Jesus teaches Anarchy?, Survival in the Wasteland

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here is an article on Christian anarchy.

Jesus Teaches Anarchy?

Anarchy. In this single word, many are turned away. This is because of a lack of understanding of the true meaning of this exploited word. With another single word, a great many more are turned away. Christianity. This is also because of a lack of understanding of the true meaning of this abused word. Therefore when the two words are put together, a complete misunderstanding is bound to occur. It is necessary then to break down and define Christian Anarchy. First, the meaning of anarchy: ‘an’ means ‘un’ or ‘the lack of’. ‘Archy’ means ‘primacy.’ Therefore anarchy simply means ‘the lack of primacy.’ Of course, Christianity simply denotes the beliefs and actions of those who follow Christ. Christian anarchy would, therefore mean, ‘the lack of Primacy (among men), yet recognizing the Supremacy of Christ Jesus.’ This definition, and the implications of it, will become clearer as we continue.Christian Anarchy essentially understands Jesus as the King of the Kingdom of God, to which Christians put all allegiance, and consequently puts forth no allegiance to any person, institution, or government. This does not, however, mean that the Christian is necessarily against the latter, but rather that he has no faith in them. The Christian anarchist puts all faith and trust in King Jesus. The concern that Christian anarchists have with being a part of and upholding governments and institutions is their demonic nature. Satan is said, by Jesus, to be the ruler of the world (John 12:31, John 14:30, John 16:11). This is evident in the coerciveness of worldly governments, which mimic the coerciveness of their ruler, Satan. Evidence of the Kingdom of God comes through non-coercion, the way of the Suffering Servant. In everyway, Jesus taught his followers to always choose the road of suffering. Jesus is not against leadership, but his idea of leadership is completely different from the worlds. He says, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority are called benefactors. But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become the least, and the leader like one who serves…I am among you as one who serves” (Luke 22:25-26). Some make the argument that being a part of the government can be a means to make a positive change in the world. A big problem, however, persists: these ‘arkys’ command its workers to be above other people, yet Jesus commands us to be below other people. Where will the Christians allegiance lie? The assertion is that Christians hold citizenship in the Kingdom of God, and as a result are ambassadors to the world. In other words Christians, in whatever nation they reside in, are not citizens of that country, but rather, ambassadors who are representing the Kingdom of God (II Corinthians 5:20). It would be futile to try and understand Christian anarchy without first understanding Jesus’ teachings of the Kingdom. In order to fully understand the Kingdom of God, we must look back to Moses, for it was through Moses that God originally tried to establish his Kingdom.Moses led God’s chosen people out of the land of slavery into the desert, where God would be their King. God greatly desired for his people to not be under the rule of a human being, but under His rule. He proved this to the furthest extent when He was willing to bring about terror on the land of Egypt, so that the Israelites would be free to leave Egypt. After God had brought His people out from under the rule of the Egyptians, they wandered in the desert, with God as their King. When the Israelites entered the Promised Land the Lord established them as a nation, and he continued to be their king as He intended. The people, however, wanted to have an earthly human King. In response, God spoke to Samuel, who in turn spoke to His people. Hear God’s sorrowful words, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them” (I Samuel 8:7). God even warned the people of the great burden of having an earthly king, yet the people did not listen, instead they rejected Him. Because God would never force himself on others, he grants them their king. It is at this point in history that many called the beginning of the golden age of the Nation of Israel. It is clear, however, that this marks the time in which Israel falls away from God, and the whole reason God led them out of Egypt, had now come to an end. To make a very long story short, God allowed Israel to be crushed by its enemies.Even though the nation was crushed, the Israelites persisted. They wanted to restore the nation of Israel back to its so-called “glory days” when they had King David and Solomon reigning over them. God, however, had something else in mind; he wanted to restore His people to the true glory days, when He was their King. This is where Jesus comes in the picture.Jesus has been called the ‘new Moses.’ This is an appropriate comparison. God intended to establish His kingship through Jesus; similar to the way he worked through Moses. God was still passionate about His people being under His rule, rather than a human’s rule. He proved this again to an even further extent when he allowed his only begotten Son to suffer at the hands of man and be crucified, so that His people could be under His rule. God sent Jesus as the Messiah, the King whose reign would never end. The people of course had a very different idea, and waited for the messiah who would establish an earthly kingdom, that would be established by force. Because of the Jews misconception of this new kingdom, they urged Jesus (who they rightfully believed to be the Messiah) to take his place on the thrown of David, ‘by the sword’. Jesus refused. He did not refuse to establish the Kingdom on earth, only to establish it, as the world understands kingdoms to be established: in the flesh. It is a kingdom on earth, which is ever present, and demands full allegiance. The picture that is drawn from this is that Jesus established His Kingdom on earth. This Kingdom has the same functions as an earthly kingdom in that King Jesus is the All-Provider, and the Lawmaker. On the other hand this Kingdom is completely different in that it is in the spirit realm, with no borders, and no homeland (on earth). All people are invited to take part and be a citizen of this Kingdom. King Jesus did make it clear, though, that all citizens must put full allegiance in the King, and to none other. This is the heart of Christian anarchy.A good picture of this concept can be seen in the Romany people, better known as Gypsies. Gypsies belong to a nation called Roma. They do not, however, have a homeland. Consequently they live on the land of other nations, while holding their citizenship with Roma. Because of this, Gypsies are a highly persecuted group of people, frequently pushed out of the country where they live. This has made them a people who constantly travel, not by choice, but by obligation. Christians also are a people belonging to a Kingdom without a homeland. As a result, Christians live in countries not their own. In a very real sense, Christians are in the middle of an exodus. Like the Israelites wandering in the desert, Christians are also waiting to move into the Promised Land. The early church understood the concept of citizenship well. For three centuries after Christ, Christians refused to take any part in the government. This changed when Constantine, like the Israelites, rejected Jesus as king and established a Christian nation. As documented in the Martyrs Mirror, many Christians remained faithful even after this point. Small groups remained faithful until the 16th century when the reformation occurred. Out of this movement a group called the Anabaptists emerged, whose purpose was to get back to the root of Christianity. This meant separating themselves once again from the governments and becoming like servants to one another. Although the Anabaptists never used the word ‘anarchy,’ many like Michael Sattler, who was a leader of the Anabaptist movement, held the beliefs associated with Christian anarchism. There are large groups of people today who live out a Christian anarchist life. A group started in the 1930’s called the Catholic Workers is a good example. Their founders Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin were both anarchists. The Catholic workers main objective was to live peaceful lives serving the poor, and each other. They started communities all over the United States, in order to accomplish this goal, of living out there lives by the Sermon on the Mount. The Psalters are another example of Christians who live out there lives without the use of Arky. They are a traveling community, dedicated to bringing worship to Christians everywhere. Among them there are no authorities or rules. This does not mean that they live Godless lives of immorality. They believe God is their ruler, and He governs them. Offenses committed within the community are dealt with on a personal basis, as one equal to another. And in the instance that someone within the community is continually taking part in a sinful act, that person is approached on a personal basis, and admonished to submit to Gods authority.Some attention should be given to the secular anarchist movement that does not view Christ as an authority. This movement for the most part is deeply flawed. Most secular anarchists wish to instill an anarchist society, by force if necessary. That in its self is an oxy-moron. Anarchy by its very nature cannot use force as a measure in which to engage the world. Taking up arms means creating an ‘arky’ where one must place himself above another person. The anarchist who takes up arms does not further anarchy, he rather joins the world of ‘arky-dom’. Furthermore, the world needs to be governed. If the people in the world cannot have self-control, (as is evident) they must have a government to control them. This is the proper place for government: to govern those who have no government. Secular anarchy has little hope, for in order for it to work at all people must have self-control. This is simply unrealistic, given that someone who does not have God as his or her ruler, is in essence governed by his flesh, which is governed by Satan. The Christian anarchist chooses the path of suffering, and dies to oneself, and takes up God’s existence and control. The Christian anarchist asserts that God is King, and no other deserves such allegiance. In conclusion what Jesus tells his followers here, captures Christian anarchy wonderfully. He says, “But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:8+).