The Protestant Libertarian Podcast

In this episode I talk with Zach Weissmuller, senior producer at Reason magazine and cohost of the ‘Just Asking Questions’ podcast with Liz Wolfe. Wolfe recently published a piece for reason entitled ‘How the Libertarian Party Lost It’s Way’, which is critical of the current direction of the LP. It generated a lot of conflict between Reason staffers and Mises Caucus-oriented libertarians, and Zach discusses the article, the controversy surrounding it, and his own video work on the Mises Caucus. We discuss the purpose of the Libertarian Party, the controversial messaging coming from some LP state affiliates such as the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire, the Chase Oliver campaign, the rift within the libertarian movement between so-called ‘left’ and ‘right’ libertarians, where Reason is located on that spectrum, and the prospects for libertarian unity and advancing libertarian ideas. We then discuss the current state of the 2024 presidential race and the potential for electoral chaos.  Media Referenced:Zach Weissmueller on X: @TheAbridgedZachLiz Wolfe Article: https://reason.com/2024/06/25/how-the-libertarian-party-lost-its-way/Zach’s ‘Reno Reset’ Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsgFdPqOAhkZach’s 2024 LP Convention Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ky63JKjIBzEJust Asking Questions podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBuns9Evn1w9K02WT8x-gzSI-UdeeXFG9&si=LSQaKOht85ZjkV81Reason TV: https://www.youtube.com/@ReasonTV  The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com. Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!  

In this episode, I talk with Caleb Campbell, pastor of Desert Springs Bible Church in Phoenix, Arizona, about his brand-new book ‘Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor’, out now on IVP. In this book he argues that we should view Christian nationalism as a missionary opportunity, seeking to lovingly lead Christian nationalists back to Jesus. He discusses his experiences with TPUSA, why Christian nationalism has become so popular, the characteristics of the average Christian nationalists, and how to prepare our hearts to lovingly engage with them. As an added bonus, I ask him about the threat of progressive Christianity and conspiracy theories.   Media Referenced:Disarming Leviathan: https://a.co/d/6vgKv9UCaleb Campbell Twitter: @calebphxDisarming Leviathan Website: DisarmingLeviathan.comDisarming Leviathan Twitter: @DisarmingL   The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com. Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!

In this episode I welcome back Dr. James McGrath to discuss his brand-new book “Christmaker: A Life of John the Baptist”, out now on Eerdmans press. In this book Dr. McGrath crafts a biography of John in which he offers a fresh look at the historical sources in an attempt to understand who John was and why he was so influential. McGrath explores John’s early life, including the tension between being the son of a priest and a Nazerite, they symbolic significance of his wilderness location and his baptisms, his critique of the Jewish temple, his understanding of messianic hope, his conflict with the Jewish authority, and how his legacy impacted the ministry of Jesus. McGrath correctly claims that you can’t understand Jesus without understanding John, and he explains why we need to take a fresh look John the Baptist. Media Referenced:Christmaker: A Life of John the Baptist: https://a.co/d/cuxrD60James McGrath Blog: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionprof/James on Twitter: @ReligionProfJames McGrath Eerdmans Page: https://www.eerdmans.com/author/james-f-mcgrath/ The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com. Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Check out the Protestant Libertarian Podcast page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theplpodcast. Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!

In this episode I explain inflation and the negative effects it has on society. I provide the correct definition of inflation, which is an increase in the supply of money relative to the amount of goods and services in an economy. I explain how the Federal Reserve, which controls the nation’s money supply and monetary policy, creates inflation by printing new money. It is this injection of new cash into an economy that creates higher prices, which has been mistakenly referred to as inflation. I read a passage from Ludwig von Mises that he wrote in the early 1960’s in which he explains how politicians and other beneficiaries of inflationary monetary policy shifted the traditional definition of inflation to simply mean ‘higher prices’ so that they could blame the negative results of their policies (higher prices for consumer goods) on individuals and businesses. I then read though a recent article written by Jeffery Tucker (found on Zerohedge) that explains how increasing the money supply hurts the average person trying to live within their means. If you have struggled to understand how inflation works and the damage it causes, this episode is for you!  Media Referenced:The Price of Everything, the Value of Nothing: https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/price-everything-value-nothingOn Money and Inflation, Mises: https://mises.org/library/book/ludwig-von-mises-money-and-inflationEp 66 on Inflation and War: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-66-the-high-cost-of-inflation-and-the-war-in-ukraine/ The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com.Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!

