Jesus the Anarchist
by Philip Berrigan
One of the best kept secrets of the world has been the activism - the nonviolent activism - of Jesus. A close reading of the Gospel reveals his calling into account an unjust, corrupt system.
Kindness does not adequately describe his relationship to the poor or to those who suffer. Compassion is better. 'My heart is moved with compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat.' (Mark 8:2) Nor does nonviolent revolutionary sum him up. Anarchist is better: One who lives self-government, representing the poor, resisting a criminal state, and attending to the just works of God. 'Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.' (Matthew 22:21) Since all belonged to God, he gave nothing to Caesar.
Most of the references to Jesus' kindness and nonviolence are suppressed today, simply because the established churches have chosen chaplaincy to the imperial state. Virtually no one teaches Christians the nonviolence of Jesus, nor his calling to community, nor his voluntary poverty, nor his choice of the cross, that living symbol of resistance to evil, including systemic evil - resistance to imperial governments, to predatory corporations, to nuclear weapons, to war, to the despoilation of the environment, to killing in any form.
What are these organizations of oppression that lie to us, rob us, and sometimes kill us? Empires, nation-states, globalized corporations, world trade organizations, tariff and trade agreements (NAFTA), war ministries (Departments of Defense), Banks, Stock Exchanges. Jesus would denounce and resist the scurrying, blind creatures that build and idolize them, while loving them and agonizing over their conversion.
by Philip Berrigan
One of the best kept secrets of the world has been the activism - the nonviolent activism - of Jesus. A close reading of the Gospel reveals his calling into account an unjust, corrupt system.
Kindness does not adequately describe his relationship to the poor or to those who suffer. Compassion is better. 'My heart is moved with compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat.' (Mark 8:2) Nor does nonviolent revolutionary sum him up. Anarchist is better: One who lives self-government, representing the poor, resisting a criminal state, and attending to the just works of God. 'Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.' (Matthew 22:21) Since all belonged to God, he gave nothing to Caesar.
Most of the references to Jesus' kindness and nonviolence are suppressed today, simply because the established churches have chosen chaplaincy to the imperial state. Virtually no one teaches Christians the nonviolence of Jesus, nor his calling to community, nor his voluntary poverty, nor his choice of the cross, that living symbol of resistance to evil, including systemic evil - resistance to imperial governments, to predatory corporations, to nuclear weapons, to war, to the despoilation of the environment, to killing in any form.
What are these organizations of oppression that lie to us, rob us, and sometimes kill us? Empires, nation-states, globalized corporations, world trade organizations, tariff and trade agreements (NAFTA), war ministries (Departments of Defense), Banks, Stock Exchanges. Jesus would denounce and resist the scurrying, blind creatures that build and idolize them, while loving them and agonizing over their conversion.
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