesia Project]
* [http://www.kingdomnow.org/withinyou.html The Kingdom of God Is Within You by Leo Tolstoy] - Free e-text English translation
* [http://members.aol.com/XianAnarch/homepage.htm Vine & Fig Tree - The Christian Anarchist]
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[[Category:Christianity]]
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[[Category:Christian philosophy]]
[[Category:Pacifism]]
[[Category:Pacifists]]
[[Category:Peace]]
[[Category:Political theories]]
[[Category:Vegetarianism]]
[[Category:Anarchism]]
[[Category:Anarchists]]
[[Category:Taxation]]
[[ja:三木市]]
[[fr:Anarchisme chrétien]]
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