Anarchy and Christianity by Jacques EllulMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a very honest read and is one of the freshest books on Christianity I have read. The author outlines the innate incompatibility of most forms of anarchy and Christianity and why most anarchists would not accept any Christian as a practicing Anarchist. On the premise of that predicament, Ellul barrels forward covering thousands of years of history and exegetes numerous scriptures, I believe all key scriptures both in the Hebrew Bible and the Greek Bible, that refer to authority or are used/have been taught as so by theologians, scholars, laypersons, and church leaders.
With such a blatant title, the book does not limit itself and touches various components to the Christian faith and life. For example faith itself and it’s crucial role in Christian Anarchy, the relationship with God and humans to God, Jesus’ figure and teachings, and freedom itself and how all this reconciles in a proclaimed Christian’s life when confronted by authority; specifically political authority.
To capture more of the takeaways from this book I’ll need to read it with others and discuss it, and most importantly, attempt to live a few of the practices mentioned. I recommend the read simply to challenge your general and traditional view of both Christianity and Anarchy. If you do, expect a new breath of interesting air that may encourage you to reframe how you view politics and authority, even if you are not a Christian or Anarchist.
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