The Protestant Libertarian Podcast

In this episode, I give you the recording of a sermon I preached at my church on July 9, 2023. This sermon was a part of a series on the disciples of Jesus. I choose to focus on Simon the Zealot, a disciple for which there is a small amount of historical material in the New Testament but whose title ‘zealot’ reveals several significant insights into the ministry of Jesus, the Kingdom of God, and the mission of the church. While this episode is, of course, not explicitly political, listeners of this show should find a lot of important parallels between the content of my sermon and the subjects I discuss on this show. I hope you enjoy it!The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com. Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Check out the Protestant Libertarian Podcast page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theplpodcast. Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!

In this episode I critique a recent episode of Phil Vischer’s podcast The Holy Post, in which his co-hosts Skye Jethani and Katlyn Schiess discuss the Christian faith of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. I argue that they dramatically miss the most important aspect of their presidencies, during which both men committed horrendous war crimes. I review the war crimes of Bush and Obama and contrast that record with the casual conversation they had about their faiths. I also critique a conversation that took place on the show about Oliver Anthony’s Rich Men North of Richmond, where a nuanced discussion about welfare is collapsed into an unfounded theory of racial ‘dog-whistling’ as well as how Oliver’s commentary on Jeffery Epstein is dismissed as ‘Q-Anon’ adjacent. Both of these claims demonstrate my main point that even when admirably breaking with the right-wing trajectory of American evangelicalism, the commentators on The Holy Post still conform to the parameters of acceptable discourse set by the corporate press and fail to address the most important issues facing our society.  Media Referenced:The Holy Post Episode: https://www.holypost.com/post/579-how-the-bible-is-used-abused-in-politics-with-kaitlyn-schiessScott Horton, Enough Already: Time to End the War on Terror: https://a.co/d/0TVOy5w Laurie Calhoun, We Kill Because We Can: https://a.co/d/0aDohMn Obama Is a War Criminal: https://harvardpolitics.com/obama-war-criminal/ The Intercept Article: https://theintercept.com/2017/01/30/obama-killed-a-16-year-old-american-in-yemen-trump-just-killed-his-8-year-old-sister/ TPLP Episode on the torture programs: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/against-george-w-bushs-cia-torture-program-roundtable/ Laurie Calhoun on the ‘Just War’ Theory: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/critique-of-the-just-war-theory-laurie-calhoun/The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com. Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Check out the Protestant Libertarian Podcast page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theplpodcast. Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks! 

In this episode I talk to Adam O’Brien, the founder and CEO of Bitcoin Well, who explains everything you need to know about bitcoin. We discuss how bitcoin functions, why it is safe, how it avoids the pitfalls of fiat currency, and why it can create economic stability. We also explore the problems with our current monetary system, the threat of central banks, how to avoid radical inflation, and the dangerous rise of Central Bank Digital Currencies. Adam argues that bitcoin is an excellent investment and could become the future of decentralized currency.Media Referenced:Adam O’Brien on Twitter: @adamobrien_Bitcoin Well on Twitter: @TheBitcoinWellAdam’s Website: https://www.adamobrien.ca/Bitcoin Well Website: https://bitcoinwell.com/Looking Glass Website: https://lookingglasseducation.com/codl/Bitcoin is Generational Wealth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Rnqst5qCgA  The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com. Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Check out the Protestant Libertarian Podcast page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theplpodcast. Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!

In this episode, I talk to Kevin Burr, discipleship Minister at King’s Crossing Church of Christ in Corpus Christie, Texas and host of the podcast Faith in the Folds, about the challenges facing ministers and the church in politically divided times. We discuss political divisions between Christians, the rise of progressive Christianity, deconstruction, exvangelicalism, and Christian nationalism, how Christianity became associated with right-wing politics in the US, how church leaders can responsibly address contentious political issues, and what the Bible tells us about Christian political engagement.  Media Referenced:Kevin Burr Twitter: @kbburrFaith in the Folds Twitter: @faithinthefoldsFaith in the Folds Podcast: https://rss.com/podcasts/faithinthefolds/Faith in the Folds Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTLaLhEOui1uJi_1UrqP7oAKings Crossing Church of Christ: https://www.kingscrossingcoc.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. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Check out the Protestant Libertarian Podcast page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theplpodcast. Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!

 This is the second of two installments of a long interview I had with Laurie Calhoun, senior fellow at the Libertarian Institute, on her brand-new book Questioning the COVID Company Line: Critical Thinking in Hysterical Times. This book is a brilliant collection of essays that explores every facet of the COVID pandemic. In this second part, we discuss the weaponization of ‘misinformation’, government censorship, the relationship between government and big pharma, the mRNA ‘vaccines’ and alternative treatments, mandates, and, finally, the origins of the pandemic. This episode deals with the most controversial and important aspects of the Covid age, and you will not want to miss it!  Media Referenced: Questioning the COVID Company Line: https://a.co/d/ijhXMWR Laurie Calhoun at the Libertarian Institute: https://libertarianinstitute.org/author/lcalhoun/ Blog: https://thedroneage.wordpress.com/ Twitter: @laurielcalhoun Ep 50: A Critique of the Just War Theory: https://libertarianchristians.com/shows/protestant-libertarian-podcast/Ep 15: The Military Industrial Cult: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/military-industrial-cult-laurie-calhoun/ The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com.  Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Check out the Protestant Libertarian Podcast page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theplpodcast. Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks! 

