The Protestant Libertarian Podcast

In this episode I review a recent ZeroHedge article that discusses the shifting religious landscape of the United States. While Christians, and evangelicals in particular, still make up the largest religious demographic, nearly 30% of American adults are unaffiliated with any particular religious tradition. I discuss why I believe this has happened, how we should think about it theologically, and what the American church needs to do in response to this data. Media Referenced: https://www.zerohedge.com/political/visualizing-religious-landscape-us 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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 show's profile! Thanks!

In this episode I talk with Dr. Cornelis Bennema, professor of New Testament at the London School of Theology. He has written several books, including his brand-new Imitation in Early Christianity: Mimesis and Religious-Ethical Formation, out now on Eerdmans. In this book he explores the concept of mimesis or imitation in early Christianity and how imitation is central to Christian ethics and discipleship. We discuss the prevalence of the concept in the New Testament, its Greco-Roman and Jewish backgrounds, how the gospels and Paul represent imitation, whether “What Would Jesus Do” is an accurate phrase, and how Christians should imitate Jesus today. Media Referenced:Imitation in Early Christianity: https://a.co/d/3OpJFPUAmazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Cornelis-Bennema/author/B001ICN4JS?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=fe5ed7ca-b153-43bb-a092-835bc042579e 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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 show's profile! Thanks!

In this episode I talk to Kyle Scott, an entrepreneur, small-business owner, investor, and personal friend. In 2024 he wrote and self-published a book entitled Faith and Finances: The Most Neglected Yet Important Areas of Life, in which he discusses his faith journey and the unconventional trajectory of his career, as well as the relationship between faith and finances. We discuss how his faith journey impacted his career, the importance of prioritizing your faith, being generous, managing finances, and investing. Kyle also explains how his faith shaped his career trajectory and where he sees his business going in the future.  Media Referenced:Faith and Finances: https://a.co/d/230zWFQRevived Productions Website: https://www.revivedproductions.com/Kyle on Faith Ventures: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-29-one-more-faithful-step-with-kyle-scott/ 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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 show's profile! Thanks!

In this episode I talk with pastor and theologian Dr. Allan Bevere. Dr. Bevere wrote the 2011 book The Politics of Witness that played a major role in shaping my understanding of Christian political engagement. We discuss many of the major arguments put forth in that book, which are still relevant today. Dr. Bevere argues that the church has given in to Constantinianism, the idea that Christians should rule over others using the levers of temporal political power. The Enlightenment domesticated Christianity by appropriating its moral teaching to build modern nation states, and Christians on both the left and right want to impose their values on others through state power. Bevere explains how this compromises the witness of the church and how following Jesus can restore the witness of the Church to the world.  Media Referenced:The Politics of Witness: https://a.co/d/9OehoFsAlan Bevere on X: @arbevereWebsite: http://www.allanrbevere.org/Substack: https://allanrbevere.substack.com/ 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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 show's profile! Thanks!

In this episode I discuss the inherently political nature of the second Jewish temple and the Sanhedrin, which was the local governing body based out of Jerusalem who were threatened by the ministry of Jesus. I explain how ‘religion' is a modern category and that before the Enlightenment wasn't distinguished from politics, society, or economics, and how passages in the Gospels that address the conflict between Jesus and the Jerusalem elites have often been read as purely ‘religious' conflicts. Exploring the work done by scholar Shaye Cohen on the Temple and the Sanhedrin, I show how both served a political and social function that was consistent with the decentralized nature of Roman imperial rule. We then explore several passages in the gospel of Mark which, when read within their historical contexts, should be understood as addressing social and political, as well as theological, conflicts between Jesus, the ruling elites, and the second Temple.  Media Referenced:Cohen, Shaye; From the Maccabees to the Mishnah: https://a.co/d/a3371UMJames McGrath on John the Baptist: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-134-john-the-baptist-with-james-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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 show's profile! Thanks!

In this episode I talk with Dr. Frank Thielman, Professor of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School, about his brand-new book Paul, Apostle of Grace, out now on Eerdmans. This book is a sweeping but readable biography of Paul that addresses his life, ministry, theology, letter writing, and more. We discuss the importance of Paul in the development of the early church, the historical reliability of Acts and his letters, his Jewish background as a Pharisee from Tarsus, the Damascus Road experience, his missionary journeys to the Gentiles, the purpose of his letters, and the impact Paul has on the modern church. If you want a one-podcast summary of the life of Paul, this is it! Media Referenced:Paul, Apostle of Grace: https://a.co/d/6jp0AAQFrank Thielman Academic Page: https://www.samford.edu/beeson-divinity/directory/Thielman-Frank 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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 show's profile! Thanks!

In this episode I talk to Dr. Dale Allison, Professor of New Testament Studies at Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the author of numerous books and articles, including the brand-new Interpreting Jesus, out now on Eerdmans, where he analyzes several interesting and innovative issues related to the historical Jesus. We discuss contingent eschatology in 2nd Temple Judaism, the belief that God would intervene to rescue his people under certain conditions, whether Jesus thought himself to be the new Moses, why miracles aren't necessarily out of bounds in historical Jesus studies, and how the presence of women traveling with Jesus during his ministry impacts our understanding of his ethical teachings. We conclude with a discussion on method. Allison expresses his concerns about the reliability of human memory, and how exploring themes in the Gospels helps us to reconstruct Jesus better than attempting to discern the historicity of individual stories or sayings. Unfortunately, Streamyard adjusted the microphone settings to my computer instead of my microphone, which is why my vocals sound thin. I apologize for the technical difficulties! Media Referenced:Interpreting Jesus: https://a.co/d/9nQVqvJ  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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 show's profile! Thanks!

In this episode I talk with Richard Fulmer, an engineer and systems analyst who was written several articles related to free-market economics, about his recent piece for the Mises institute entitled Karl Marx's Missing Link: Erasing the Line Between Mercantilism and Capitalism, where he explores how Marx wrongly conflates the results of mercantilism with capitalism and what it means for economic analysis today. He explains Marx's general theory of historical and economic development and shows that Marx deliberately conflates mercantilism with capitalism. He then defines both terms, stressing that mercantilism is a form of international feudalism where countries attempt to bring in as much gold as possible to avoid trade deficits and is entirely propagated by government intervention. Capitalism is an economic system with no government interference. We talk about Marx's mistake, why his ideas became so popular, and why many on the left confuse ‘capitalism' with state intervention. We then explore Trump's tariffs, how they are a modern rebranding of mercantilism, and why they are doomed to fail. We then discuss how we can help right-wingers become more consistent about free markets.  Media Referenced:https://mises.org/power-market/karl-marxs-missing-link-erasing-line-between-mercantilism-and-capitalismRichard Fulmer on Substack: https://cavemaneconomist.substack.com/ 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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 show's profile! Thanks!

