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Submitted by meganostarr on Thu, 01/11/2007 - 4:04pm.
Jan 19 2007 - 9:15am Jan 19 2007 - 5:15pm In today's political climate, Christianity and Anarchism aren't the most obvious bedfellows. However, both traditions look intentionally to non-governmental sources of authority, and in both traditions there is awareness of the political and ethical stakes of this decision. By exploring the intersection of these two rivers of consciousness, we can learn about the how to make our movements more grounded and our churches more relevant. The Radical Catholics for Justice and Peace and the Bread and Roses Catholic Worker House invite "Anarchists," "Christians," and everyone in between to engage this discussion in Olympia, Washington at The Evergreen State College on January 18-19. Below is a working schedule. This conference is also cosponsored by the online community jesusradicals.com which has held annual gatherings on Anarchism and Christianity since August of 2003. More info here: http://conference.jesusradical IMPORTANT: There is limited space for overnight hospitality in Olympia. If you would like accommodations we will do our best. Please email eric@jesusradicals.com. And if you live in the Olympia area and can put up a few people, please contact us as well! ------------- ~ ------------- ~ ------------- Anarchism and Christianity: Intersecting Perspectives Thursday & Friday, January 18 & 19, 2007 at Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA Sponsored by the Radical Catholics for Justice and Peace, the Bread and Roses Catholic Worker House, and JesusRadicals.com ------------- Thursday, January 18th 6-8pm -- Roundtable: Direction Action Hospitality at the Bread & Roses Advocacy Center -- 1320 8th Ave SE We'll take a radical and local look at the persistence of poverty in our over-consumptive culture, and engage in a visioning session on what a personalist response network might look like. Facilitator: Phil Owen, of Bread and Roses Catholic Worker ------------- Friday January 19th: all events at the Organic Farm House -- see below for directions 9am -- Welcome by Megan Starr, Evergreen College Radical Catholics for Justice and Peace 9:15am -- 10:45am: In the Land of the Living: A Primer on Anarchism and Christianity. From Leo Tolstoy to Dorothy Day to the EZLN, anarchist tendencies have mixed with Christian faith to form a powerful commitment to real-time social change. Overview and discussion led by Eric Anglada & Amy Dalton. 11am --12:30pm: Resistance and Creation: Prophetic Responses to the Environmental Crisis A prophetic response is one of awareness, creativity, and action. It is one that denounces the present order of society through analyzing the current crisis while proposing alternative responses to it. This discussion places the response within biblical and anarchist contexts. Lisa Kemmerer, professor at Montanta State University and author of the article "In the Beginning: God Created the Earth and 'Eco-Terrorism' will speak on the actions of the Earth Liberation Front and their place within the Hebrew prophetic tradition as well as eco-justice and care for creation. Miranda Duschack will discuss ways of personal creation stewardship as lived through anarchist, Christian, agrarian, and Catholic Worker lifestyles. 12:30pm -- 2pm: Lunch provided by Food Not Bombs * Regional meetings -- Seattle, Portland, Olympia * Issue-based breakout groups * Also a time to trade zines, CW papers etc. -- please bring your materials to share 2pm -- 3:30pm: Immigrants Rights and the Changing Labor Movement Last year the largest decentralized protests in American history took place in defense of immigrants rights, culminating in a general strike on May Day, which is International Workers Day. We'll discuss how this movement emerged, how is it related to deeper changes in the US labor movement, and what role people of faith can play in carrying it forward. Special attention will be paid toward the history of the sanctuary movement and the efforts underway to recreate a similar network today. Panelists: Marco Mejia, AFSC & Portland Immigrants Rights Coalition; Rev. Steven Witte, Oregon Farmworker Ministry; representative from Seattle IWW, others TBA. Facilitators: Athena Marsden & Amy Dalton 3:45pm -- 5:15pm: Keynote Address by Laurel Dykstra Exodus and Empire: Reading the Exodus from a First World Perspective When we read Exodus, the paradigmatic liberation story in scripture, attending to the traits and qualites of Egypt we find a scathing portrait of empire that is an indictment of North American culture today. Based on her book /Set Them Free: The Other Side of Exodus. Laurel Dykstra will offer a biblical popular education experience. Laurel Dykstra is a scripture and justice educator, activist, writer and artist. She has lived in and around intentional Christian communities for most of her adult life. -------------- ~ -------------- ~ -------------- Directions to Evergreen and the Organic Farm House: Evergreen: Whether you are coming from the north or south, take Interstate 5 into Olympia, then turn onto Highway 101 at exit 104 and follow 101 west for three miles to The Evergreen State College exit. Stay to the left and continue on the Evergreen Parkway another two miles. Exit to the left onto McCann Plaza to reach the main campus entrance. Parking permits for B and C lots are sold at the information booth. Organic Farm House: Continue on the Evergreen Parkway past the main campus to Overhulse Road, turn left on Overhulse road, left on Driftwood road, left on Lewis Road. The Organic Farm will be on the left hand side of Lewis Road. |
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interesting
Submitted by Rob Richards on Thu, 01/11/2007 - 4:47pm.“One man scorned and covered with scars still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars; and the world was better for this.
