Christarchy tickled

The following is an article I submitted to Yobs conspiracy zine he’s working on. Feedback is appreciated.

We didn’t choose to exist, but none the less here we are living in a time called America. The stories of the past involving family, friends, authors, presidents, leaders, nations, militaries, poets, prophets, activists, the poor, the rich etc.  have all seeped to in form our beings shaping our uniqueness. Like one of my favorite rappers manchild says, “all  I am is collection of souls that God has used to touch me.” We live this mysterious life in some sort of connection to our surroundings figuring out how to relate to ourselves, to society, to nature, and to God. The journey  of experiencing these relational dynamics is what I wish to humbly share with the rest of this paper space.

My first confession; I’m enamored with the Jesus story. Nothing is as beautiful to my soul than the peculiar Galilean Godman’s  teaching, healing, then laying down his life for the redemption of the universe. And up until recently I have been contently living with a dichotomy keeping spirituality and politics nice and tidy in separate spheres. But after being influenced from learning about Jesus’ and the early churches context in the Roman empire, the radical reformation strand of church history, and current grass roots movements of Jesus following,  I’m slowly realizing that an authentic faith in the historical Jesus is political in every sense of the word.

To paint a broad stroke of politics, it is simply how we relate to the world we live in. Anything that involves humans living together purposefully is political. Politics is a word to encompass all of our various relational dynamics in the world not just how we legislate issues . So we are all political simply in how we interact with society. So in whoever or whatever one puts their faith in, or pledges allegiance, or deems worthy of authority to is how they are political in the world in which we live. Consider the politics of the following people:

A law abiding citizen pledges allegiance to their nation. An Anarchist would pledge allegiance to autonomy of the self. A communist pledges allegiance to the formation of egalitarian, classless society and the powers that institute such movement. A Christian or a Christarchist if you will, would pledge allegiance to Jesus and his Kingdom.

A what? A Christarchist? What in the crap is that? A cute word to make Christians sound cool?

On the contrary I think that Christarchy properly understood would serve to enhance the call of Christian which is to love as Jesus loved.  Breaking down the portmanteau we trace archy to its Greek origins meaning ‘priority’, ‘primacy’, ‘primordial’. Archy identifies any principle of governance claiming to be of primal value for society. Christ would refer to the person of Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah to those who put their trust in Him. Christarchy means a politic where Jesus is the ultimate value.

Oh great,  you’re seeking to shove your religious political agenda on society. They already tried that it was called Christendom don’t you read history?

There is a different definition of political power that has radically differentiates Christarchy from domineering Christendom that has done so much horrific damage in the past. Christendom was based on a power struggle that was cloaked with religious language but wasn’t rooted in Jesus’ teachings.  A Christarchist, such as myself humbly asks for forgivness for this misrepresentation of our Lord, and we’ll re-define power by the sacrificial nature of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. It is power revealed in Jesus’ life and politics that power can come from serving under and bring love that transforms the heart of humans. Not the power over dominance struggle of empires and nations. More than anything Christarchy is new word to convey an ancient political message of new way to live in the world we find ourselves. In my short stint of  1424 weeks of life on the planet I have found no better news than this invitation into participation in this upside down kingdom of Jesus.

If you have read this far, I want to say thanks for hearing me out. I write this bit on Christarchy to convey a message that burns in my being; we are radically loved by a living God and seeking him is dangerous because it’ll mess up your life and politics. I’m not here to say my point of view is better than yours, I just want to expose and offer this exciting way of being. Peace and blessings!