In this episode I talk to Econ Bro, a Nigerian minster and economist, about his plans to spread Austrian economics and libertarian ideas to the people of Nigeria. We talk about the impact of US politics on the rest of the world, the dysfunctional socialist economy of Nigeria, the country's rampant political corruption, and the dim prospects for change. We then talk about the Nigerian Liberty Project, which has allowed Econ Bro to spread the message of Austrian economics and liberty to college students and on air. We talk about the desperate need for this work and how we can help him reach the goal of making a real impact in his country. It is dangerous work and requires funding. Please consider supporting this important mission! Media Referenced:Support the NLP: https://gogetfunding.com/the-nigerian-liberty-project/Econ Bro on X: @EconBreauEpisode 49: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/becoming-a-christian-the-future-of-global-christianity-nigerian-politics-econ-bro/Episode 30: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/what-the-bible-says-about-women-in-ministry-econ-bro/ 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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 show's profile! Thanks! 

In this episode I talk once again to Erik, a Swedish socialist who is philosophically Marxist. We discuss his perspective on what is happening in the world, the problems with the American left, how Europeans interpret Trump's second term, imperialism, Swedish politics, how video games promote American military propaganda, and more. He offers insights into the current state of global politics that are worthy of consideration. Media Referenced:Erik on Twitter: @AlphaclassARC 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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 show's profile! Thanks!

Right before the pandemic, in February of 2020, I took on the role of interim student ministries director at my church.  Then the world shut down. I hosted seven weeks of group online, and I recorded a series of videos about the basics of our beliefs for my students to watch before our weekly meetings. These short video introductions to important Biblical subjects lay dormant for nearly five years, until I decided to turn them into episodes of my podcast. The original videos (edited, of course, to remove the boring logistical information), will be posted on YouTube. There you can see my beard and my hair grow longer each week until I look like a ridiculous clown. Longtime listeners of the show will realize that some of my beliefs have been nuanced or changed in the last five years, but I still agree with the basic outline of each episode. I hope they benefit you! New episodes will be released every other Thursday between January 30-April 24 2025. Original show notes:What Do We Believe? Week Seven: The NationsThe final week in a seven-part series entitled "What Do We Believe", based on Romans 1:1-5.Paul declares in Romans 1:5 that the Gospel is for 'the nations' or 'the gentiles'. We will explore the significance of that statement this week!Here are the four discussion questions from this week:1. How is the message of Jesus relevant to everyone, regardless of our different backgrounds?2. The Gospel forces us into relationships with those that are different from us. Why can this be challenging?3. If the Gospel is open to everyone, how does this shape the way we treat those that are not a part of the church?4. Why is it a good to have diversity within the church? 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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 Jane Clair Tyner, communications manager at End it for Good, a non-profit which advocates for health-centered approaches to drug use and addiction. After losing her oldest son to addiction, Jane Clair has become a vocal advocate for educating the population about drugs, addiction, and treatment. She talks about the policy failures resulting from the war on drugs and the gross disparities caused by drug policy, the problems of harsh punishments, and the need for harm reduction and regulation. We discuss how to best convince people to treat drug use as a health problem and why communities, especially Christian communities, play such a vital role in helping people overcome addiction.  Media Referenced:End it for Good: https://enditforgood.com/End it for Good Twitter: @EndItForGoodMSCurious: https://a.co/d/1Aklh2LChristina Dent Interview: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-100-ending-the-war-on-drugs-with-christina-dent/ 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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 show's profile! Thanks! 

In this crossover episode I talk with Zak Kisor and Andrew Joseph of The Legacy Right podcast about America's failing public schools. We discuss our personal experiences in the education system, why schools consistently underperform, how the agenda of the education bureaucracy has nothing to do with serving the public or providing an education, and the difficulty of making changes that benefit students. We also explore how to make these schools better, including eliminating the bureaucracy, school choice, decentralized educational decision making, and providing more options for students and parents. I also share some personal stories and insights from my career in public education.  Media Referenced:The Legacy Right podcast: https://linktr.ee/thelegacyrightZak on X: @legacy_zakAndrew on X: @AiConan90 Other episodes on education:https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/turning-down-teacher-tenure/https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-68-our-mediocre-public-schools-with-connor-boyack/https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-116-public-schools-are-designed-to-indoctrinate-students/https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-120-fixing-education-through-the-free-market-with-lisa-watson/https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-128-the-truth-about-public-schools-with-karl-streitel/ 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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 show's profile! Thanks!

Right before the pandemic, in February of 2020, I took on the role of interim student ministries director at my church. Then the world shut down.  I hosted seven weeks of group online, and I recorded a series of videos about the basics of our beliefs for my students to watch before our weekly meetings. These short video introductions to important Biblical subjects lay dormant for nearly five years, until I decided to turn them into episodes of my podcast. The original videos (edited, of course, to remove the boring logistical information), will be posted on YouTube. There you can see my beard and my hair grow longer each week until I look like a ridiculous clown.  Longtime listeners of the show will realize that some of my beliefs have been nuanced or changed in the last five years, but I still agree with the basic outline of each episode. I hope they benefit you!  New episodes will be released every other Thursday between January 30-April 24 2025. Original show notes:What Do We Believe? Week Six: FaithWeek six in a seven part series entitled "What Do We Believe", based on Romans 1:1-5. Paul declares in Romans 1:5 that 'faith' means 'obedience'. We will explore the significance of that statement this week! Here are the four discussion questions from this week: 1.Why is simply ‘believing' that God exists not enough, and how is that different from ‘faith' in the Biblical sense?2. Why is status so important to us? Why do people want to be popular and accepted? 3. What are some ways that we can make ‘faith' the most important status that we have?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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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. Jordan Ballard, Assistant Professor at the John W. Wralings School of Divinity at Liberty University and adjunct professor at Calvary University. His doctoral thesis was entitled The Kindness and Severity of God: A Defense of the Conquest of Canaan, which explores the conquest narratives in Joshua 1-12. We will be discussing the problem of Old Testament violence and how to think about it from a Christian perspective. We situate the conquest narratives in the context of Old Testament theology more generally, which includes God's plan to redeem creation, and the narrative context of the book of Joshua. We discuss God's unique prerogative to make decisions about human life, Canaanite evil and Israel's covenant, and the apparent discrepancy between the presentation of God's character in the Old and New Testaments. This is an excellent primer for anyone concerned about problem of violence in the Old Testament and how Christians should reckon with it.  Media Referenced:The Kindness and Severity of God: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/3815/ 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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 show's profile! Thanks!

In this episode I talk to Dr. James Ware, scholar of New Testament and Ancient Christianity and professor emeritus at the University of Evansville, about his brand-new The Final Triumph of God: Jesus, the Eyewitnesses, and the Resurrection of the Body in 1 Corinthians 15, out now on Eerdmans, which is a line-by-line commentary of Paul's most iconic statement of the resurrection at the end of the first Corinthian epistle. We look at the significance and centrality of the resurrection for Christian faith, the wider context of 1 Corinthians, and then engage in a passage-by-passage review of 1 Corinthians 15, dealing with all the complex exegetical questions it poses. The resurrection is the heart of the Christian hope, and this lengthy chapter needs to be taken seriously! Media Referenced:The Final Triumph of God: https://a.co/d/8zHHXFr James Ware Amazon page https://www.amazon.com/stores/James-P.-Ware/author/B001JXUOPS?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1742654742&sr=8-1&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=3bfa1604-b6e2-4c27-bb83-5236f2524088The 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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 show's profile! Thanks! 

