The Protestant Libertarian Podcast

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!

In this episode, I make the Christian Libertarian case against Donald Trump. As a Christian, I do not put my hope in the political process, and while I do believe that Trump is marginally better than Kamala Harris, his policy record is atrocious and completely at odds with my values. I explain the difference between voting for a candidate and actively supporting them, while acknowledging that libertarians like Dave Casey have made reasonable and thoughtful arguments in favor of voting for Trump without fully endorsing him. I also explain why I understand how libertarians living in swing states might reasonably cast a ballot for Trump. I then look at the hypocrisy of many progressive Christians when it comes to politics, and how they uncritically and, in my view, hypocritically endorse and support Kamala Harris and her administration’s war crimes. I discuss my X interactions with two of these progressive Christians (who I believe are otherwise good and respectable people) and why casting a vote for Trump would compromising my principles as a Christian and a libertarian. I then explain the three main reasons why I can’t vote for Trump: his socialist economic policies that harmed the American economy and only fueled the boom cycle; the war crimes he committed in the middle east, his provocation of Russia, and staffing his administration with neocon war hawks; and being centrally responsible for the disaster that ensued during the Covid pandemic. I make the case that Christians should never support either socialists or war criminals, and that Donald Trump is both. I then briefly explain why I can confidently vote for Chase Oliver and discuss my appearance on The Fountainhead Forum podcast where I made the case for Chase.   Media Referenced:Fountainhead Forum conversation about Chase: https://youtu.be/WZ0kXmlhERI?si=ifjXLd5VgyWsW0oKTrump’s War on Capitalism: https://a.co/d/hCyop9Q 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 the great Cody Cook about his brand-new article entitled How Do You Know a Christian, published at Plough, in which he argues that Christians should be characterized by non-violence. We discuss the how the writers of the Bible conceptualize non-violence, how the early church almost universally affirmed non-violence, self-defense, and pacifism. Cody also explains why the anabaptist tradition has always gotten this right, how anabaptist thought corresponds to libertarianism, why many protestant traditions are wrong about violence, and how this conversation relates to the theological debate about the relationship between faith and works.  Media Referenced:How Do You Know a Christian: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/early-christians/how-do-you-know-a-christianCody’s Website: https://www.cantus-firmus.com/about/Cody on X: @CantusFirmusCCCody on LCI: https://libertarianchristians.com/?s=cody+cook 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 the recording of a sermon that I preached on Sunday, September 15, on the difference between insiders and outsiders in the church. I explain why, by definition, every group needs boundaries and discuss how 1st century Jews understood the boundaries between insider and outsider to be defined by the Jewish law. I then explore the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 and how God’s gift of the Spirit to gentiles caused a controversy among the Jewish leaders of the church, with some claiming that gentiles need to follow the law to become ‘insiders’ and others arguing that faith and the Spirit are enough. The church affirms the idea that what defines the insider from the outsider are faith and the Spirit. I then read through Galatians 3 and show how Paul addresses the problem of Jewish leaders backsliding and claiming that gentiles should embrace the law, and how Paul demonstrates persuasively that all of those who have faith and have been given the Spirit are now fully apart of the family of Abraham. I look at the consequences of this Biblical view of the boundary between insiders and outsiders, which includes getting along with Christians from other traditions and patiently submitting to the gradual moral development of the Spirit. Finally, I challenge my church to understand the distinction between insiders and outsiders in non-oppositional terms; the family of Abraham is called to be a blessing to the nations therefore we have a missional obligation to those outside of the church. It is our responsibility to help the outsiders become insiders. Enjoy!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 Cherry Teresa, vice president of the organization Atheists for Liberty. We discuss the organization, why Cherry is an atheist, her concerns about religion in general and Christianity in particular, Jesus, ethics and morality. We also explore the need for open and honest dialogue and a willingness to ask difficult questions. She also explains why it seems that so many atheists are on the political left, how politicians use religion to buy votes, and how liberty-minded Christians and atheists can work together to achieve our common political goals.  Media Referenced:Cherry on X: @cherryteresaCherry’s Website: https://cherryteresa.com/wp/Cherry on Youtube: @CherryTeresaAtheists for Liberty on X: @AtheistsLibertyWebsite: https://www.atheistsforliberty.org/YouTube: @AtheistsforLiberty  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. Kevin Chen, professor of Old Testament Studies at Gateway Seminary in Ontario, California, about his brand new book ‘Wonders from Your Law’, out now on IVP. In this book he argues that nexus passages, which are texts that bring together major themes and motifs from throughout the Old Testament, demonstrate both a textual unity and a theological center to the entirety of the Old Testament. He shows that the eschatological messiah (Jesus) is the center of Old Testament theology and how several critical nexus passages help readers better understand this important concept.  Media Referenced:Wonders From Your Law: https://a.co/d/7rU371qKevin Chen Bio: https://www.ivpress.com/kevin-s-chen  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 Kelly Patrick, host of The Kelly Patrick Show, about the current state of American politics. We discuss the awful legacy of 9.11 and why most Americans believe in political propaganda. Kelly then shares his thoughts on the Trump/Harris debate and the lack of any substantial policy proposals on offer by either candidate. We also discuss the state of the 2024 race, make predictions about the election, and his choice to write in Thomas Massie for president.  Media Referenced:Kelly on Twitter: @kellypatrick502Kelly’s website: https://livesportscaster.com/Kelly’s Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/6jcUjwBQTukBGwC4wvP7K4?si=034e4f36488e484d  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 share a sermon that I preached at my church on Sunday, August 18, 2024. In this sermon I discuss the Kingdom of God. I explain how Christians have traditionally misunderstood this very important concept, it’s centrality to the message and mission of Jesus, how Jesus’ vision of the Kingdom of God conflicts with a more popular understanding proclaimed by the Pharisees, and how Jesus presents a series of parables in Matthew 13 that reframes the way his audience should understand the Kingdom. I also play acoustic guitar in the band at my church and was on the schedule when I preached this sermon. The outro music of this episode is a live recording of the intro music we played before the service; I am on the acoustic guitar. 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! 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!