christarchy

I like to think about what social structures and politics would be like if people really submitted themselves to Jesus as Lord. On a very simple level, I think it would look like Jesus in charge and everyone else equal yet submissive to each other. No command structures or authority hierarchies. No power struggles among men and women, rich and poor, young and old, modern and postmodern, Christian and not. Just everyone serving each other as best they can. Maybe it's idealistic, but I think it's what Jesus had in mind, so I'll risk a little idealism every now and then.

The folks at the Jesus Manifesto call it Christarchy as opposed to anarchy.

Here are some images and quotes that reflect the idea:


Just like the word "christianity" itself, the words "anarchy," "anarchism" and "anarchist" are abused terms. They are abused so often by the media, state historians and government officials that, by no fault of her own, the average person on the street only thinks of chaos, terrorists and random violence when the term anarchist comes up... Anarchism is a rich and powerful critique of modern society that Christians have at our fingertips. We do not wish to confuse Christianity with anarchism but we do believe that when Christianity is lived rightly it looks a lot like anarchism.
-Jesus Radicals


The world is soaked with mutual blood. When individuals commit homicide, it is a crime; it is called a virtue when it is done in the name of the state. -Cyprian





2000 years ago, the son of God was murdered by the state after preaching the subversion of arbitrary political authority and the renunciation of the chains of the temporal world, advocating absolute egalitarianism between all humans under and inspired by the infinite love of the one valid Authority, in preparation for the coming of His eternal kingdom. -Christopher Kilbourn


‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.’ Who are these? Those who imitate the Divine love of others, who show forth in their own life the characteristic of the Divine energy. The Lord and Giver of good things completely annihilates anything that is without affinity and foreign to goodness. This work He ordains also for you, namely to cast out hatred and abolish war, to exterminate envy and banish strife, to take away hypocrisy and extinguish from within resentment of injuries smoldering in the heart. Instead, you ought to introduce whatever is contrary to the things that have been removed. -Gregory of Nyssa




Even when they call us mad, when they call us subversives and communists and all the epithets they put on us, we know we only preach the subversive witness of the Beatitudes, which have turned everything upside down. -Oscar Romero


You cannot demand military service of Christians any more than you can of priests. We do not go forth as soldiers. - Origen


Love is freedom:



Anarchy is not chaos, but order with out control. -David Layson


That they may now understand that this is a new kind of warfare and not the usual custom of joining in battle, when He sent them with nothing He said: And so, marching on, show forth the meekness of lambs, although you are to go to wolves… for so will I best show my power, when the wolves are conquered by the lambs… For certainly it is a greater work and much more marvelous to change the minds of opponents and to bring about a change of soul than to kill them… We ought to be ashamed, therefore, who act far differently when as wolves we rush upon our adversaries. For as long as we are lambs we conquer; even when a thousand wolves stand about, we overcome and are victors. But if we act like wolves we are conquered, for then the aid of the Good Shepherd departs from us, for He does not foster wolves but sheep. - John Chrysostom


Alpha/Omega Anarchy



I gave food to the poor and they called me a saint; I asked why the poor have no food and they called me a communist. -Dom Helder Camara
Luke's comment: Or maybe today they would call you a socialist.


The cross-life of Jesus undermined all social orders based on power and self-interest.
-Richard Foster (Celebration of Discipline)

A Parable by Philip Harrison

As "borrowed" from my friend in Long Beach, Nate Wigfield. Read his blog!


The other day I had a dream. I dreamed I arrived at the gates of heaven, heavy-shut, pure oak, beveled and crafted, glinting sharp in the sunlight. St. Peter stood to greet me; the big man wore brown, smile set deep against his ruddy cheeks.

"You're here," he said.

"I am," I said.

"Great to see you - been expecting you," he smiled. "Come on in."

He pushed gently against the huge door; it swung silently, creakless. I took a couple of steps forward until, at the threshold, one more step up and in, I realized I wasn't alone. My friends had joined me, but they hovered behind, silently, looking on. None spoke. I realized only I could speak. I looked at them; some were Christians, some Hindus, some Buddhists, some Muslims, some Jews, some atheists. Some God knows what. I stopped, paused. A hesitant St. Peter looked at me, patiently, expectantly.

"What about these guys?" I asked him. "My friends. Can they come?"

"Well, Phil," he replied, soft in the still air, "you know the rules. I'm sorry, but that's the way things are. Only the right ones."

I looked at him. He seemed genuinely pained by his answer. I stood, considering. What should I do? I thought about my reference points, and thought about Jesus, and the bastard, the outsider, the unacceptable, the drunkard, the fool, the heretic, the criminal, and I knew exactly where I belonged.

"I'll just stay here then too," I said, taking my one foot out of heaven. And I'll tell you, I'd swear I saw something like a grin break across St. Peter's face, and a voice from inside whispered, "At last."

from Fidelity of Betrayal by Peter Rollins

blogs

I finally got around to updating my blog theme. I have spent a lot of time at work over the last few weeks working on blog headers, themes, buttons, and more, learning a lot. So I figured I needed to at least make my own blog look cool again. Yep, more California style, and surprise, Charger colors. Some things never change.

Also, I have been spending a lot of time reading blogs, because it's a great way to stay up with what other people are reading, thinking, saying, and doing. Plus I found Google Reader, an application that makes saying up on blogs really easy. It collects all your blogs in one place and lets you know when they are updated. Some of my new favorite blogs are Jesus Manifesto (subverting the Empire and such), Revolution in Jesusland (politics through an Emergish lense), and God's Politics with Jim Wallis, Brian McLaren, Shane Claiborne, Phyllis Tickle and others (maybe a little left leaning, but overall a pretty good attempt to engage politics as Christians without choosing sides and attacking the "enemy"). God's Politics has a really strong global focus too. And I can't forget the Showbread and underOATH tour blogs too! You can find links to these and others on the left, and I'd love to know what blogs you read. This is my new favorite hobby!