Right before the pandemic, in February of 2020, I took on the role of interim student ministries director at my church. Then the world shut down. I hosted seven weeks of group online, and I recorded a series of videos about the basics of our beliefs for my students to watch before our weekly meetings. These short video introductions to important Biblical subjects lay dormant for nearly five years, until I decided to turn them into episodes of my podcast. The original videos (edited, of course, to remove the boring logistical information), will be posted on YouTube. There you can see my beard and my hair grow longer each week until I look like a ridiculous clown. Longtime listeners of the show will realize that some of my beliefs have been nuanced or changed in the last five years, but I still agree with the basic outline of each episode. I hope they benefit you! New episodes will be released every other Thursday between January 30-April 24 2025. Original show notes:What Do We Believe? Week Five: The Holy Spirit Week five in a seven part series entitled "What Do We Believe", based on Romans 1:1-5. Paul declares in Romans 1:4 that Jesus was raised from the dead by the "Spirit of Holiness", or the Holy Spirit? But what, or rather, who, is the Holy Spirit? We find out in this weeks devotional!  Here are the three discussion questions from this week:1. If the Spirit defines who is a part of God's family, why is simply going to church or saying that we believe not enough? 2. Why is it important that our lives are transformed and changed by the spirit? Why does God not want us to stay the same? 3. What are some ways that we can use our gifts (talents and abilities) to honor God? 4. Why do you think that we often ignore or neglect the Spirit when we talk about our faith?5. How does belief in our future resurrection give us hope?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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 Brent M., host of the Aiming Up podcast, about his political evolution, how philosophy has shaped his worldview, leaving religion, psychedelics, and health. This is a wide-ranging conversation that touches on issues that are extremely important to my show, and Brent's insightful and open-minded approach to complex issues is refreshing and guaranteed to get you thinking! Make sure you check out his show! Media Referenced:Brent on X: @bgetsbetterAiming Up on X: @aiminguppodcastAiming Up on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AimingUpPodcastAiming Up on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/659MG8vaf0aEHWN14KzPkY 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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 show's profile! Thanks! 

In this episode I talk with Dr. Gerard Casey, professor emeritus at University College Dublin and associate scholar at the Mises Institute, about charity and welfare. Dr. Casey argues that a libertarian approach to charity, which is based on the principles of non-aggression and localism, are a more efficient method of providing for those in need than big-government redistributive programs. Besides relying on the use of violence against peaceful people, welfare programs have a costly bureaucracy, are not targeted to those who need it most, and enable degeneracy and generational poverty. Mutual aid and friendly societies, which are voluntarily funded, avoid the moral hazards inherent in socialized welfare. They provided for the needs of truly vulnerable people throughout history, and were wildly popular after industrialization until government programs crowded them out of the market. Politicians use these programs to buy votes regardless of the social and economic costs they impose upon the population. Casey argues that Christians should care about charity and that the only solutions are libertarian.  Media Referenced:Gerard Casey on X: @Casey5122darkLet the Poor Starve: https://www.stephankinsella.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/casey-Let-the-Poor-Starve-rev.-June-2023.pdf 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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 show's profile! Thanks!

Right before the pandemic, in February of 2020, I took on the role of interim student ministries director at my church. Then the world shut down. I hosted seven weeks of group online, and I recorded a series of videos about the basics of our beliefs for my students to watch before our weekly meetings. These short video introductions to important Biblical subjects lay dormant for nearly five years, until I decided to turn them into episodes of my podcast. The original videos (edited, of course, to remove the boring logistical information), will be posted on YouTube. There you can see my beard and my hair grow longer each week until I look like a ridiculous clown.  Longtime listeners of the show will realize that some of my beliefs have been nuanced or changed in the last five years, but I still agree with the basic outline of each episode. I hope they benefit you!  New episodes will be released every other Thursday between January 30-April 24 2025. Original show notes:What Do We Believe? Week Four: ResurrectionWeek Four in a seven-part series entitled "What Do We Believe", based on Romans 1:1-5.Paul declares in Romans 1:4 that Jesus was declared to be Son of God by the resurrection of the dead, but what does the term "resurrection" actually mean? This video explores the idea of resurrection and what it means for Jesus, Paul, and us. Here are the three discussion questions from this week:1. The resurrection of Jesus is the single most important Christian belief. Why do you think this is the case? What makes it so important? 2. If the resurrection really happened, how does it make our evangelism and our mission more significant?3. How does belief in our future resurrection give us hope?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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 explore Paul's exhortation in 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 where he instructs the Thessalonians that “those that don't work, don't eat” (3:10). Building from last week's episode on 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12, I explain how this passage functioned in its historical context and the principles that we should draw from it to think about economics and politics in the modern world. I justify the Pauline authorship of 2 Thessalonians, and then explain how the themes of persecution, eschatology, and sanctification are central to the letter. Paul encourages Christians to emulate him by embracing a cruciform lifestyle of sacrifice for others and shows himself to be an example because he performed manual labor during his stay in Thessalonica so as not to be a burden to the congregation. In 3:6-13, he challenges the ‘ataktos', the idle or disorderly, to find work and not live off the generosity of other people. Christians should put themselves in a position to help others and charity should only be given to those who are truly in need. We explore the consequences of the principles outlined in this text for the ways in which Christians should think about modern economics and politics.  Media Referenced:1 Thessalonians 4:9-13:1 Peter 2:13-17: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-121-submit-to-the-authorities-1-peter-213-17/Jesus and the Rich Young Ruler: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-105-jesus-and-the-rich-young-ruler/1 Timothy 5-6: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/1-timothy-5-6-widows-wealth-and-the-specter-of-socialism/New Bible Dictionary: https://a.co/d/hGlU7fDKarl Donfried; Paul, Thessalonica, and the Early Church: https://a.co/d/fCdLFc4Bruce Winter; Seek the Welfare of the City: https://a.co/d/ardheBa 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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 show's profile! Thanks! 

In this episode, I explain what Paul is doing when he exhorts the Thessalonians to “mind your own business and work with your hands” in 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12. I discuss the problems with historical anachronism and the difference between ancient and modern economic thought. I then discuss the wider context of Paul's though, explaining how his fundamental moral principle is cruciformity (living a life of sacrifice for others) and his views on the nature and responsibility of the church. Paul works to fund his own ministry (1 Cor. 9) as an example of cruciform sacrifice towards his congregations. I explain how Thessalonica was a diverse, cosmopolitan trading city with an independent government, and how Paul's trip to Thessalonica (Acts 17) resulted in synagogue leaders leveraging the local government to harass those that believe in the Gospel. I then turn to 1 Thessalonians as a letter, showing how persecution and eschatology are the two major themes that run through the letter. Paul wants the Thessalonians to imitate him (1:6-7) and explains how he is willing to work to provide for his own needs (2:9-12). Before the final section of 1 Thessalonians, Paul explains how cruciform love and the identity of the church shapes the rest of his exhortation (3:11-13). We then finally come to 1 Thess. 4:9-12. The historical and sociological background of the passage is the Roman patron-client system, where wealthy patrons give gifts of money, clothing, and food to clients in exchange for social clout and political support. Paul wants all Christians to become charitable and benefactors, and his language in 4:9-12 is a rejection of the patron-client system. Paul encourages Christians to leave and reject the patron-client system and instead work with their hands, so that they will not be in need and can help those that genuinely are. This is also an example of the cruciform character of the church to outsiders. I then explain some principles that Christians should derive from this passage and how they should shape our perception of Christian responsibility in the modern world.  Media Referenced:1 Timothy 5-6: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/1-timothy-5-6-widows-wealth-and-the-specter-of-socialism/Jesus and the Rich Young Ruler: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-105-jesus-and-the-rich-young-ruler/1 Peter 2:13-17: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-121-submit-to-the-authorities-1-peter-213-17/Bibleworthy Podcast Appearance: https://bibleworthy.com/8Seek the Welfare of the City, Bruce Winter: https://a.co/d/aYzhQt2Empire, Economics, and the New Testament, Peter Oakes: https://a.co/d/3gsTap5The Moral Teaching of Paul, Victor Furnish: https://a.co/d/dnMNlpB 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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! G

