The Libertarian Christian Podcast

It seems that people are no longer able to have a decent conversation with each other about politics or other controversial topics. Social media exacerbates our tribal tendencies and often we get entrenched in our own beliefs. It often takes the wisdom of one who has had years of experience talking to and discussing hot-button topics. There's no better person for to talk to about this than EconTalk host, Russ Roberts. Russ Roberts joins us for this episode to discuss what it takes to maintain a civil discussion during the holiday season (or any season!). With insight and wisdom from Adam Smith to his experience as host of EconTalk and a professor, Russ shares with us some very important things about life, both in the personal sphere and the social sphere.     ★ Support this podcast ★

No matter where we are in the world, Silicon Valley plays a big role in most of our lives. Much of the technology that we have come to rely on for daily use is either designed in, managed from, or otherwise largely affected by the engineers, developers, programmers and executives who live in the Bay Area. Over the years --- and especially within the last two or three --- Silicon Valley has been increasingly in the spotlight for its politics, particularly how the political agendas of its influencers and executives affect the rest of us. In this episode, we are joined by Silicon Valley insider and LCI advisory board member Aaron Ginn. Aaron helps us sort fact from fiction in how we think about the politics of Silicon Valley, and to understand what it all means for freedom of speech and other key principles of liberty. We also discuss futurism in a Christian context, and how we should look at technology as a tool given to us by God in order to love our neighbors and advance the Lord's kingdom. ★ Support this podcast ★

The popular perception of libertarianism is often skewed. While those on the left tend to think of libertarians as greedy and self-absorbed with no concern for the poor, those on the right --- and particularly the Christian right --- often conflate libertarianism with libertinism. What's worse, many libertarians have contributed to this error by mixing libertarianism with other elements of their ethics, giving the inaccurate impression that libertarians must be hedonists, abuse narcotics, or live licentiously, or that at the very least they must not object to someone else's questionable behavior. As we continue our interview series with the authors of Called to Freedom, Taylor Barkley joins us to talk about the differences between libertarianism and libertinism. What are the different shades of libertarianism? How do the distinctions between 'thin libertarianism' and 'thick libertarianism' come into play? Why do some libertarians mix libertinism into their libertarianism? How should we explain libertarianism to those on both the left and the right? ★ Support this podcast ★

What is the biblical portrayal of the state? The Libertarian Christian Institute frequently discusses this question; it has bery important ramifications for how we think about political philosophy. In this episode, we continue our interview series with the authors of Called to Freedom as we are joined by Jason Hughey, author of the chapter on the Bible and government. Jason walks us through the narrative portrayal of the state in the Bible and helps us to see that state officials are sinful people just like the rest of us. As such, they should not be viewed as a special class with some intrinsic ability or right to rule, nor are they exempted from the ethical constraints that bind everyone else. In contrast to political power, the power of Christ is found in the gospel. We also cover some helpful guidelines for thinking about political power and the Bible, some pragmatic considerations, and of course, we get Jason's take on Romans 13. ★ Support this podcast ★

Mass shootings, gun control Protest with a football North Korea, South Korea, Rajoy as Franco No, it’s not a new Billy Joel song; it’s a discussion of some very important current events in culture, domestic and foreign policy, and international news which have happened during the last couple of months. 2017 has seen a lot of extraordinary developments --- some good, some bad, and some downright evil --- and in this episode we discuss a few which have been prominent in recent news cycles. We start off with the Las Vegas shooting and the left calling for gun control, move into football in American culture and the anthem protest controversy, spend some time going over the escalating North Korean conflict and the Iranian nuclear deal, and close out discussing the Catalonian secession vote and what is currently transpiring in Spain. ★ Support this podcast ★

The Diocese of South Carolina, once part of the Episcopal Church, seceded from the denomination in 2012 after a complex dispute, and in 2017 joined another Anglican denomination, the Anglican Church in North America. However, the Episcopal Church claims ownership of the diocese's real estate, as well as certain trademarks and intellectual property rights pertaining to its name and branding. What has ensued is an intricate and multi-faceted legal dispute between the diocese and the Episcopal Church. This story illustrates important considerations for handling ecclesiastic disputes and church splits, and what can happen when the state gets involved. Joining us to discuss his take is the Rev. Canon Jim Lewis from the Diocese of South Carolina. ★ Support this podcast ★

The War on Drugs is one of the most frequently-cited policy issues in modern politics, and it also serves as a clear foil of libertarianism. Whether or not one supports inflicting legislative violence to stop non-violent activity, as happens routinely in the Drug War, is perhaps the most important litmus test of a libertarian. Where one stands on the Drug War also often serves as a firm dividing line between libertarianism and conservatism. Yet despite the relentless evil of the War on Drugs, which is even more destructive to society than drug abuse itself, bad arguments and weak ethics still prevail in most national policy discussions. Thankfully, the tide is turning in recent years. In this episode, we are joined by Raeford Davis, a former police officer who used to enforce the Drug War, and now is one of its most fervent and piercing critics. Raeford walks us through his own story as a Christian police officer enforcing drug prohibition, what happened to change his mind, why the Drug War is both intrinsically evil and pragmatically ineffective, and why it is incumbent on every police officer, and every citizen, to consider and reject the sin that is the War on Drugs. ★ Support this podcast ★

Sociology, psychology and anthropology can bring us many important insights into our theology, and 20th century scholar René Girard is a testament to that fact. Diving deep into the root causes of sin and social conflict, Girard helps us to see that much of human strife occurs because of our misshapen 'mimetic' desires to imitate our neighbors (including by destroying them to take what is theirs) and/or project condemnation for our own sins onto others (scapegoating). We are joined on this episode by Girard expert David Gornoski, a friend and contributor to LCI. David explains the foundations and applications of Girard's insights and their relevance for both Christian theology and libertarian political philosophy. If you like this episode, terrific! If you don’t like this episode, consider that perhaps you’re scapegoating us and should reconsider. ★ Support this podcast ★

The subject of theonomy (rule by the Old Testament law) and Christian Reconstructionism (rebuilding society with the Old Testament as a blueprint) is sometimes raised in discussions of Christian political theology, particularly from those in the Reformed tradition. Most Reformed Christians would not identify as theonomists, yet interestingly, many who do are also associated with the libertarian movement. In this episode, we are joined by CJay Engel of The Reformed Libertarian, a longtime friend of LCI, to discuss the history and theology of the Christian Reconstructionist movement. CJay critiques the theonomic position from a Reformed perspective, and explains why the Old Testament law is not meant to be followed by modern nation-states and political bodies. ★ Support this podcast ★

The Libertarian Christian Institute was a big supporter of the book Called to Freedom, released in February of this year and featuring a foreword written by our own Norman Horn. Doug and Nick were joined at the Young Americans for Liberty National Convention (YALCON) in July by two of the authors, Elise Daniel and Jacqueline Isaacs, and conducted this impromptu interview in the hallway. We discuss their journeys as Christian libertarians, some key themes of the book, their insights on the current state of libertarianism in the Church, and find out how the book is being received. Both theological and warmly autobiographical, Called to Freedom is a great resource for anyone struggling to reconcile what it means to be both Christian and libertarian. ★ Support this podcast ★