Adin Ballou (1803–1890) was an American proponent of

Christian nonresistance Christian pacifism is the theological and ethical position according to which pacifism and non-violence have both a scriptural and rational basis for Christians, and affirms that any form of violence is incompatible with the Christian faith. Chr ...

Christian anarchism Christian anarchism is a Christian movement in political theology that claims anarchism is inherent in Christianity and the Gospels. It is grounded in the belief that there is only one source of authority to which Christians are ultimately answ ...

and socialism,

abolitionism Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The Britis ...

and the founder of the

Hopedale Community The Hopedale Community was founded in Milford, Massachusetts, in 1843 by Adin Ballou. He and his followers purchased of land on which they built homes for the community members, chapels and the factories for which the company was initially formed. ...

. Through his long career as a Universalist and

Unitarian Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to: Christian and Christian-derived theologies A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism: * Unitarianism (1565–present ...

minister, he tirelessly advocated for the immediate abolition of slavery and the principles of Christian anarcho-socialism, and promoted the nonviolent theory of praxis (or moral suasion) in his prolific writings. Such writings drew the admiration of Leo Tolstoy, who frequently cited Ballou as a major influence on his theological and political ideology in his nonfiction texts like ''The Kingdom of God is Within You,'' along with sponsoring Russian translations of some of Ballou's works. As well as heavily inspiring Tolstoy, Ballou's Christian anarchist and nonresistance ideals in texts like
Practical Christianity
' were passed down from Tolstoy to Mahatma Gandhi, contributing not only to the

nonviolent resistance Nonviolent resistance (NVR), or nonviolent action, sometimes called civil resistance, is the practice of achieving goals such as social change through symbolic protests, civil disobedience, economic or political noncooperation, satyagraha, cons ...

movement in the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

led by the

Tolstoyans The Tolstoyan movement is a social movement based on the philosophical and religious views of Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910). Tolstoy's views were formed by rigorous study of the ministry of Jesus, particularly the Sermon on the Mo ...

but also Gandhi's early thinkings on the nonviolent theory of praxis and the development of his first

ashram An ashram ( sa, आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or a ...

, the Tolstoy Farm. In a recent publication, the American philosopher and anarchist Crispin Sartwell wrote that the works by Ballou and his other Christian anarchist contemporaries like William Lloyd Garrison directly influenced Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., as well. Ballou was a prominent local historian for Milford and wrote one of the earliest complete histories of the town in 1882: "History of the town of Milford, Worcester county, Massachusetts, from its first settlement to 1881". (2 vols) Ballou became a lifelong advocate of

by 1838. ''

Standard of Practical Christianity Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

'' was composed in 1839 by Ballou and a few ministerial colleagues and laymen. The signatories announced their withdrawal from "the governments of the world." They believed the dependence on force to maintain order was unjust and vowed to not participate in such government. While they did not acknowledge the earthly rule of man, they also did not rebel or "resist any of their ordinances by physical force." "We cannot employ carnal weapons nor any physical violence whatsoever," they proclaimed, "not even for the preservation of our lives. We cannot render evil for evil... nor do otherwise than 'love our enemies.'" In 1843, he began to serve as president of the New England Non-Resistance Society.

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External links

* *
Friends of Adin Ballou

Christian Non-Resistance in All Its Important Bearings
(his principal work on pacifism)
Anarchy Archives
Section on Ballou. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ballou, Adin 1803 births 1890 deaths 19th-century Christian universalists Activists from Massachusetts Activists from Rhode Island American abolitionists American anarchists American Christian pacifists American Christian socialists American temperance activists Christian abolitionists Christian anarchists Christian radicals Clergy of the Universalist Church of America Founders of utopian communities People from Cumberland, Rhode Island People from Hopedale, Massachusetts People from Mendon, Massachusetts Tolstoyans Unitarian socialists Utopian socialists 19th-century American clergy

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Further reading

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