It was apparently the kind of coincidence that life has to have. I had gone to Haifa for the ISSEI (International Society for the Study of European Ideas) conference to give a lecture on the pact or bond between Gustav Landauer and the Dutch Christian anarchists. On the Monday morning when I was to make my debut, no one, no one at all, showed any interest in the Landauer task force. “It’s happening,” said the Moderator, and he looked at the list to see if I could be placed somewhere else. We were walking down the hallways of the Technion building at the University of Haifa when I saw an artistic looking man taping something to a bulletin board. He was still looking for people who wanted to do something for his Mysticism task force. I burst out laughing, and the man, a bit annoyed, asked why I was laughing. “I laugh because I can share with you a lecture on Landauer and the Christian Anarchists.” Louis Bähler had clearly said that there was a mystical vein in the movement. He agreed and began my career as a lecturer on Christian/religious anarchism.
Anyway, I’ve written a story about those lectures and conferences in volume 6 of EXPLORATIONS and it can be found here. About a year ago I announced the end of this series. It hasn’t happened yet, and to be honest, the conclusion doesn’t seem obvious. In the meantime, I announce that the essays published by Stockholm University Press, which seem to embody the continuation of the Loughborough Lectures on Anarchism and Religion, are all available to read and download online. Surprising names appear: for example, the French libertarian and historian Daniel Guérin (1904-1988) and William Blake (1757-1827; English poet and painter) are called Christian anarchists. There is no excuse for ignorance in matters of religion and anarchism, I say.
Part 1: here
Part 2: here
Part 3: here
This seems to be the case in Stockholm.
To be continued…
– Previously published by Libertarian Order