Right before the pandemic, in February of 2020, I took on the role of interim student ministries director at my church. Then the world shut down. I hosted seven weeks of group online, and I recorded a series of videos about the basics of our beliefs for my students to watch before our weekly meetings. These short video introductions to important Biblical subjects lay dormant for nearly five years, until I decided to turn them into episodes of my podcast. The original videos (edited, of course, to remove the boring logistical information), will be posted on YouTube. There you can see my beard and my hair grow longer each week until I look like a ridiculous clown. Longtime listeners of the show will realize that some of my beliefs have been nuanced or changed in the last five years, but I still agree with the basic outline of each episode. I hope they benefit you! New episodes will be released every other Thursday between January 30-April 24 2025. Original show notes:What Do We Believe? Week Three - Son of DavidWeek Three in a seven part series entitled "What Do We Believe", based on Romans 1:1-5."Gospel" means good news, and Paul uses the term to describe the message about Jesus and the beliefs of Jesus followers. In Romans 1:3, Paul explains that Jesus is both the 'Son of David' and the 'Son of God', both of which are terms used in the Old Testament to describe the coming promised king of the world.Here are the three discussion questions from this week:1. We don't often think about Jesus as being an actual king; how should this change the way we look at Jesus?2. If Jesus is king, why should we be obedient to him?3. Does this shape the way that we look at political leaders and rulers today? If so, how?Part 1: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-179-what-we-believe-part-1-the-gospel/Part 2: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-182-what-we-believe-part-2-according-to-scripture/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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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!

*Streamyard defaulted to my computer microphone and not my recording microphone. I apologize for the terrible sound quality. In this episode I explore how the American progressive left and conservative right share many fundamental assumptions about the use of authoritarian power. While the political spectrum in the West is usually conceptualized as left vs. right, I argue that it should be more accurately characterized as liberty vs. authority. I discuss the libertarian non-aggression principle, which states as a moral principle that violence should never be initiated against a peaceful person, and I read from Murray Rothbard and Hans-Herman Hoppe to elaborate the point. I then compare this with conservative and progressive conceptions of power, both of which affirm the use of arbitrary state power and violence to achieve their preferred social ends. This is why our only two political options are between liberty and varying degrees of authoritarianism. I then read from Mark 10:35-45, John 15, 1 John 4, and Matthew 23, showing that self-sacrificial love for others and the rejection of worldly authoritarian powers are principles fundamental to Christianity and explain how libertarianism is a more consistent modern political application of those fundamental principles.  Media Referenced:Rothbard, For a New Liberty: https://a.co/d/2nP2PZCHoppe, A Theory of Socialism and Capitalism: https://a.co/d/0jub6a2Jesus and Capitalism: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-180-jesus-and-capitalism/Mises vs. Wright: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-178-ludwig-von-mises-vs-a-christian-scholar-round-3-n-t-wright/ 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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 show's profile! Thanks!

In this episode I welcome back long-time friend of the show Cody Cook to discuss his brand-new book The Anarchist Anabaptist: Essays on Radical Christianity and Freedom. In this book he explores the relationship between his Anabaptist faith and libertarian political philosophy. We discuss the meaning and history of the Anabaptist movement, its relationship to the wider Protestant world, and the differences of opinion between various Anabaptist groups. Cody explains the difference between pacifism and non-violence, paedo- and credobaptism, and why many modern Anabaptists are politically progressive. We discuss the John Howard Yoder scandal and how it impacted his legacy, and Cody critiques the political perspectives of N.T. Wright and Michael Bird. Buy a copy of the book today! Media Referenced:Buy The Anarchist Anabaptist: LCI Link: https://libertarianchristians.com/book/the-anarchist-anabaptist/Amazon: https://a.co/d/0AtxLAaInterview on LCP: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/episode-389-the-anarchist-anabaptist-with-cody-cook/https://anarchistanabaptist.com/https://www.cantus-firmus.com/Cody on X: CantusFirmusCC 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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 show's profile! Thanks!

Right before the pandemic, in February of 2020, I took on the role of interim student ministries director at my church. Then the world shut down. I hosted seven weeks of group online, and I recorded a series of videos about the basics of our beliefs for my students to watch before our weekly meetings. These short video introductions to important Biblical subjects lay dormant for nearly five years, until I decided to turn them into episodes of my podcast. The original videos (edited, of course, to remove the boring logistical information), will be posted on YouTube. There you can see my beard and my hair grow longer each week until I look like a ridiculous clown. Longtime listeners of the show will realize that some of my beliefs have been nuanced or changed in the last five years, but I still agree with the basic outline of each episode. I hope they benefit you! New episodes will be released every other Thursday between January 30-April 24 2025. Original show notes:What We Believe Week Two: According to ScriptureWeek Two in a seven part series entitled "What Do We Believe", based on Romans 1:1-5."Gospel" means good news, and Paul uses the term to describe the message about Jesus and the beliefs of Jesus followers. In Romans 1:2, Paul explains that his Gospel is "according to Scripture", meaning that the message Jesus is the completion of the Old Testament story. .Here are the three discussion questions from this week:1. Why is it important that Jesus is the center of God's story?2. Is it important that we understand the Old Testament? Why or why not? 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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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. James Barker, associate professor of New Testament at Western Kentucky University, who authored the brand-new book Writing and Rewriting the Gospels: John and the Synoptics, out now on Eerdmans. In this book Dr. Barker discusses the synoptic problem, the question of the literary relationship between Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and offers a defense of the Farrer hypothesis, which argues Mark was the first gospel to be written, Matthew used Mark, and Luke used both. He discusses ancient rhetorical techniques, writings styles and media, and the ‘trajectory' of editing. He then proposes that John both knew and used the synoptics, and that the development of early Christology helpfully illustrates the literary development of the gospels.    Media Referenced:Writing and Rewriting the Gospels: https://a.co/d/aQAdPq4James Barker Academia: https://wku.academia.edu/JamesBarker  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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 discuss the problem of unclear economic thinking in Biblical scholarship. Terms like ‘capitalism' and ‘socialism' are often left undefined by the scholars who employ them, and the vague cultural notion that ‘capitalism' is about evil and greed while ‘socialism' is about virtue and charity characterizes the use of economic language in scholarship on the Bible. I discuss how many excellent scholars nevertheless make Jesus out to be a modern socialist despite doing excellent historical work on ancient economic systems. I define capitalism as it is understood by the Austrian school as a theory of private capital accumulation based on absolute respect for property rights. I then explain how modern economic concepts are foreign to ancient thinkers. I read through Luke 12:13-34 and explain the historical questions which need to be asked to accurately interpret this passage and explain how modern interpreters gloss over Jesus's statements on wealth and charity with an uncritical appeal to socialism. I then explore this dynamic by reviewing the work of two New Testament scholars, Richard Horsley and Douglas Oakman, who do excellent historical analysis on ancient economic and political systems but impose modern socialist ideas onto the texts while coming to the incorrect political conclusions that all our modern problems are a result of capitalism on ‘capitalism', when the real problem are socialist policies that they support. They allow their biases to determine interpretive outcomes. I also reveal that I am writing a book about all of this which I hope will be published in 2026.   Media Referenced:LVM vs. N.T. Wright: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-178-ludwig-von-mises-vs-a-christian-scholar-round-3-n-t-wright/LVM vs. James K.A. Smith: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ludwig-von-mises-vs-christian-scholar-round-2-james-k-a-smith/LVM vs. Michael Gorman: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ludwig-von-mises-vs-christian-scholar-round-1-michael-gorman/James Crossley: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-169-the-next-quest-for-the-historical-jesus-with-james-crossley/The Political Aims of Jesus, Oakman: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0800638476?ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_R1NS418YPJNNEY9DRTDS_2&skipTwisterOG=1&bestFormat=true&newOGT=1Jesus and Empire, Horsley: https://www.amazon.com/dp/080063490X?ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_NBCAC8JTEJVMTVEC3M94&skipTwisterOG=1&bestFormat=true&newOGT=1 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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 

