The Anarchist Anabaptist

Essays on Radical Christianity & Freedom

Almost two hundred years before the liberal tradition of religious freedom, toleration, and consent was birthed in the west, a group of radical Christians in northern Europe had already rediscovered these ideas in the New Testament. They were called the Anabaptists.

Western Protestant and Catholicism eventually caught on to these ideas, but Anabaptists have largely been ignored in the intellectual history of these ideas which informed the liberal tradition, libertarianism, and philosophical anarchism. The Anarchist Anabaptist seeks to restore Anabaptism to its rightful place in this history. In doing so, it is hoped that those of a classical liberal bent will gain a deeper appreciation for what Christian theology contributes to our ideas of freedom and consent, and that those who find themselves drawn to Anabaptism will find the classical liberal tradition to provide answers to some of the questions which early Anabaptists posed.

Apparent tensions between Anabaptism and libertarianism, such as pacifism versus the Non-Aggression Principle and the community of goods versus free market capitalism, are also discussed and resolved in a way that demonstrates how Christianity complements libertarian ideals.

©2025 Cody Cook (P)2025 Cody Cook