The Protestant Libertarian Podcast

In this episode I discuss Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 2:6-8 that “the rulers of this age…are passing away”. I explain how the Corinthians were Paul’s problem church and that the believers in Corinth were compromising with worldly values and causing divisions in the church. Paul seeks to challenge their pagan values and warn them of the dangers of disunity. Paul operates within a framework of inaugurated eschatology, where the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus the Davidic Messiah has ushered in the end of history. Paul also unambiguously hails Jesus as Messiah, calling him ‘the Lord Jesus Christ’ at several points in the opening verses. The rulers of this age, like the divisive and worldly Corinthians, failed to understand the wisdom of a crucified Messiah and are, as a result of the inaugurated eschaton, currently in the process of passing away into obscurity. The church, God’s temple through faith and the Spirit, must not place their hope in these temporal rulers whose time is nearly up. Paul’s christology, ecclesiology, and eschatology challenges the church to be the church and rise above the rulers of this age who are passing away. 

Media Referenced:
James Ware on 1 Corinthians 15: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-192-1-corinthians-15-and-the-resurrection-of-jesus-with-james-ware/
Ephesians 1: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-248-far-above-all-rule-and-authority-ephesians-115-23/
Philippians 2: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-255-philippians-25-11-and-christology-politics-and-ethics/

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 how Christians need to think critically about collateral damage in war. Inspired by the recent outbreak of war in Iran, in which many believers flippantly dismiss the deaths of innocent noncombatants, including little girls, there is no Biblical, ethical, or theological justification for collateral damage. I explain how my views on this issue developed over time and how Christians must embrace the post-national identity of Abraham’s family and the obvious consequences of Genesis 1:26-28 in which all humans are created in God’s image and likeness. Being born on the wrong side of an imaginary line doesn’t change that reality. I talk about the problems of just war theory with respect to modern warfare, the hypocrisy of Americans who will justify the death of foreign women and children while claiming we must always defend American women and children, the problem of war in the Old Testament, and how Christians must be morally and intellectually consistent, always defending the rights and value of all human life. In short, there is no Christian justification for collateral damage. 
 
Media Referenced:
Calhoun on the Just War Theory: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/critique-of-the-just-war-theory-laurie-calhoun/ 
Ballard on Old Testament Violence: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-193-the-problem-of-old-testament-violence-with-jordan-ballard/ 
Genesis 3: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-232-genesis-35-and-the-problem-of-power/
 
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 take a first extended look at Philippians 2:5-11, the famous Christ hymn in which Paul exhorts his audience to embody the “attitude of Christ” by emulating his sacrificial disposition. In the hymn Paul explains how Jesus did not selfishly hold on to his divine status but sacrificed himself twice, both in the incarnation and on the cross. Paul maintains that it was the humility of Christ which led to his exaltation at the right hand of God, because of which everyone will someday acknowledge his universal lordship. This passage has massive implications for Christology, Christian political theology, and ethics, and it is one which every believer should take seriously. I explain how believers should adopt the sacrificial mindset of Jesus, completely reframe the way we think about the nature of political power, and how Paul, only a few years after the resurrection of Jesus, believed in the incarnation. It’s an important passage!
 
Media Referenced:
Ascension Theology in Paul: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-248-far-above-all-rule-and-authority-ephesians-115-23/
 
Ascension, Kingdom, and Eschatology: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-235-ascension-kingdom-and-eschatology/
 
Ascension w/ Ross Hastings: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-233-the-ascension-of-jesus-with-ross-hastings/
 
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 Easter special, I explore Jesus’ enigmatic final words in Mark 15:34, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me”, a direct quotation of Psalm 22:1. Far from being a cry of despair, Psalm 22 is actually a song of vindication which begins with the psalmist in distress and ends with the final justice of God. Mark’s passion narrative, particularly 15:22-39, is rife with allusions to Psalm 22, suggesting that the author is communicating to his audience that what looks like a hopeless situation for Jesus will end in triumph, precisely what happens on Easter morning. Spoiler alert: the episode on Philippians I referenced at the beginning of the episode will be released as Ep 255; I had the wrong dates on my schedule! Look for it next Tuesday! 
 
Media Referenced:
Episode on Mark 10: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-244-mark-10-wrecks-modern-economic-and-political-assumptions/ 
Episode on Luke 15: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-246-wicked-shepards-and-lost-sheep-luke-15-jeremiah-23-and-ezekiel-34/

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 with Dr. Jason Borges, associate director of the Asia Minor Research Center in Antalya, Turkey. He lives in Turkey and has traveled extensively throughout the Mediterranean and is the author of the brand-new book Christian Life in the Greco-Roman City: The Civic and Architectural Contexts of Early Christianity, out now on Baker Academic, where he discusses the significance of city life and architecture for early Christianity and introduces his audience to some key features of Greco-Roman cities. We talk about the way in which ancient cities and architectural features shaped the perspective of early Jesus-believers and thus the New Testament, and Dr. Borges walks us through some of the features which defined ancient cities including the agora, temple, prisons, bathhouses and more. We then discuss why Christians should take architecture seriously and how we can learn more about the impact of ancient material culture. 
 
Media Referenced:
Christian Life in the Greco-Roman City: https://a.co/d/027bQY4O
Jason’s Website: https://www.biblicalturkey.org/

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!