In this episode I talk with New Testament scholar Dr. Najeeb Haddad, who has written two very compelling books critiquing the popular perspective in Biblical studies that the apostle Paul was actively opposed to the Roman empire. We discuss the history of the Paul and empire debate and explore some of the key scholars and interpretive methods that have been used to justify the belief that Paul was anti-imperial, and Najeeb demonstrates that many of these methods are not supported by historical evidence. He explains how Paul understands the Roman empire to be a part of the Old Creation and is more focused on spreading the Gospel of the New Creation to all who will listen. He then explains why a lot of anti-imperial scholarship ignores the dignity of human beings by focusing only on systems, how scholars easily bring their own political biases into their work, and the nuanced anti-imperial reading of Paul offered by Christoph Heilig. This conversation provides a lot of historical nuance that everyone interested in the relationship between Christianity and politics ought to know.   Media Referenced:Najeeb Haddad on Twitter: NTHaddadNajeeb Haddad on Academia: https://ndm.academia.edu/NajeebTHaddadPaul, Politics, and Empire: https://a.co/d/8WMaZxgPaul and Empire Criticism: https://a.co/d/8WMaZxgInterview with Christoph Heilig: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/the-apostle-and-the-empire-dr-christoph-heilig/Interview with Clint Burnett: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-125-paul-imperial-divine-honors-and-the-roman-empire-with-clint-burnett/ The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com.Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Check out the Protestant Libertarian Podcast page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theplpodcast. Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!

In this episode I talk with Stephen Wolfe, author of ‘The Case for Christian Nationalism’ about the thesis that he outlines in the book and why he believes that Christian Nationalism is the solution to our political problems. This is not a debate; I ask him about various aspects of his work and let him explain his ideas and how they would work in practice. He defines Christian nationalism, how it dovetails with the Reformed tradition, why we need Christian laws and customs, the Christian prince, and violent revolution. The last 25 minutes of the show is a great dialogue between Stephen and I about the many surprising similarities between my libertarianism and his paleoconservatism, as well as where we diverge. You won’t want to miss this one!   Media Referenced:Stephen Wolfe on Twitter: @PerfInjustBuy The Case for Christian Nationalism: https://a.co/d/1JGcPkgAmerican Reformer: https://americanreformer.org/Alex and Stephen Greenroom Debate: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/stephen-wolfe-alex-bernardo-christian-nationalism-christian-libertarianism/  The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com.Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!

In this episode, I explain why I am unhappy with everyone’s interpretation, including my own. Christians from every political perspective want to either claim Romans 13 validates their position or try to explain it away theologically, and I don’t believe that either of these approaches are historically correct. I examine the many shortcomings with popular interpretations of Romans 13, including incorrect assumptions about the nature of scripture, privileging theological readings of the text over historical ones, the failure to integrate this text with either its context in Paul’s letter to the Romans and other aspects of Pauline thought, reading it anachronistically as if it addresses modern, post-Enlightenment political questions, and our own limited knowledge of the Greco-Roman world. This episode is sure to offend everyone equally. Enjoy! Media Referenced:Romans 13 Episode: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/libertarian-romans-13/ The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com. Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!

This episode is a recording of a sermon I preached on Sunday, May 19th at my church. In this sermon, I outline four reading strategies that will help guide Christians to a better understanding of the Bible. I discuss how the Bible is a library, not a book, that the Bible was written for us but not to us, that the Bible must be understood in its historical context, and that the Bible should challenge our beliefs instead of affirm them. I think that these reading strategies helped my congregation, and I hope that they help you too! Media Referenced:Here are the two other sermons I have preached and released on the show: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/simon-the-zealot/ https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-117-christians-should-not-be-divided-by-politics/ The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com. Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!

In this episode I talk with Karl Streitel, a retired high-school English and finance teacher who now works as a freelance writer and editor. Karl writes and speaks extensively about the problems with America’s public education system, and in this episode we discuss what actually happens in American public schools, why they are systemically broken, and how we can fix them. We both share stories from our experiences teaching in the public schools and Karl explains why there is no moral justification for taxpayer-funded education and compulsory schooling. This episode is an insider's take on how public schools actually operate.  Media Referenced:Mental Lab Substack: mentallab.substack.comThe Learning Liberty Podcast: learningliberty.netMy review of Karl’s Mises article: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-116-public-schools-are-designed-to-indoctrinate-students/ The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com.Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!

In this episode I talk with Dr. Chris Bruno about a brand-new book he co-wrote called The Divine Christology of the Apostle Paul, which is out now on IVP Academic. This book argues that Paul did believe that Jesus was divine and that this high Christology develops in the earliest years of the church. Bruno reviews the work of four influential scholars, Richard Bauckham, Larry Hurtado, Chris Tilling, and N.T. Wright, who have each developed models for understanding Paul’s divine Christology. We then explore the most important Christological texts in Paul, including 1 Corinthians 8:6, Philippians 2:5-11, and Colossians 1:15-20, and Bruno explains how each of them demonstrate that Paul believed that Jesus was God.  Media Referenced:The Divine Christology of the Apostle Paul: https://a.co/d/5vGW9tABook Information: https://www.ivpress.com/the-divine-christology-of-the-apostle-paulDr. Chris Bruno BIO: https://www.ivpress.com/chris-brunoOahu Theological Seminary: https://oahuseminary.org/  The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com. Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!