Radical on the Bookshelf--My Piece in Geez Magazine

The new phone books are here! The new phone books are here!

Not really, but I am in print!

I may have mentioned that I was putting together a bibliography of sorts for Geez Magazine's "Worship and Anarchy" issue. My piece isn't available online, so I'll post it here. But if you want a hard copy--and you really should, it's a great issue!--you can order one HERE.

These are books I'd recommend if you are interested in learning more about Christian anarchism. Any of them would be a great starting place if you're just looking into it, or a place to dig a bit deeper.

Let me know what you think. Have you read these? What would you add to the list?

The Kingdom of God is Within You (1894) by Leo Tolstoy	This classic has influenced anarchists and nonviolent resisters from Ammon Hennacy to Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., and is an enduring cornerstone of the anarchist canon. *Available for free online – Google Books, Kindle
Anarchy and Christianity (1988) by Jacques Ellul	A short, accessible argument for Christian anarchism, directed at both anarchist and Christian skeptics. Ellul challenges the involvement of the church in the politics of the nation-state and encourages the reader to imagine a more Christ-like alternative. Also recommended: Violence and The Subversion of Christianity
Anarchism and Other Essays (1910) by Emma Goldman	Reading Goldman, a committed atheist who sometimes supported violence, is important for giving shape to an anarchistic worldview. Plus, she’s a formidable early anarcha-feminist you want to know about. *Available for free online – Google Books, Kindle
The Long Loneliness (1952) by Dorothy Day	This autobiography gives us a glimpse into what a life shaped by Christian anarchism looks like. Day, who created the Catholic Worker anarchist newspaper and founded Hospitality Houses that fed and clothed the poor, had a passion for “making the world a place where people can be better human beings.”
The Politics of Jesus (1972) by John Howard Yoder	Yoder, an anabaptist theologian who has been influential for Christian anarchists, takes Jesus as a “model of radical political action.” He shows how the Jesus of Christendom hardly resembles the Jesus of the gospels. Truly following Jesus should change our social ethic to the countercultural ethic of the Beatitudes and Jubilee.
Living on Hope While Living in Babylon (2009) by Tripp York	In York’s analysis, the Christian anarchist politic is apocalyptic rather than apolitical. He shows how it has been lived out by well-known anarchists like Dorothy Day and Clarence Jordan. The tone is hopeful: York presents a Christian anarchist way of life as not only viable but even fruitful.
The Myth of a Christian Nation (2007) by Gregory Boyd	Boyd tackles the creeping problem of Christian patriotism in the United States and challenges believers to rethink the way they engage in politics instead of buying into the evangelical myth of the religious right.
Resident Aliens (1989)  by Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon	This book isn’t explicitly anarchist, but it challenges Christians to think critically about our cultural contexts and how to live as a colony of believers – in the world and yet not of the world.
Waging Nonviolent Struggle (2005)  by Gene Sharp	Sharp is neither overtly anarchist nor Christian, but he offers a “social view of power” – that power comes from the people and is dependent on their cooperation. He advocates for nonviolence as an effective means for oppressed people to create change and lists 198 different methods of nonviolent action.
That Holy Anarchist (2012) Mark Van Steenwyk	A quick read that covers the basics of Christian anarchism as well as its most common challenges. Van Steenwyk provides a very accessible and informative primer on the anarchistic leanings of Jesus.
Jesus For President (2008) Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw	Designed in full colour with a DIY aesthetic, this book uses the stories of ancient Israel and the early church to frame the way Christians may think about government and rulers today.
Oppression and Liberty (1955) by Simone Weil	Simone Weil was an anarchist-turned-Catholic mystic. A well-educated early-twentieth-century woman, she offers a unique, thorough and philosophical perspective on power and politics, and a particularly apt criticism of Marx.
Christian Anarchy (1987) by Vernard Eller	In a scholarly yet informal style, Eller provides many “whys” of Christian anarchy, explaining how kingdom of God “arky” is so different from wordly “arkys” and therefore how Christians should think and live differently. *Available for free online HERE

Christian Anarchism: A Political Commentary on the Gospel (2010) byAlexandre Christoyannopoulos

With accessible academic style, Christoyannopoulos presents an extensively researched and thorough study of Christian anarchism that includes its origins and history, prominent leaders and influencers, and biblical and theological supporting theories.

Book Review: Electing Not to Vote

This week, I finished reading Electing Not to Vote, a collection of essays on abstaining from voting edited by Ted Lewis.

It was among my pile of Christian anarchist literature that I've been going through, but reading it now is especially timely with the presidential election looming.

I would absolutely recommend you read it in the next couple of weeks if you are a Christian wondering weather or not participating in public political life is an appropriate extension of your spiritual life. You can even read a portion of Andy Alexis-Baker's essay about the "Myth of the State As Savior and Elections as Confession of Faith" on Jesus Radicals--HERE.

I liked that each essay approaches the issue from a different perspective and offers different reasons for not voting--yet all are united in their goal of remaining faithful to following the way of Jesus and upholding the Church as a people set apart from the world. Part of the reason I liked this approach is that I have such a hard time cogently explaining my position on this question. There are so many reasons! And this book covers many of the best ones--in only 100 pages.

I especially appreciated Nekeisha Alexis-Baker's essay (although I wish she hadn't been the only female voice in the book) and how she tied not voting with a freedom to speak politically in other ways.

One quote I found to be particularly profound was this:

“Refusing to vote can liberate Christians from the American myth of voting-as-voice, can free us to speak in new ways, and can liberate us from seeing the ballot box as the most effective way to promote God’s shalom in the world.”

We often are told that voting is how we make our voice heard and "have our say" in government, but this is just not true. My voice and my opinion are far more nuanced than checking "Yes" or "No," and my beliefs never, ever line up exactly with any candidate. And there's no reason for me to restrict it to these methods simply because that is what is offered me by the state.

The overarching theme of the book is this: The Church is different. Its rules are not dictated by the state, but by God and God's incarnational love as seen in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And if this is true, then the way we act should look different, and challenge the structures and hierarchies of the world.

I'm planning to post more about abstaining from voting on the basis of Christianity next week, when Zack Hunt from American Jesus hosts a synchroblog--so look forward to that if you are interested in hearing more.

On Book Reviews

I've toyed with the idea of posting book reviews, especially this summer since I'm flying through books and I like to share what I'm reading.

But I'm really, really bad at writing them.
And I hate it.

I think this is because I feel uneasy about making value statements about people's work. Whatever the book is, someone worked hard on it and got it published and I'm sure someone in the world will find it useful and enjoyable, so it's not my place to say it's a "good" or "bad" book.

Additionally, I like pretty much every book I read.

Seriously. Check out my GoodReads profile. Basically every single book has received three or four stars ("liked it" or "really liked it"). My favorite books get five stars. And Catcher in the Rye got one. Because it's stupid.

But every time I try to actually write a review, I feel unqualified and give up.

I guess this makes me a disappointment of a librarian. Aren't we supposed to be good at this?

Do you write book reviews? Have any tips? Would you read my pathetic attempts if I posted them here? Let me know in the comments.