It sounds interesting. I
Submitted by Norm on Thu, 01/11/2007 - 5:00pm.the BBC did a thing, not so long ago. . .
Submitted by theunabonger on Thu, 01/11/2007 - 6:16pm.The BBC did a thing about Anarchy on their "In Our Time" series of scholarly discussions. Find it on the web, over here somewhere.
Cosmo
I can see how the life of
Submitted by Robert Whitlock on Thu, 01/11/2007 - 8:55pm.In the Course of Events
yes rob . . . (weird esoterica, not taxonomic heirarchy)
Submitted by theunabonger on Thu, 01/11/2007 - 11:10pm.People have often (for close to two millennia) misinterpreted Jesus' message that all knowledge of the divine is a fundamental part of our being, just waiting to be tapped. I doubt that Jesus would be into a dogmatic church such as the Roman Catholic Church that usurped his popularity and legend to help solidify their empire, nor any of the ultra-puritan heirarchical protestant skeins of Christianity (name your poisin) that developed starting in the 15th century. Being raised Catholic (alter boy, etc.), I can say that dogma and "forced rightful thinking" about spirituality is a meme that wrecked the Western world for close to one thousand years at a time when the Arab/Muslim world was flourishing in a golden age of learning and civilization, and this catastrophe led to a great loss of civilation's advances, and philosophical accomplishment for centuries, only a small portion of which has been, and will be recovered.
So to sum it up, Church/Religion - No!! Jesus/Anarchy (An Archos - Without Leaders) Yes!
We are all sovereign, how we and whether we choose to develop ourselves to use our will rightfully is up to us, and will not come from following leaders, secular OR spiritual.
Cosmo
P.S., hope this response isn't too rambling. Please, please, please listen to the BBC audio documentary I linked above if you want to truly understand the philosophy of Anarchy!
Rob, You say that anarchy is
Submitted by Jade on Fri, 01/12/2007 - 4:23pm.You say that anarchy is secular. In fact, there are different types of anarchist theory. Not all interpretations/philosophies of anarchy are antitheistic.
Also, you make the assumption that autonomy and religion are at odds. In fact there are entire religious philosophies and movements in which autonomy is one of the core values(Reformation, Baptist, Anabaptist,Quaker, Catholic Worker, American Anti-slavery movement, Liberation Theology, to name a few.) I understand that you aren't religious, but it is awfully arrogant of you to define other people's religious beliefs and their political implications for them, don't ya think?
Its fine to state your own beliefs, but I don't think its ok to tell other people what they can and can't believe. Instead of saying that Christian Anarchists don't exist, and they should redefine themselves according to your philosophies, maybe you could have a two-way conversation. Try: "I don't know what you mean when you say you are a 'Christian Anarchist'.I am interested to hear about how those beliefs intersect for you." And maybe: "I think that you and I have a different interpretation of what anarchy is."
I'm not saying agree, I am saying don't be a disrespectful jerk.
You have autonomy to do whatever you want, I'm just making a request.
Jade
But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone.
Romans 9:31
Call no man master, for ye are all brothers.
Matthew 23:8
well shit,
Submitted by Rob Richards on Fri, 01/12/2007 - 6:37pm.“One man scorned and covered with scars still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars; and the world was better for this.
hmm..
Submitted by Summerisle on Fri, 01/12/2007 - 11:24pm.Anarcho-Christian Apologetics
Submitted by Jade on Sat, 01/13/2007 - 2:25am.Summerisle, ok, get ready for a wordy post.
I'm hesitant to label myself as an Anarchist or a Christian-not because I disagree with either philosophy exactly, but because I think there is a great gulf between how I understand them and how they are generally understood (or misunderstood) in our society.
I usually just avoid threads about religion, because I don't consider it a fun debate topic like alot of people do. My faith is something deeply personal for me. I don't discuss it with many of my closest friends. Its really not something I care to have belittled or psychoanalyzed. If you talk about this sort of thing on a blog, its open season. I really don't want to invite an argument with strangers about my inner life.
