To challenge and rethink our paradigms for understanding society, by applying Reformed theology and philosophy to politics, religion, and culture, in order to encourage individual freedom and responsibility within our own spheres of influence.
Mere Liberty is about liberty at its most fundamental core. It’s stripping away the rhetoric that we’ve become accustomed to hearing and challenging the paradigms that face us today.
Mere Liberty is not about politics per se, rather it’s about the philosophies (and theology) behind the problems presented in politics and culture. Challenging the manner in which we see these problems will push us to think beyond mere political solutions that in effect isolate us from own responsibility, and eschewing responsibility means relinquishing our associated freedoms.
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Deciphering the Libertarian Party's Position on Abortion: Key Points Unpacked
Saison 5 · Épisode 42
lundi 1 avril 2024 • Durée 26:19
mereliberty.com/042
On this episode of Dare to Think, host Kerry Baldwin delves into the complex history of the Libertarian Party's stance on abortion rights. In her exploration, Kerry highlights key shifts in the party's platform over the decades, shedding light on the diverse perspectives within the Libertarian Party.
As she navigates through the party's evolving positions on abortion, Kerry addresses the recent removal of the abortion plank from the platform, which has sparked debates among delegates who hold varying views on abortion.
With a focus on the nuances of the party's stance and the implications for both pro choice and pro life libertarians, this episode offers an in-depth analysis of a contentious issue within the Libertarian Party.
Join Kerry as she discusses the ongoing philosophical debate and its potential impact on the future of Libertarianism.
00:00 Introduction and history of the abortion plank
06:44 Historical LP stance on abortion shows division.
09:47 Delegate supports removing abortion plank.
11:02 Dallas Accord: Libertarian Party for all libertarians.
14:30 Silence on abortion: Threat to women's rights?
18:43 Authoritarian policies infringe on reproductive rights.
23:02 Libertarian platform silent on abortion for consistency.
24:58 Podcast promoting critical thinking and membership benefits.
Nancy Pearcey Explains The Toxic War on Masculinity
Saison 5 · Épisode 41
lundi 4 mars 2024 • Durée 35:55
| SUMMARY - Nancy Pearcey Explains The Toxic War on Masculinity |
In this episode of Dare to Think, Kerry Baldwin interviews Professor Nancy Pearcey about her book, The Toxic War on Masculinity. This book is not intended to take sides in cultural-religious debate between Complementarianism and Egalitarianism.
Instead, Pearcey examines a socio-historical perspective of the phenomenon known as "toxic masculinity" and whether Christianity or secularism is responsible for it. Pearcey finds a number of surprising examples throughout history, and also today from prominent sociological and psychological marriage researchers. Pearcey's book is more of an academic apologetic written for educated layman, instead of a popular piece.
Join me, Kerry Baldwin, with Nancy Pearcey, as we Dare to Think about the Toxic War on Masculinity
Welcome to Dare to Think, where we challenge & and rethinking prevailing paradigms. In today's episode, we delve into the relaunch of the Liberty Seminar, a course designed by Kerry Baldwin to cultivate the invaluable skill of thinking well using the Socratic method. Our guests, Mike Leavitt, Jacob, and Kerry Baldwin, engage in thought-provoking discussions on the significance of critically thinking and challenging existing beliefs. We'll explore how the Socratic method can be applied in diverse areas of life, from theology and education to personal growth and professional development. Join us as we learn about the power of asking the right questions and embracing the freedom of thinking well.
Main Points of Discussion
00:00 Introduction
01:06 What is the Liberty Seminar and what is it trying to accomplish?
05:05 What is the Socratic Method?
06:02 Is the Socratic method just about asking questions?
08:14 What is critical thinking and why is it on the decline in society today?
10:56 If tests don't demonstrate learning, then how do we know we're learning?
11:59 Why AI is not taking over reasoning
12:46 What do you get from the course, the Liberty Seminar
16:12 Real life applications: non-academic trade skills building
17:42 Real life applications: improve parenting skills and communication with your teen and adult children
19:05 Real life applications: professional soft skills development
19:26 Real life applications: study of doctrine and theology
21:43 How critical thinking is an effective response to manipulation
New Mexico is facing challenges in terms of violent crime, property crime, education, healthcare access, and economic stability. Despite being a "blue state," historically, Democrats in New Mexico have been pro-Second Amendment and have had few gun control laws. The majority of the population in New Mexico is Hispanic, with Nuevomexicanos being the result of intermarriage between Spanish or Mexican individuals and Native Americans. New Mexico has a complex history, including violent religious conquest and the intermarriage of Spanish and Native Americans. The majority of New Mexicans fall in the middle of the political spectrum and are ready for real change, as they are tired of the two-party duopoly.
