Many words have more than one definition. When people decry anarchy, they are usually talking about a loss of control and chaos. Specifically, when there is a lack of justice for criminals–where people can do whatever they want without consequence. Christians will cite Judges 21:25 as an example of this. It says, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” A lack of criminal justice would be a big problem in Scripture.

There is a wide array of anarchists ranging from anarcho-communists to anarcho-capitalists. I only care to defend anarcho-capitalism. Before King Saul became Israel’s first king, Israel was ruled by the Lord. Human judges were in place to carry out criminal justice. Neighbors might hold trials and the witnesses in a death penalty trial were to be the first to throw the stones in a stoning. There were no prisons, no paid police, no king, no president. Only everyday people who were supposed to know God’s law. They didn’t even have an army. Formal judges even led Israel into battles, without authority to force people to join the army. If the people believed the war was unjust, they didn’t show up to fight. If they thought it was just, they knew God was fighting on their behalf.

That is anarchy–where there is no human authority to force anyone to do anything. No one to force you to pay taxes or force you to seek their permission to do something that isn’t sinful or get permission to do something that is sinful. The only control anyone has over someone is when they’ve criminally harmed someone else. Your neighbors and townspeople will make sure you are fairly tried and that your just sentence is executed. Israel at the time of the judges had no human rulers. It was an anarchy.

But if those who decry anarchy are worried that criminals aren’t receiving justice, that is exactly what we have in the United States right now. Sixty million babies have been murdered by abortion, and it’s perfectly legal. There is a mass slaughter going on; it’s just that it’s not happening where we can see it but in abortion clinics.