This is the first of two installments of a long interview I had with Laurie Calhoun, senior fellow at the Libertarian Institute, on her brand-new book Questioning the COVID Company Line: Critical Thinking in Hysterical Times. This book is a brilliant collection of essays that explores every facet of the COVID pandemic. In this first part, we discuss the death of critical thinking during the Covid era, how the same financial incentives and propaganda that support the military-industrial complex were employed during Covid in the name of ‘public health’, the problem with the slogan ‘trust the science’, the role of government organizations like the CDC, and Anthony Fauci’s rise to power.  Media Referenced:Questioning the COVID Company Line: https://a.co/d/ijhXMWRLaurie Calhoun at the Libertarian Institute: https://libertarianinstitute.org/author/lcalhoun/Blog: https://thedroneage.wordpress.com/Twitter: @laurielcalhounEp 50: A Critique of the Just War Theory: https://libertarianchristians.com/shows/protestant-libertarian-podcast/Ep 15: The Military Industrial Cult: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/military-industrial-cult-laurie-calhoun/ The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com. Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Check out the Protestant Libertarian Podcast page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theplpodcast. Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!

In this episode, I read through an article published last fall entitled The Freakonomics of Jesus by John Bombaro. In it, he explores how Jesus understood our relationship as His followers to wealth and money, and how we need to think about economics as Christians in general. While it is a great article and I agree with much of what he says, I critique the use of the term ‘capitalism’, explain how many of the economic problems he correctly identifies in his article are caused by state intervention into the economy, and demonstrate how the free market can solve these problems. I also discuss why so many Christian scholars get economics wrong and how passages like Matthew 6 and 1 Timothy 6 provide us with a model of voluntary charity for those who can afford to help others. Media Referenced:The Freakonomics of Jesus: https://www.1517.org/articles/the-freakonomics-of-jesusCapitalism and the Historians: https://mises.org/library/capitalism-and-historians-0?gclid=Cj0KCQjwwvilBhCFARIsADvYi7JOSVee5yxfgvdpmxX5L1oM2ex9nOgJHKiKvV9vp4OSXIvep6-NhSIaAhqMEALw_wcB The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com. Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Check out the Protestant Libertarian Podcast page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theplpodcast. Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!

In this episode I talk with Chase Oliver, who is running to become the libertarian presidential candidate nominee. Chase ran for senate as a libertarian in Georgia in 2022 and forced a contentious run-off election. During his senate race, he received over 80,000 votes and roundly defeated the incumbent democrat in a televised debate. In our conversation, Chase talks about some of the biggest issues he would face if elected president, including Ukraine, pandemic response, increasingly centralized political authority, and drug reform. We then look at his philosophy of libertarianism, what is wrong with our current two-party system, and how libertarians can beat the electoral odds that are rigged in favor of the duopoly. Disclaimer: Interviews with political candidates do not imply an endorsement nor serve as promoting the candidate.  Media Referenced:Support Chase Oliver: https://votechaseoliver.com/Follow Chase on Twitter: @ChaseForLiberty The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com. Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Check out the Protestant Libertarian Podcast page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theplpodcast. Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks! 

In this episode, I talk to Matt and Jessica Rice. They are the people behind the Plant-Based Caucus, a group within the Libertarian party that advocates for veganism and healthy living. Matt and Jessica explain why they decided to become vegans and the research that supports a whole-foods, plant-based diet. We talk about the benefits of eating clean and exercising regularly, and why yoga is an excellent way to stay in shape. Check it out! Media Referenced:Follow Matt: @PlantBASEDlp https://nutritionstudies.org/the-china-study/… https://a.co/d/1bJ27mm - ‘The China Study,’ “the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted” https://revelationscafefilm.com - Revelations Cafe documentary. Faith-based vegetarian/vegan cafe outside Tampa, FL https://amazon.com/Dialogues-Ethical-Vegetarianism-Michael-Huemer/dp/1138328294… - Book by Libertarian Vegan Michael Huemer, psychology professor at the University of Colorado-Boulder  https://plantpurenation.com/pages/plantpure-nation-movie… - Link for Plant Pure Nation documentary https://gamechangersmovie.com - Movie about the successes of vegan/plant-based athletes  https://plantpurecommunities.org/watch-film/ - documentary about successes of plant-based diets for people who have type 2 diabetes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-exam-room-by-the-physicians-committee/id1312957138… - Exam Room podcast by the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine. “Raise your health IQ with a fun and inspiring plant-based podcast from nutrition experts at the Physician’s Committee”  https://nutritionfacts.org/book/how-not-to-die/… https://a.co/d/9zY6kzK - Information about, and link to buy, the book ‘How Not to Die’ by Michael Greger and Gene Stone.  https://netflix.com/us/title/80174177s=i&trkid=13747225&vlang=en&clip=81030320… -What the Health documentary on Netflix http://dresselstyn.com/site/books/prevent-reverse/about-the-book/… https://a.co/d/cKFJ4gu - ‘Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure’ by Caldwell Esselstyn  The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com. Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Check out the Protestant Libertarian Podcast page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theplpodcast. Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks! 

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Carmen Joy Imes, who is associate professor of Old Testament at Biola University, about her brand-new book ‘Being God’s Image: Why Creation Still Matters’, out now on IVP Academic. Dr. Imes explains how we as humans bear the image of God, what it means for how we understand our place and our purpose in creation, the reality of the human condition, the meaning of the incarnation, and our future hope. This is a wide-ranging conversation that explores exactly what it means to be made as ‘God’s image’.  Media Referenced:Buy Being God’s Image: https://a.co/d/51AflTaBuy Carmen’s other books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07BNPY56Q?ingress=0&visitId=53dd8dae-be63-4001-bb7d-fbbcbd23d2f3&store_ref=ap_rdr&ref_=ap_rdrCarmen’s Blog: https://carmenjoyimes.blogspot.com/YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CarmenJoyImesPhDTwitter: @carmenjoyimes The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com. Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Check out the Protestant Libertarian Podcast page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theplpodcast. Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!