A First Person Perspective of the First Battle of Loc Ninh, Vietnam
Saison 5 · Épisode 38
mardi 4 avril 2023 • Durée 45:35
Summary - A First Person Perspective of the First Battle of Loc Ninh, Vietnam
My father died a two weeks ago today, March 21st. It was expected, as he suffered for many years from COPD.
In 2011, he composed a brief memoir. This was meant as catharsis for therapy we was receiving for PTSD he had suffered from his service in Vietnam. Prior to this, and for my whole life to this point, all we knew about my dad was that he had “shell shock” from time Vietnam - and so we didn’t talk about it.
In his memory, I’ve put that memoir to narration. Initially, this has been planned only for my family. But as I dug into his story a bit, I realized, that my father was part of a major battle that has historical significance. And so, with permission from my mother, I’m publishing it here for my listeners.
I’ve snagged a description from Wikipedia about the battle and it’s context. It reads:
“The First Battle of Loc Ninh was a battle during the Vietnam War that occurred between 29 October and 7 November 1967, fought by the Viet Cong, Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), Civilian Irregular Defense Group (a military program developed by the CIA of South Vietnamese to counter Viet Cong), and the United States Army.
The battle was part of the Operation Shenandoah II campaign.
This battle represented the first time that North Vietnamese Communists (headquartered in South Vietnam) had coordinated attacks from different divisions, and was intended as "rehearsal" to experiment with urban-fighting techniques to be used for the Tet Offensive.
Their operational goals were in part, to draw US and ARVN forces away from the cities in an upsurge of activity, in preparation for the Tet Offensive the next year.
Main Points of Discussion 00:00 Introduction 04:06 Part 1: David Baldwin enlists in the US Army 11:34 Part 2: David Baldwin deploys to Vietnam 16:58 Part 3: The battle and related skirmishes 29:53 Part 4: David Baldwin reassigned to An Loc 34:30 Part 5: David Baldwin returns rotates home 37:54 Part 6: Discharge and the beginning of a new life 43:06 Part 7: Postscript by Resources Mentioned
Summary – Exploring Foster Adoption with Dox Dixon
There are many avenues of adoption and are mostly associated with adopting unwanted unborn babies. But what about foster adoption of already born children? What is the process of foster adoption like, what considerations should prospective adoptive parents consider? And what are some myths about it?
Join me, Kerry Baldwin with Doc Dixon, as we Dare to Think about what it will take for women to choose life.
Featured Guest Bio | Doc Dixon
Doc Dixon. I’m a magician, comedian & speaker. From corporate events, trade shows, to resorts in Cancun & private events — even 2 shows at The White House, appearing on The Late Late Show with James Corden and FOOLING magic legends Penn & Teller on Penn & Teller:Fool Us — I bring a special mix of amazement and hilarity that makes events successful. I’m humbled to say, that’s not just my opinion, but the opinion of my clients for the past 30 years from here in my home near Atlanta, Georgia to across the country.
Main Points of Discussion
00:00 Introduction
01:24 About Doc Dixon and how he became a Reformed libertarian
07:09 The experience and process of being an adoptive family
16:58 The struggles of foster adoption
24:42 Why adoptive parents shouldn’t be viewed as heroes
What would it look like for us to take seriously the reasons women give for getting abortions? Some of the loudest prolifers believe that considering reasons why women get abortions will somehow give credence to the pro-choice cause, and thus the legality of abortion. Some of the loudest prochoicers believe women aren’t exercising their agency if they aren’t choosing abortion.
There are numerous unintended consequences for this, not the least of which is the overwhelming sense that the abortion debate is entirely intractable. But what if we decided to listen? What if women seeking abortion were behaving rationally?
What if they don’t see abortion as an exercise of free choice, but of no other choice? What if political pundits and fringe extremists do not speak for women with unplanned pregnancies?
What if by listening we Let Them Live?
Join me, Kerry Baldwin with Emily Berning, as we Dare to Think about what it will take for women to choose life.
