The Protestant Libertarian Podcast

• Ep 189: Private Charity is Better than Government Welfare with Gerard Casey

  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 [email protected].  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!

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• Ep 188: What We Believe Part 4 | Resurrection

  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 [email protected].  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!

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• Ep 187: No Work, No Food | 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

  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 [email protected].  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! 

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• Ep 186: Work with Your Hands | 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12

  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 [email protected].  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

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• Ep 185: What We Believe Part 3 | Son of David

  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 [email protected].  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!

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