Right before the pandemic, in February of 2020, I took on the role of interim student ministries director at my church. Then the world shut down. I hosted seven weeks of group online, and I recorded a series of videos about the basics of our beliefs for my students to watch before our weekly meetings. These short video introductions to important Biblical subjects lay dormant for nearly five years, until I decided to turn them into episodes of my podcast. The original videos (edited, of course, to remove the boring logistical information), will be posted on YouTube. There you can see my beard and my hair grow longer each week until I look like a ridiculous clown. Longtime listeners of the show will realize that some of my beliefs have been nuanced or changed in the last five years, but I still agree with the basic outline of each episode. I hope they benefit you! New episodes will be released every other Thursday between January 30-April 24 2025. Original show notes:Week One in a seven part series entitled "What We Believe", based on Romans 1:1-5."Gospel" means good news, and Paul uses the term to describe the message about Jesus and the beliefs of Jesus followers. In Romans 1:1-5, Paul explains these beliefs, what he calls the "Gospel".Here are the three discussion questions from this week:1. How is the message about Jesus "Good News" to you?2. How can we bring "good news" to others during this quarantine?3. Why is it important to know what we believe about Jesus?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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 the long-awaited third installment of my Ludwig von Mises vs. a Christian Scholar series, I take on the big dog himself, N.T. Wright. Wright is the world's most famous New Testament scholar and theologian and is known for his pioneering work on the ‘New Perspective' on Paul, Paul and empire, and the historical Jesus. I explain how his own theology of empire and the church helped lead me to libertarianism, but how Wright himself often fails to see the modern consequences of his own theological positions. I look at a passage from his book History and Eschatology where he writes a veiled critique of capitalism, and counter it with a passage from Mises's Human Action that explains how free market capitalism actually works. This demonstrates that on a definitional level Wright doesn't understand free markets and attributes to ‘capitalism' economic problems that are directly caused by government intervention in the market. I then play clips from an interview Wright had with entrepreneur Phil Chen, showing that Wright fails to understand monetary theory, central banking, economic regulation, and markets. I counter his points with selected readings from the works of Mises, demonstrating how an understanding of the Austrian school of economics would better help Wright better apply his theology to modern social and economic problems.  Media Referenced:Round 1: Mises vs. Gorman: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ludwig-von-mises-vs-christian-scholar-round-1-michael-gorman/Round 2: Mises vs. Smith: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ludwig-von-mises-vs-christian-scholar-round-2-james-k-a-smith/‘Inflation' defined: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-66-the-high-cost-of-inflation-and-the-war-in-ukraine/Bitcoin explained: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/bitcoin-and-the-future-of-currency-with-adam-obrien/Money, the Fed, and Christianity: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-99-money-the-federal-reserve-and-christian-ethics-with-jordan-bush/Human Action: https://mises.org/podcasts/human-action-treatise-economicsHistory and Eschatology: https://a.co/d/8tHavlmMoney and Inflation: https://mises.org/library/book/ludwig-von-mises-money-and-inflationPhil Chen Interview Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFR7J2-N6JM&list=PPSVPhil Chen Interview Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2W0Jo5QAaU&list=PLQhBTXNmfWOyX5l7di2JV8ghJh4SdwcUF&index=8 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