Summary - Decriminalizing Sex: Where Prostitution Meets Purity Culture
An odd twist in my research on a libertarian theory of reproductive rights (and abortion), I've had to dive into how the criminal justice system treats the crime of rape. In doing so, I've been led to what might appear to be very strange. The parallels between the culture surrounding illicit sex work and evangelical purity culture. I cannot say where any causal relations lay between the two, only that they appear to be, strikingly, correlated. And correlated in such a way that Christians in particular must pay attention and take heed.
In this episode, I seek to break down the legal concerns regarding sex work and prostitution, and the connections to human trafficking. The connection to human trafficking is difficult given the prevalence and nature of trauma. I wrote a review of Dr. Gabor Mate's work on trauma in a documentary called, The Wisdom of Trauma. One aspect he addresses are the reasons why women will prostitute themselves and it seems to stem exclusively from trauma. But, when it comes to dealing with traumatized people, there is a principled disagreement about how to deal with sex workers with trauma: use the legal violence of the state to rescue women, penalize women, or only in response to violence done against them.
But there might be another way to deal with trauma, trafficking, and voluntarily choosing to prostitute oneself. And that lays in education concerning sex and intimate relationships. I've found a strong correlation between the views of men and women by "Johns" and "primps" and the view of men and women in evangelical purity culture. Have evangelicals unwittingly set the stage for sex trafficking and prostitution? I think there's good reason to believe that American evangelicalism contributed to the problems some evangelicals are trying to now fix, regarding sexual violence.
The popular view by Christian anti-human trafficking organizations is to embrace the Nordic model - make the men behave! Use the threat of legal violence to make bad men behave better. But does this work? I also explain why the nature of economics will not allow for legal violence to "deter" bad behavior. And why this necessitates decriminalizing sex work if we're going to improve societal and legal views concerning women and sex.
Main Points of Discussion Additional Resource Links
Today I’m announcing a new podcast that I’ve been working on and will be co-hosting. Many of you know that I’m a Reformed Christian who is also libertarian. But what you may not realize, is the extent to which my libertarian views are grounded in the Reformed faith. For the past years, I’ve been one of the only Reformed libertarians with a major platform.
This has created a challenge to me to provide content on seemingly disparate topics, but this takes away from my ability to focus in the topics I’m better known for and would prefer to refine my focus on. So today, I’m making an announcement about this new project with my friend and colleague, Gregory Baus. I will be co-hosting this new podcast, in addition to this podcast, Dare to Think - which will only get better. I’m excited about the opportunities.
Join me, Kerry Baldwin with Gregory Baus, as we Dare to Think about introducing libertarianism to the Reformed world.
Main Points of Discussion
00:00 Introduction
01:26 How we came to start the Reformed Libertarians Podcast; Previous episodes with Gregory Baus on culture
02:56 What's the purpose of having a Reformed perspective of libertarianism; Definition of libertarianism
04:48 Typical Objections: "Profit over people" or "Do whatever we want"; Austrian Economic Theory; "If we care about human life, society, this warrants coercing groups to get along"; Principles of justice, morality, conception of human nature, nature of society and how it operates
10:14 Didn't John Calvin believe in using the magistrate to enforce Christianity? Reformed churches came to confess disestablishmentarian
13:42 What about Christian Nationalism? Mixture of more or less precise of Christian Nationalism create confusion and rejects the best Reformed Covenant Theology
Shane Rosenthal and the Humility of Healthy Skepticism
Shane Rosenthal is the founder and host of The Humble Skeptic podcast which seeks to explore the beliefs and ideas that shape our lives. He was one of the original creators of the White Horse Inn radio broadcast, which he also hosted from 2019-2021. Shane was one of the authors of the book Defending the Faith: Essays on Apologetics and has been a frequent contributor over the years to Modern Reformation magazine. He is a graduate of Cal-State Fullerton (B.A. Humanities) and Westminster Seminary California (M.A. Historical Theology), and resides with his family in St. Louis.
Summary - Shane Rosenthal and the Humility of Healthy Skepticism
Amid all the tribalism and polarization we see today, Christians could learn something from The Humble Skeptic Podcast. Shane Rosenthal, host of the Humble Skeptic Podcast, joined me to discuss this new project, and the value of thoughtful and reflective Christians. We discuss a number of things, including the problem of the left-right paradigm that appears in politics, religion, and culture. How do we discuss tough issues especially with people who are defensive (or offensive) in their ideas.
