Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), besides writing famous novels such as War and Peace, also wrote on political issues, especially later in his life, putting forward a political philosophy which might be termed 'Christian anarchism'. This book provides a comprehensive overview of Tolstoy's political thought. It outlines in a systematic way Tolstoy's thought, which was originally articulated unsystematically in diverse, often informal writing, such as pamphlets, letters, and speeches, as well as books, and in his novels, where Tolstoy's thinking is put forward implicitly through the novels' characters. The book sets out the basic themes of Tolstoy's political thought: his acceptance of the teachings of Jesus, his criticism of the way in which Jesus' teachings have been relayed by the church through traditional creeds and dogma, his passionate rejection of political violence by both the state and those working for reform, his plea for a nonviolent response to violence and injustice, and his call for society to forego its institutional shackles and enact a community of peace, love, and justice. The book also includes background information on the Russia of Tolstoy's time, including the religious context, and a discussion of how Tolstoy's political thought has been received by his admirers, who included Gandhi, and his critics.

Christian anarchists such as Leo Tolstoy, Jacques Ellul and Dave Andrews offer a compelling critique of the state, the church and the economy based on numerous passages from the New Testament. This study brings together these different thinkers and presents Christian anarchism to both the wider public and the wider academic community.

Christian anarchism has been around for at least as long as “ secular” anarchism. The existing literature cites Leo Tolstoy as its most famous (sometimes even as the only) proponent, but there are many others, such as Jacques Ellul, Vernard Eller, Dave Andrews or the people associated with the Catholic Worker movement. Both individually and collectively, these Christian anarchists offer a compelling critique of the state, the church and the economy based on numerous passages from the New Testament. Yet despite the relevance and growth of this literature, no generic study bringing together these different thinkers or reflecting on their contribution has been published to date, because such work involves meticulous searching, compiling and structuring of countless different texts and sources, not all of which are easily accessed. This book, however, provides precisely such a study, and thereby presents Christian anarchism to both the wider public and the wider academic community.

Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), besides writing famous novels such as War and Peace, also wrote on political thought, especially later in his life, putting forward a political philosophy which might be termed "Christian anarchism." This book provides a comprehensive overview of Tolstoy s political thought. It outlines in a systematic way Tolstoy s thought, which was originally articulated unsystematically in diverse, often informal writing, such as pamphlets, letters and speeches, as well as books, and in his novels, where Tolstoy s thinking is put forward implicitly through the novels characters. The book sets out the basic themes of Tolstoy s political thought: his acceptance of the teachings of Jesus, his criticism of the way in which Jesus s teachings have been preached by the church through traditional creeds and dogma, his passionate rejection of political violence both by the state and those working for reform, his plea for a non-violent response to violence and injustice, and his call for society to forego its institutional shackles and enact a community of peace, love and justice. The book also includes background information on the Russia of Tolstoy s time, including the religious context; and a discussion of how Tolstoy s political thought has been received, both by his admirers, who included Gandhi, and his critics."