In this episode I talk with Dr. Wafik Wahba, professor of global Christianity at Tyndale University in Toronto, Canada. His brand-new book Global Christianity and Islam: Exploring History, Politics, and Beliefs (out February 2025 on IVP), explores the complex history of the relationship between Christianity and Islam, how they have shaped the modern world, and their theological similarities and differences. We will discuss the intricate history of Christianity and Islam, how they have shaped both society and politics in the modern world, and how Christians and Muslims understand God, Jesus, human nature, salvation, and community. This is an excellent primer on both Islam and the deeply interconnected history of Christianity and Islam. Media Referenced:Global Christianity and Islam: https://a.co/d/bJvbiXOWafik Wahba Tyndale page: https://www.tyndale.ca/faculty/wafik-wahbaThe 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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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. Rafael Rodriguez, who teaches New Testament at Pittsburg Theological Seminary. We discuss his chapter in The Next Quest for the Historical Jesus (out now on Eerdmans), where he explains what ancient media tells us about the historical Jesus. While our primary sources are the gospels as written texts, in antiquity these were not the only ways in which people were exposed to Jesus. Dr. Rodriguez explains the nature of oral tradition, and what we can know about the period between the life of Jesus and the composition of the gospels. He explains both the failures and valuable insights of form criticism, which treats each individual unit of the gospels as an isolated tradition, and argues that the methodology of the Next Quest must move beyond the assumptions of form criticism. Based on the standards of ancient media, there were no ‘original' versions of the events recorded in the gospels, and we can't reconstruct exactly which words Jesus did and did not say. Rodriguez makes the compelling case that the diversity and divergences between the synoptic gospels are a necessary product of the ancient media environment, and do not present an obstacle to our faith. Taking these historical insights into consideration will give us a more nuanced impression of who Jesus was.  Media Referenced:The Next Quest for the Historical Jesus: https://a.co/d/6nQxo23Rafael Rodriguez Academia: https://pts.academia.edu/RafaelRodriguezHelen Bond interview: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-167-the-gospels-as-biography-with-helen-bond/James Crossley interview: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-169-the-next-quest-for-the-historical-jesus-with-james-crossley/Adele Reinhartz interview: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-173-the-jewishness-of-jesus-with-adele-reinhartz/Chris Keith video interview: https://youtu.be/B96XmTRQ3jo?si=MG_A0hpqT_-_s4NV 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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 Keith, research professor of New Testament and early Christianity at MF Norwegian School of Theology, Religion, and Society. He is the co-editor of The Next Quest for the Historical Jesus, out now on Eerdmans press, and he contributes a chapter to the volume entitled ‘Beyond What is Behind'. In this chapter he proposes that historical Jesus research needs to move beyond the idea that we can somehow ‘get behind' the texts of the gospels and find unvarnished, uninterpreted historical information about Jesus. He discusses the rich legacy of form criticism, influenced by legendary scholars like Rudolf Bultmann, and examines how the operating assumption in Jesus scholarship has been that some individual units in the gospel tradition may give us perfect glimpses into the life of Jesus himself. Keith argues that the so-called ‘criteria of authenticity' have failed to produce this result, and that all of our sources about Jesus are, by definition, interpretations of his life. We should instead try to look at the impact that Jesus had on his followers which gave rise to the sources we have, and explore the wider social, political, and historical contexts in which Jesus lived to get a sense of who he was. All we can every really know about Jesus is the ‘gist' of his life, ministry and teaching. Keith stresses the need for humility when doing historical research and the important role that imagination plays in reconstructing the past.  Media Referenced:The Next Quest for the Historical Jesus: https://a.co/d/3cjjthLChris Keith on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Chris-Keith/author/B0028OM79S?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=trueJames Crossley Interview: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-169-the-next-quest-for-the-historical-jesus-with-james-crossley/Helen Bond Interview: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-167-the-gospels-as-biography-with-helen-bond/Adele Reinhartz Interview: https://youtu.be/LeypHVQVMF8 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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 is a recording of a sermon I preached on Sunday, November 17, 2024. It is a part of our sermon series on the ‘Fruits of the Spirit' in Galatians 5:22-23. In this sermon, I talk about patience. I admit that I struggle to be patient, explaining why we live in a low patience society and how that affects the relationships we have with other people. I then explain how our patience is modeled after God's patience. I explore the patience of God in 2 Peter 3, showing that God is patient with us because he wants all to repent. We then look at our own patience in Colossian 3, where Paul explains that patience means we must be forgiving to others as God forgives us. I then give some concluding thoughts on how we can better develop patience, and end with James 1:19-20.  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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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. Adele Reinhartz, professor of religious studies at the University of Ottawa in Canada. She contributed a chapter to The Next Quest for the Historical Jesus (out now on Eerdmans press) where entitled ‘Beyond the Jewish Jesus Debate', in which she argues that historical Jesus researchers (and everyone else!) simply must take the Jewish identity of Jesus for granted. She explains why Biblical interpreters throughout the ages have either ignored or downplayed the Jewishness of Jesus and the negative impact that has had on our interpretation of him. We then explore how Jesus's matrilinear descent, the presentation of Jesus by his biographers, and his wider Jewish context anchor his identity fully within Judaism. We discuss the controversial use of the term ‘the Jews' in John, Jesus's conflicts with the Pharisees, the mission of Paul to the gentiles, and the propensity for New Testament scholars to ‘grade' the Jewishness of Jesus, as well as how grounding our understanding of Jesus in his Jewish identity will shape the future of New Testament scholarship.   Media Referenced:The Next Quest for the Historical Jesus: https://a.co/d/7SgiWSJDr. Reinhartz Academia page: https://uottawa.academia.edu/AdeleReinhartzDr. Reinhartz BlueSky: ancientjewreview.bsky.socialHelen Bond Interview: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-167-the-gospels-as-biography-with-helen-bond/James Crossley Interview: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-169-the-next-quest-for-the-historical-jesus-with-james-crossley/ 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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 to my friends Matt Barber and Josh Williams about the dark side of growing up in American Christian churches. All of us were products of 90's and 2000's church culture; I was raised in the Lutheran church and they were raised in the Nazarene church. They share some of the stories, both funny and serious, about the weird, frustrating, and harmful experiences they had growing up in the church, and we discuss the awkward relationship that Christians have with American culture. We also explore the direction of the church and how we wound up where we are today. As an added bonus, we debate whether or not Adam had a belly button. If you were ever surprised, hurt, intrigued, or weirded out by church culture, this episode is for you. Enjoy! Media Referenced:Matt Barber episode: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/future-christian-higher-education-dr-matthew-barber/Josh Williams episode: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/the-power-of-stories-leaving-ministry-changing-beliefs-podcasting-josh-williams-podbless/PodBless YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxeNCR8iQwItepJVh6vPU2QX: @podblessPodBless website: https://linktr.ee/PodBless 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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 