Rosenthal highlights his pilot episode, wherein he describes the experience of digging into the truth of a story his dad told him about Billy Joel, before Joel was famous. Rosenthal's skepticism was not motivated by distrust, but by curiosity and wonderment. We discuss the twists and turns of the process of thinking through a matter, as well as the reality of coming face-to-face with our own ignorance, a key feature of the Socratic Method which I use in my courses.
Rosenthal wants people, Christians in particular, to recognize the value in becoming reflective thinkers, toward the pursuit of truth, for the love of God and neighbor. Rosenthal's gentle temperament, and childlike wonderment will inspire you to embrace the humble skeptic in you too.
Join me, Kerry Baldwin, with Shane Rosenthal, as we Dare to Think about the humility of healthy skepticism.
The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War.
It was launched on January 30, 1968 by forces of the Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese against the forces of the South Vietnamese Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), the United States Armed Forces and their allies.
It was a campaign of surprise attacks against military and civilian command and control centers throughout South Vietnam.
The name is the truncated version of the Lunar New Year festival name in Vietnamese, Tết Nguyên Đán, (tet win dawn) with the offense chosen during a holiday period as most ARVN personnel were on leave.
The purpose of the wide-scale offensive by the Hanoi Politburo was to trigger political instability, in a belief that mass armed assault on urban centers would trigger defections and rebellions."
The First Battle of Loc Ninh, instigated by the North Vietnamese against South Vietnamese and the US, resulted in what was considered an American and South Vietnamese victory.
DISCLAIMER: While this episode is aimed at supporting decriminalizing sex work, it is not an endorsement of sex work as morally legitimate. I hold and maintain a Christian sexual ethic (sex is designed by God only for heterosexual marriage relationships), though I believe evangelical "purity culture" is an unbiblical, anti-Christian view.
00:00 Introduction
Ep. 292: Decriminalizing Prostitution: Can Christians Support it?
04:04 Why is it important to understand these distinctions
05:46 Difference between 'decriminalization' and 'legalization'
07:58 Explanation of legalization; Nevada vs Rhode Island
09:08 The feminist argument against decriminalization (Nordic model)
09:55 Clip from Julie Bindell's opening statement at the Soho Forum
13:43 "The bleakest view of masculinity"
14:50 Do we know how many sex workers are trafficking vs voluntarily participating?
16:24 Clip from "Sold in America" - a "John's" view of women in purchasing sex
17:41 Evangelical Purity Culture Detour
18:09 Does 'rape culture' exist?
19:28 Nancy Pearcy: how "nominal" evangelical men skew divorce and domestic violence data in the church
23:01 What does evangelical purity culture have to do with decriminalizing prostitution?
27:08 What the so-called "experts" told evangelical women about how to have a good Christian marriage
27:33 Quotes cited by Shelia Wray Gregorie's, The Great Sex Rescue
31:55 Ontological distinctions between men and women don't require a predator/prey relationship
33:39 Connecting the stigma of sex in purity culture to the stigma found in legal prohibition of prostitution
34:21 Legal denial of basic human rights - No Humans Involved
36:22 The unjust handling of sexual violence by our criminal justice system
40% of police officers perpetrate domestic violence in their own homes.
37:41 Are victims of rape stigmatized because of prostitution, or is prostitution stigmatized because of certain views about women, already discussed? (Connection to spiritual manipulation of religious values)
41:57 The perpetual victim status of women - propagated by feminists and patriarchalists
43:17 How do we change society to value women and children, abhor the evils done against them, and still maintain a system of justice?
43:59 Misunderstanding economic demand is resulting with failure and unintended consequences
46:39 In countries that have the Nordic model, no decrease in demand but an increase in antisocial behavior
50:18 Compare to New Zealand - decriminalized sex work in 2007
51:05 Why Christians should care about decriminalizing sex work - even while we don't endorse it.
52:12 Let our yes mean yes, and our no mean no - justice requires it.
52:58 Concluding thoughts - what decriminalizing prostitution means for Christian teaching about a biblical sexual ethic.
16:28 Is libertarianism is a viable idea to begin with? When is the optimal time explore the ideas of freedom and prosperity? Shouldn't we just make the best out of the system we have? Overton Window: a set of ideas which are "thinkable."
21:23 Not a political commentary podcast; Mission of Reformed Libertarians
