This book by Jacques Ellul is about as provocative as its title suggests. Ellul's goal however is not to simply proselytize anarchists into Christianity or Christians into anarchism, but to deeply & incisively explore how the perspectives & praxis of each can inform & support the other in remarkably fruitful ways - and I think he profoundly succeeds in this endeavour.
After a very helpful introduction laying out his intent for the book, the contents go as follows. Part one examines anarchism from a Christian standpoint - firstly making the case rather cogently why anarchism is the most biblically consistent political (or antipolitical, in any case) philosophy, before going on to examine & answer some of the historical & metaphysical problems anarchists have with Christianity. Part two then delves into the Bible itself to unpack the anarchist tendencies either explicitly contained or latent within its subtext; from the Hebrew scriptures, to the teachings & ethics of Jesus, to the books of Revelation & 1st Peter, to the writings of Paul. Finally there are three appendices: summaries of Karl Barth's & Alphonse Maillot's commentaries on Romans 13:1-2; a consideration of the situation for conscientiously objecting Christians under Roman rule; and a personal testimony from Adrien Duchosal of why he finds such fruit in being both a priest and an anarchist.
Overall this is a very thought-provoking book, both sociopolitically & theologically - and I would highly recommend it to Christians skeptical of that wackiest & most chaotically diverse of philosophical standpoints. You never know, you might see something new. I certainly did, and I've been a Christian anarchist since my teens. It's also very short & readable.
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