In my third-annual ‘six books' Christmas special, I present the six books that had a major impact on my thinking that were published in 2024. I have read a lot of great literature this year and it was very difficult to condense my list to only six. Here are the 2024 essential books finalists:Trump's War on Capitalism, David StockmanNational Divorce, Jason FryPaul and Imperial Divine Honors, Clint BurnettChristmaker, James McGrathJesus and His Promised Second Coming, Tucker FerdaThe Next Quest for the Historical Jesus, James Crossley and Chris Keith I have interviews with five of the six authors, and the first book, Trump's War on Capitalism, I covered extensively in an episode I recorded on Trump. Links to all the books and the interviews below. Enjoy! Media Referenced:Trump's War on Capitalism, David Stockman: https://a.co/d/bRxtwQHEpisode on Trump: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-156-the-libertarian-case-against-donald-trump/National Divorce, Jason Fry: https://a.co/d/dfY4NIXInterview: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-161-national-divorce-and-peaceful-secession-with-jason-fry/Paul and Imperial Divine Honors, Clint Burnett: https://a.co/d/coy5tDsInterview: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-125-paul-imperial-divine-honors-and-the-roman-empire-with-clint-burnett/Christmaker, James McGrath: https://a.co/d/j5uje0dInterview: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-134-john-the-baptist-with-james-mcgrath/Jesus and His Promised Second Coming, Tucker Ferda: https://a.co/d/1IEIIMnInterview: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-159-jesus-and-his-promised-second-coming-with-tucker-ferda/The Next Quest for the Historical Jesus, James Crossley and Chris Keith: https://a.co/d/ekFExPfInterview: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-169-the-next-quest-for-the-historical-jesus-with-james-crossley/Six Essential Books 2023: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-97-six-essential-books-of-2023/Six Essential Books 2022: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/six-books-that-shaped-my-political-thinking-and-theology/ 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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 Amity Dolby, a lifetime member of the Libertarian Party who serves as the treasurer of the LP of Central Virginia. Amity had been a life-long protestant, but recently converted to the Catholic church. We talk about her upbringing in the protestant world, her dissatisfaction with several protestant churches and the inconsistencies she saw in their teachings, and her interest in the Catholic faith. She describes her conversion, going through RCIA, and the spiritual depth and community she experiences as a Catholic. We also talk about her libertarian activism, the role of the LP, the controversies surrounding Trump and the Mises Caucus, and the prospects for libertarian success in the future, as well as how her Catholic faith intersects with libertarian philosophy. Media Referenced:Amity on X: @amitylee13The Coming Home Network: https://chnetwork.org/Let Them Live: http://letthemlive.org/The Lamb's Supper: https://a.co/d/gegMX4NCatharine Pakaluk on Catholic social teaching: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-103-the-social-and-economic-teachings-of-the-catholic-church-with-catharine-pakaluk/Michael Pakaluk on Catholic teaching: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-122-what-protestants-misunderstand-about-the-catholic-church-with-michael-pakaluk/Catharine Pakaluk on large families: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-123-why-women-are-choosing-to-have-more-children-with-catherine-pakaluk/Trent Horn on Catholic teaching: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-148-a-catholic-take-on-the-reformation-sola-scriptura-economics-and-more-with-trent-horn/Matthew Leavering on Catholicism: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-149-roman-catholicism-the-pope-mary-the-eucharist-and-ecumenicism-with-matthew-levering/  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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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. James Crossley, who teaches at Cambridge in England and MF Oslo in Norway. He explains the goals of the ‘Next Quest' for the historical Jesus, which is an attempt to outline the next phase of historical Jesus research. He contributes the opening article in the new book The Next Quest for the Historical Jesus, out now on Eerdmans, where he outlines the goals of the Next Quest. He discusses his frustrations with historical Jesus research over the last several years and the problems with previous attempts to reconstruct Jesus. Instead of attempting to find an uninterpreted Jesus behind the gospels, the Next Quest will emphasize the material and cultural forces that lead to the production of the sources we have about Jesus. It will also offer a new analysis of issues like class and economics, attempting to reconstruct the social world in which Jesus operated, as well as bringing in ideas from other fields such as religious studies and the humanities. It will place a heavy emphasis on the reception history of Jesus scholarship and analyze the social context of Jesus scholarship to see what impact the context of Jesus researchers has on their work. This is an important and insightful attempt to push historical Jesus research in a new direction.  Media Referenced:The Next Quest for the Historical Jesus: https://a.co/d/bgZtkxAJames Crossley Cambridge Bio: https://www.divinity.cam.ac.uk/staff/professor-james-crossleyJames Crossley MF Oslo Bio: https://mf.no/en/staff/james-crossleyCenSAMM: https://censamm.org/about/people/crossleyJames Crossley on X: @thejcmortHelen Bond on the Gospels as Biography: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-167-the-gospels-as-biography-with-helen-bond/ 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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 is a recording of a sermon I preached on Sunday, November 10, 2024. It is a part of our sermon series on the ‘Fruits of the Spirit' in Galatians 5:22-23. I preached on ‘faithfulness' a few weeks before (link below in the show notes), and in this sermon I explain ‘kindness'. I discuss the lack of kindness among Americans today and why Christians should not give into the temptation to be unkind. I explain how the Greek word that is translated as ‘kindness', chrestotes, is a rare term in the New Testament, and then explore two passages in Ephesians that use this term. The first, Ephesians 2:1-7, describes God's kindness towards us, which is known by God's good intentions for us and His willingness to act on those good intentions. I then explain how our kindness towards others is modelled on God's kindness towards us, which is based on Ephesians 4:25-5:2. I then reflect on how we can develop an attitude of kindness towards others.  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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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. Helen Bond, professor of Christian Origins and New Testament at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and cohost of the Biblical Time Machine podcast. She has a chapter in the new book The Next Quest for the Historical Jesus, out now on Eerdmans, where she argues that the gospels need to be understood as an expression of ancient Greek biography. Dr. Bond explains how ancient biography works as a genre, that the goals of ancient biography are to recount the life of a great person so that others can imitate them, and why the goal of ancient biography isn't simply historical accuracy but rather representing the ‘gist' or the ‘impact' that the subject had on those who encountered them. She also explains how the gospels contain anecdotes that were skillfully woven into a narrative by the writers, how the gospels reflect the oral culture of antiquity, and why we should be less concerned about determining whether individual stories and sayings in the gospels happened exactly as they were told and more concerned with the overall impression of Jesus the gospel writers are trying to impart. We then discuss the Next Quest and how recovering the gospels as biography will help move historical Jesus research forward.  Media Referenced:Helen Bond Bio: https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/persons/helen-bondAmazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001HMRULC/allbooks?ingress=0&visitId=62f6a737-f5de-43aa-aa9c-5d5dc01d12b6&ref_=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1Biblical Time Machine Podcast:Listen on Apple Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/biblical-time-machine/id1648738323Listen on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7cNljZzhe4w3zL9t0MaOZH?si=9G0vB9NVRDe5XZZVDfOGVgThe Next Quest for the Historical Jesus: https://a.co/d/6oqI7qdCraig Blomberg Interview: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-162-johns-gospel-and-the-historical-jesus-with-craig-blomberg/ 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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 bonus Thanksgiving episode I read an article entitled The Apostle Paul and the Introspective Conscience of the West by legendary New Testament scholar Krister Stendhal. Originally published in Swedish in 1960 (published in English as a chapter in his book Paul Among Jews and Gentiles), Stendhal argues that the west has missed the historical context in which Paul was writing. The western tradition, starting with Augustine and reaching its height with Luther, has assumed that Paul was extremely introspective and found relief from the guilt of his sin through the grace of Jesus. Stendhal argues that this isn't the case; based on several claims in Paul's letters that he was a devout, faithful, and upright Jew, there is little indication that Paul had a guilty conscience. The real historical context of Paul is the relationship between Jews and gentiles, and the extremely important 1st century issue of gentile believers in Jesus and law obedience. This article had a massive impact on New Testament studies, anticipating both the New Perspective and the Paul Within Judaism school, and I find his article extremely convincing and compelling. I hope you enjoy it! Media Referenced:Article PDF: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/569543b4bfe87360795306d6/t/5a4d41fa085229a032376713/1515012617149/01Stendahl.pdfPaul Among Jews and Gentiles: https://a.co/d/bdACCuWHenry Cadbury Episode: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/henry-cadbury-anti-war-biblical-scholar-warned-against-modernizing-jesus/Woodrow Wilson and Medieval Scholarship: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-91-how-woodrow-wilson-invaded-medieval-europe/NT Review Podcast on Stendhal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ury30mLfcLU 