Exploring Voluntary Societies and Critiquing State Coercion

LCI recently released our Mission, Vision and Core Values statement: a concise, systematic presentation of what we stand for as an organization. This document will provide a framework for LCI going forward, and also serve for branding purposes as a broad explanation of what we believe about the intersection of Christian theology and libertarian political philosophy. Over the coming weeks, we will be exploring this statement and its five Core Values; discussing why they are in the document, what they mean, why we believe them, and how they fit into the bigger picture.

Humans are created to be social beings, and God’s design is that we work together to develop institutions which promote human flourishing. Insofar as these institutions are voluntary, peaceful, and non-coercive, human beings possess the God-given capacity to solve the worst of problems in the best of ways. Social institutions founded upon mutual cooperation — such as marriage, family, church, organizations, and businesses — are vital for authentic humanity.