The Protestant Libertarian Podcast

In this episode I discuss how the covenant God made with Israel in the Old Testament was a form of an ancient Near Eastern suzerain-vassal treaty. Building from the fantastic work of Sandra Richter’s ‘Epic of Eden’ book, a suzerain vassal treaty is one in which a king or imperial power, the suzerain, makes a treaty with a lesser kingdom or people, the vassal. They are asymmetrical in the sense that the suzerain clearly holds the power but also reciprocal in that both parties are contractually obligated to one another. Generally, the vassal offers loyalty and taxes to the suzerain while the suzerain grants military protection in peace. Seen in this light, the covenant God makes with Israel depicts him as the rightful king, and in the climax of the Pentateuch, Deuteronomy 27-32, the blessings and curses of covenant faithfulness are laid out clearly. If vassal Israel honors suzerain YHWH by obeying His Law, God will bless Israel, keep them safe and well-fed in the land, protect them from outsiders, and allow them to be a light to the pagan nations. If Israel breaks covenant, God will withhold his protection. This logic, found already in the giving of the Decalogue in Exodus 19-24 and Leviticus 26, can be understood through the framework of suzerain-vassal treaty, depicting God as the true king. For Christians seeking to derive political principles from the Old Testament, this is one important aspect of ancient thought to consider. 
 
Media Referenced:
Epic of Eden: https://a.co/d/0hZfe5ZZ
Dru Johnson on OT Politics: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-263-the-torah-the-old-testament-and-christian-politics-with-dru-johnson/
 
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!

In this episode I talk once again with Old Testament scholar Dru Johnson, who recently hosted a conference about Christianity and politics entitled “Bible First”. I ask him a wide range of questions about the political themes and consequences of the Torah and Old Testament. We explore the relationship between creation and human agency in Genesis 1-11, the patriarchal narratives and their role as shepherds of Israel, the Law as God’s covenantal contract with Israel, how Deuteronomy defines the unique role of Israel’s king, the failure of Israel and their king to keep covenant, particularly with Israel’s desire to have a king like the nations around them in 1 Samuel 8, God’s promise to David in 2 Samuel 7 that one of his descendants will establish an eternal kingdom, how the prophets deal with Israel’s failures and future hope, and how this relates to the kingship of Jesus in the New Testament. This is a wide-ranging and engaging conversation which reframes our perspective on the Old Testament and its impact on Christian political theology. 
 
Media Referenced:
Dru’s Website: https://drujohnson.com/
X: @Dru_Johnson
Biblical Law Episode: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-239-understanding-biblical-law-with-dru-johnson/
Genesis 3 Episode: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-232-genesis-35-and-the-problem-of-power/
1 Samuel 8 Episode: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/1-samuel-8-biblical-critique-of-monarchy/

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!

In this episode I discuss why Thomas Massie is the right choice for Kentucky. Thomas Massie is a real Constitutional, America First conservative and has been great on every issue that really matters to conservatives and libertarians including COVID, foreign policy, deficits and government spending, Epstein, guns, abortion, and more. In fact, Trump’s 2024 campaign was extremely similar to Massie’s policy platform and voting record. Trump, however, is trying to primary Massie, supporting Israel lobby funded Ed Gallrein, a man who believes that loyalty to Trump is more important than conservative principles. In fact, Trump has completely sold out his base, ignoring every significant campaign promise he made in 2024. Like Trump, Gallrein is more concerned about the Israel lobby than American citizens and endorses a socialist policy platform. Trump has always been a New York Democrat, and conservatives who place principle over party must support Massie over Trump. The future of freedom and American values depends on it. 
 
Media Referenced:
My Case Against Trump: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-156-the-libertarian-case-against-donald-trump/
 
Neither Trump nor Harris: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-160-i-cant-support-trump-or-harris/
  
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!

In this episode I explore the Christology of Romans and explain how it must condition our reading of Romans 13:1-7. I discuss how many interpreters correctly read Romans 13 within the context of Romans 12 but fail to account for the wider context of Romans, Paul’s other letters, or his historical context. I argue that the high Christology of Romans, in which Paul unequivocally proclaims Jesus as the promised Davidic Messiah who, by virtue of his death, resurrection, and ascension, currently rules over all creation, must condition our reading of Romans 13. I examine five passages, including Romans 1:1-5, 15:7-12, 16:25-27, 8:31-34, and 10:9, in which Paul makes sweeping claims about the universal, objective, and historical lordship of Jesus, and how his gospel results in faithfulness and obedience to him as king. There is no legitimate reading or Romans 13 that does not account for that high, royal Christology and I offer a reflection on how it helps us to better contextualize Romans 13. 
 
Media Referenced:
Government as God’s Servant: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-243-government-is-gods-servant-romans-13-isaiah-10-and-jeremiah-25/
 
Revisiting Romans 13: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-210-revisiting-romans-13/
 
1 Cor. 2:6-8: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-257-the-rulers-of-this-age-are-passing-away-1-corinthians-26-8/
 
Ascension in Ephesians: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-248-far-above-all-rule-and-authority-ephesians-115-23/
 
Matthew Bates: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/the-gospel-and-allegiance-to-king-jesus-with-matthew-bates/
 
Teresa Morgan: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-164-atonement-trust-and-reconciliation-with-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 [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!

In this episode I respond to John Barclay’s contribution to the book New Testament Ethics (out now on Eerdmans) entitled Wealth: The Deep Challenge of the New Testament. Much of Barclay’s arguments are excellent. He contends that the question of wealth is a major theme in the New Testament which has been overlooked by Western scholars and that the treatment of wealth is a distinctive feature of Christian discipleship. He argues that wealth is inherently dangerous and can compromise Christian faithfulness and result in injustice, and that the writers of the New Testament were operating within an eschatological framework which calls for a radical disinvestment of wealth, using it for the sake of the kingdom, which is a sharing in the grace of God. While I agree wholeheartedly with Barclay’s assessment, he overstates his conclusions. He argues that the only good wealth is given or shared and implies that believers should not be concerned about financial management, passing wealth onto children, investments, or savings. I think he pushes these conclusions too far, and I respond by discussing how capital accumulation is the most effective method for alleviating poverty, the problem of the Jerusalem church in the New Testament, the many characters in the New Testament that do not give all of their wealth, and the responsibility for work and financial stewardship found in passages such as 1 Thessalonians 4 and 2 Thessalonians 3. I suggest that the great churchman John Wesley has a better model for thinking about wealth; while recognizing the dangers of wealth, it is also an effective means of building the kingdom when used for God’s glory. Wesley suggested that believers earn all they can, save all they can, and give all they can, and that Wesley’s approach to wealth corresponds with the Biblical witness and is the proper response to the otherwise excellent scholarship in Barclay’s contribution. 
 
Media Referenced:
1 Thessalonians 4 episode: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-186-work-with-your-hands-1-thessalonians-49-12/
2 Thessalonians 3 episode: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-187-no-work-no-food-2-thessalonians-36-13/
Jesus and Capitalism: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-180-jesus-and-capitalism/
 
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!