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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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. Christopher Holmes, the Director of Biblical and Theological Education at Frist Presbyterian Church of Atlanta, about his brand-new book Unspoiled Endings: Reclaiming the Book of Revelation from Misuse and Neglect, out now on Fortress Press. The book is an accessible introduction to the book of Revelation, and in this episode he explains the historical and practical significance of Revelation. He describes the challenges of reading Revelation, understanding it as a part of the genre of apocalyptic literature, reading strategies that help us interpret difficult passages, its prophetic nature, what it says about the church, judgement, worship, evil, and hope, and much more. This is the perfect introduction to a complex but important book that will help you better understand and apply the urgent message of Revelation. If you have ever been confused or scared about the contents of Revelation, this one is for you! Media Referenced:Unspoiled Endings: https://a.co/d/hey8RynChris Holmes Staff Bio: https://www.firstpresatl.org/staffYouTube: @revdrchrisholmesOffice Hours Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMlp8n6T3aAoxB-uw5kn2NAdqv8M9q7i4&si=q3qmdQVuvrrgN--HTPLP EP 3 on Revelation: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ludwig-von-mises-vs-christian-scholar-round-1-michael-gorman/John Walton on Prophecy: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-109-understanding-old-testament-prophecy-with-john-walton/Sermon on Revelation: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-136-the-book-of-revelation-sunday-sermon/  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, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 speak with Dr. Teresa Morgan, the McDonald Agape Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Yale Divinity School, about her brand-new book Trust in Atonement: God, Creation, and Reconciliation, out now on Eerdmans Press. In this book, Dr. Morgan argues that the Greek word pistis, which is generally translated as ‘faith' or ‘belief', should often be understood as ‘trust'. She outlines a new model of atonement, compatible with other models, in which trust is central to understanding God's at-one-ment with humanity. Atonement, Morgan contends, is the restoration of trust between God and humanity based on the trustworthiness of Christ. We explore the way in which trust helps reconcile God, humanity, and creation, trust as a process, how Jesus mediates trust, and the powerful potential for trust to reshape the world.  Media Referenced:Trust in Atonement: https://www.eerdmans.com/9781467466912/trust-in-atonement/Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/e2OUhMCTeresa Morgan Bio: https://divinity.yale.edu/faculty-and-research/yds-faculty/teresa-morgan 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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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 sermon I preached at my church on Sunday, October 27, during a series covering the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. My topic for the week was faith and faithfulness. I explore how the concept of faith is central to Galatians and the rest of the New Testament, and why it would make sense for Paul to incorporate it into his list of spiritual fruit. When then look at the Greek word behind faith/faithfulness, pistis, and explain how it is a dynamic term that can be translated in many different ways. While pistis generally denotes faith/faithfulness in English, Biblical scholar Nijay Gupta argues that it is understood as ‘belief', ‘trust', and ‘obedience' in various New Testament passages. We explore faith as ‘belief' in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, faith as ‘trust' in Romans 1:16-17, and faith as ‘obedience' in James 2:14-26. I also explain how ‘faith' is what brings us into a relationship with God but is developed and refined by the Holy Spirit if we allow Him to help us grow.  Media Referenced:Nijay Gupta, Paul and the Language of Faith: https://a.co/d/gduqK89The 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, and Youtube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. 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. Craig Blomberg about his brand-new book ‘Jesus the Purifier: John's Gospel and the Fourth Quest for the Historical Jesus', out now on Baker Academic. Blomberg reviews the history of the first three ‘Quests' for the historical Jesus, explaining how historical Jesus research has developed over time. He explains why, from the beginnings of modern Jesus research, the gospel of John was almost universally rejected as an historical source for reconstructing the life of Jesus. He then demonstrates that many advances have been made in studies of John over the last 40 years, and argues that John is indeed a viable historical source, offering us insight into the life of Jesus that is missing in synoptic-oriented research. He explores the theme of ‘purity' in the gospel of John and explains how it must go back to the historical Jesus himself. He then explains how a fourth quest needs to incorporate John as a historical source and why the proposed ‘Next Quest' will be incomplete without a reevaluation of John.  Media Referenced:Jesus the Purifier: https://a.co/d/ifeRf8dCraig Blomberg Bio: https://denverseminary.edu/directory/blomberg-phd-craig/Blomberg Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Craig-Blomberg/author/B001HCY7S6?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=trueThe 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 Jason Fry, author of the brand-new book National Divorce: A Plan for Peace, in which he makes the argument for the breakup of the United States. A native Texan who has been working in the Texas secession movement for years, Jason makes the case that Americans are more divided than ever and should be allowed to peacefully part ways. He explains the philosophy of national divorce and secession and demonstrates how complex issues like infrastructure, entitlements, defense, and trade could easily be managed by seceding states. He also discusses why Christians in particular should support national divorce.  Media Referenced:Book Website: https://www.national-divorce.com/Jason on X: @JasonKFry 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 about the reasons why I can't support either Trump or Harris, why America is Babylon, and why I don't believe that the election will change anything. I hope I am wrong about the third one. I had an interview fall through and I recorded this for YouTube; the links for the video are posted below. I am going to try to put out more video content in the weeks to come! Enjoy this short bonus episode and subscribe over on YouTube! Also, check out my new article for LCI where I explain why the New Testament does not support socialism! Media Referenced:Original YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpYODuozDfQSubscribe on YouTube: @ProLibertyPodMy LCI article on Socialism: https://libertarianchristians.com/2024/10/26/no-the-new-testament-does-not-teach-socialism/ 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. Tucker Ferda, associate professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He is the author of the brand-new book Jesus and His Promised Second Coming: Jewish Eschatology and Christian Origins, out now on Eerdmans Press. In this book Ferda challenges a long-standing assumption in New Testament scholarship by arguing that the hope for Jesus' second coming was not a product of the early church but originated with the historical Jesus himself. Tucker explains the reception history of the second coming, demonstrating that the early church and pre-Enlightenment Christians all believed Jesus taught of his own second coming, and how that perspective shifted during the Enlightenment. New Testament scholarship has essentially assumed that Jesus couldn't have predicted his own second coming, and the question has been ignored in modern scholarship. Ferda disagrees. Working backwards from Paul, through the Gospels, to the historical Jesus himself, Ferda contends that the belief in the second coming only makes sense if it was originated by Jesus himself, and shows that his view of his own death, interim, and second coming is completely compatible with 2nd temple Jewish eschatology. We then discuss the intended impact of his work on NT scholarship and the forthcoming ‘Next Quest' for the historical Jesus.  Media Referenced:Jesus and His Promised Second Coming: https://a.co/d/5l7E3dXTucker Ferda Faculty Page: https://www.pts.edu/ferdatTucker Ferda on Academia: https://pts.academia.edu/TuckerFerda 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 recent replay of a Greenroom conversation that I moderated between libertarian presidential nominee Chase Oliver and Jacob Winograd. We ask Chase about his campaign, what motivated him to run, and how he has travelled around the country spreading libertarian ideas. We then explore some of the controversy surrounding his campaign and members of the Mises Caucus and allow him to respond to the inter-libertarian criticism. We then talk about the broken two-party system and his commitment to ending the wars and debt through libertarian principles as well as what he hopes to accomplish during his presidential run.  Media Referenced:Support Chase Oliver: https://votechaseoliver.com/Chase Oliver on X: @ChaseForLibertyJacob Winograd on X: @BiblicalAnarchy 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 discussion that I had with Dave Casey (host of Dave vs Goliath Podcast), moderated by Jacob Winograd, about whether libertarians should for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. I made the case that libertarians should vote for Chase Oliver, and Dave made the case that libertarians should vote for Trump. Dave offered a thoughtful and realistic presentation of why it makes sense for libertarians to vote for Trump without excusing his record, why no libertarian should support Harris, and why he has problems with the Chase Oliver campaign. Since I explained my thoughts last episode (157) about why I believe Christian libertarians should not vote for Trump, I wanted to present a rational alternative view to my position. Dave's reasons for supporting Trump are entirely logical, and I hope that presenting the other side of this conversation will help you think about the consequences of this election and help explain why many libertarians are choosing to vote for Trump. Make sure you give Dave Casey a follow!  Media Referenced:Dave Casey Twitter: @davevsgoliath1Dave's Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0RGeHxZadf9me6ECRnxHe6Jacob Winograd: @biblicalanarchy 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!