That said, it is one of my pet peeves when people refuse to own their beliefs, and you nailed me (no pun intended...+) on that one. so I'm going to take a leap of faith (or rationally-reasoned optimism, if you will) and try to speak to it.
I really don't want to preach, but I would like to increase the level of respect and understanding around religion (not just Christianity). Please feel free to share other beliefs in the spirit of understanding. If I fail to effectively avoid preaching, please just point that out, rather than retaliating.
If people want to start another 85-post argument about religion and whether it is the source of all the world's problems, maybe they could open another thread. I'd rather not have this be that.
The trouble with religion is that the people who are the biggest yahoos about it tend to have the biggest mouths. (Or the biggest signs with pictures of cut-up babies.)And the people who are quietest about it are often the ones who feel disrespected and unwelcome when people start knocking religion.
I'm sure that there are a broad range of philosophies held by Anarcho-Christians. But at the most basic, I would say a Christian Anarchist is a person who has some version of Christian faith, and who doesn't believe in reliance on government. I'm actually kind of surprised there aren't more people who believe that.Here is what Allexperts says about Christian Anarchism.
Obviously the authority of the Divine (if you could believe in such a thing) is really different than governmental authority.
I believe in God, but not as supernatural prison guard or supreme abusive father.
When I say God, I am talking about that there is a source of rightness in the universe that we can tap into any time. Like a big river, it has undeniable force and direction and a natural law to it. But like water, it is a resource of life, not an oppressor. Just as you wouldn't say "Damn the river, always forcing me to go ITS way.", to me it is silly to interpret God as an arbitrary authoritarian imposing control on human beings.
It seems perfectly logical to me that laws and governments and other forms of social control (including churches) keep people from accessing this resource.
So I think Anarcho-Christianity is perfectly sensible.
Some people (like Ghandi) believe that using legal force to control people is a form of violence. The gospels condemn violence (as well as money, lawsuits, power, and pride), so I think government certainly creates a moral dilemma for Christians.I certainly view Jesus as an anarchist.
Jade
you say "God", i say me
Submitted by Rob Richards on Sat, 01/13/2007 - 11:39pm.“One man scorned and covered with scars still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars; and the world was better for this.
I didn't say that the Source
Submitted by Jade on Sun, 01/14/2007 - 5:13pm.And to me, God is not a construct that I need, or an idea that I find necessary due to a lack of other possibilities. My beliefs are simply the ones that make the most sense to me.
You can break any belief down to some psychological inadequacy if you want to. Psychologists like to think that everything about people is driven by insecurity and unhealth. I guess it makes sense to think that when you fancy yourself a doctor for such problems.
For instance, I could say that you deny God because you fear dependency and your ego won't accept that it is not the only independent source of everything, but I really hate looking at things that way. Why do we have to pathologize everything? People aren't exclusively motivated by their weaknesses and shortcomings. Its a bum way to look at the world through that lense, because it blinds you to people's beauty and good character.
People just as much believe things because they are inspired to, or because it resonates with their experience as they do out of neurosis.
Doctors who can see only people's sickness and not people's strength are like Christians who can only see people's sin and not their light. They are missing all the meaning of their doctrine!
Jade
I am reminded of the story
Submitted by Mike on Sun, 01/14/2007 - 9:35pm.Inside, outside, angels dancing on the head of a pin. Oranges for everyone.
ok
Submitted by Summerisle on Sat, 01/13/2007 - 7:20pm.Christian Anarchism
Submitted by Phil Owen on Sun, 01/14/2007 - 1:35pm.Christian anarchism is, in my view, deeply rooted in the kind of pacifism taught in the Sermon on the Mount. The need to dominate, to control, and to force is inherent to human nature, yet is also at odds with the Gospels which instruct us to be poor, gentle, and humble.
This may seem different from what many people hear about the Christian religion. We are all familiar with the present day religious celebrities, with the hateful rhetoric on homosexuality and on abortion, with "End of Days" or "Left Behind" talk, and with the call to arms against our Muslim brothers and sisters. These things are profoundly at odds with the Gospel message.
The Gospel preaches the "Kingdom of God", a potential world, in which all people submit to God's law: "That you love one another as I have loved you." (John 15) The Kingdom is a world in which every person makes of themselves a servant unto every other person. This commitment cannot be forced; it must be entered into voluntarily. And so I am an anarchist precisely because I am a Christian.
"All the believers were of one heart and mind, and they felt that what they owned was not their own; they shared everything they had... There was no poverty among them, because people who owned land or houses sold them and brought the money to the apostles to give to others in need." -Acts 4:32-35
The Canaanite's Call