The Protestant Libertarian Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode I talk with economist Dr. Bob Murphy about the Federal Reserve. Murphy argues that the Federal Reserve should be abolished. We explore the history of the Fed and how it has not only failed to produce economic stability but causes great economic harm. Murphy explains how the Fed devalues the currency, the impact Fed policy has on average Americans, and why Christians should be critical of the Fed. He also discusses why it should be abolished and how it can be reformed in the meantime. If you want a one-podcast introduction to the Federal Reserve, this is it!

Media Referenced:

Bob Murphy on X: @BobMurphyEcon

ZeroHedge Debate: https://youtu.be/poymGXekiJs?si=ePSUljD-vWoIoRAe

Understanding Money Mechanics book: https://cdn.mises.org/understanding_money_mechanics_with_cover_image_attached.pdf

The Bob Murphy Show: https://www.bobmurphyshow.com/

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, 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 Matthew 17:24-27, in which Peter is asked if Jesus pays the temple tax. After talking to Peter about this question, Jesus says the sons of kings are exempt from taxes, but “so that we do not offend them” Peter is to catch a fish with a coin in its mouth and pay the tax anyway. We explore the literary and historical context of this passage, showing that Matthew uses it to develop Jesus’ messianic identity. This passage corresponds to Jeremiah 29:7, where Jeremiah tells the Babylonian exiles to seek the welfare of the city before describing Babylon’s ultimate destruction. God’s people should seek to live at peace with their neighbors knowing that God will come back and rescue them in the end. I then explore how the themes of not giving offense and seeking the welfare of neighbors are found in Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2, discussing our obligation to seek peace knowing that God will one day do away with these unjust systems. 

Media Referenced:

Everyone is Wrong About Romans: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-130-everyone-is-wrong-about-romans-13-including-me/

Romans 13 Revisited: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-210-revisiting-romans-13/

1 Peter 2 Podcast: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-121-submit-to-the-authorities-1-peter-213-17/

1 Peter 2 Article: https://libertarianchristians.com/2024/11/26/submit-to-the-authorities/

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, 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 to Kyle Scott, an entrepreneur, small-business owner, investor, and personal friend. In 2024 he wrote and self-published a book entitled Faith and Finances: The Most Neglected Yet Important Areas of Life, in which he discusses his faith journey and the unconventional trajectory of his career, as well as the relationship between faith and finances. We discuss how his faith journey impacted his career, the importance of prioritizing your faith, being generous, managing finances, and investing. Kyle also explains how his faith shaped his career trajectory and where he sees his business going in the future. 

Media Referenced:

Faith and Finances: https://a.co/d/230zWFQ

Revived Productions Website: https://www.revivedproductions.com/

Kyle on Faith Ventures: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-29-one-more-faithful-step-with-kyle-scott/

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, 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 pastor and author Randy Lovejoy, who writes on the Substack MakeGoodHappen and is trying to push the conversation about church beyond traditional boundaries. Drawing on his wide experience in ministry, Randy explains why the church in the west is in decline and what we can do to fix it. He explains how Christian nationalism and progressive Christianity are both in part a response to this decline, and why we can and should be having creative conversations about saving the western church. This is a wide-ranging and informative conversation that you won’t want to miss! 

Media Referenced:

Randy’s Substack MakeGoodHappen: https://substack.com/@randylovejoy

Facebook and Instragram: The Lovejoy Collective

Website: randylovejoy.com

Faith Ventures Appearance: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/faith-ventures-ep-13-the-courage-of-entrepreneurship-with-randy-lovejoy/

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, Ezra Wyrick and Joshua Eakle discuss the differences between their political philosophies. Joshua is a self-described classical liberal and Ezra is a libertarian with anarchistic leanings. They discuss the difference between these two positions, as well as where they agree and disagree on several contentious issues such as the war in Ukraine, economics, the government response to Covid, the proper size of the state, voting, Trump and Biden, and the Libertarian party. This is a respectful and thoughtful dialogue that highlights differing approaches to achieving a free society, and both guests do an incredible job of outlining their positions. Check it out!

Media Referenced:

Ezra Wyrick on Twitter: @Ezra4Liberty 

Joshua Eakle on Twitter: @JoshEakle

Project Liberal: @ProjectLiberal

Students for Liberty: @sfliberty

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 review the book Jesus and the Rise of Nationalism by Halvor Moxnes, which explores the relationship between the rise of modern nationalism and the rise of historical Jesus research in the 19th century. He explains how this new conception of nationalism, along with biography writing and a reconceptualization of ‘homeland’, shaped the intellectual context of extremely influential New Testament scholars. He looks at the work of Fredrich Schleiermacher and D.F. Strauss in the German states, Ernst Renan in France, and George Adam Smith in the United Kingdom and shows how their portrayal of the historical Jesus was influenced by nationalist ideals. Instead of presenting us with a picture of Jesus that situates him in his own time, these scholars turn Jesus into a figure that makes sense within the political landscape of the 19th century. I then explore how Moxnes’ critique can be turned against his own suggestion at the end of the book that we should, correctly, abandon nationalistic portrayals of the historical Jesus by replacing them, incorrectly in my view, with 21st century ideas about globalism and critical theory. I then explain how all of our attempts to modernize Jesus will fail and why we need to do our best to situate Jesus in his first century context.

Media Referenced:

Jesus and the Rise of Nationalism: https://a.co/d/9bZu3Xc

Halvor Moxnes Biography: https://wipfandstock.com/author/halvor-moxnes/

Fredrich Schliermacher Biography: https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schleiermach

Gorge Adam Smith Biography: https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/smith-sir-george-adamdeg

The Socialist Roots of Modern Biblical Studies: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-92-the-socialist-roots-of-modern-biblical-studies/

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! Check out the Protestant Libertarian Podcast page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theplpodcast. Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!

In this short episode, I read through my article Progressive Christian Nationalism, where I argue that progressive Christianity and Christian nationalism are structurally identical. While they support different policy agendas, they both believe that their theological values should be imposed on society by law, that this will bring about earthly and heavenly good, and that these laws need to be imposed at the federal (i.e. national) level. I then talk about why both conservative and progressive Christian commentators will ignore the real problems facing our society in 2024, which are Federal Reserve policy and the never-ending warfare state. 

 
Media Referenced:

https://libertarianchristians.com/2023/10/09/progressive-christian-nationalism-left-right-authoritarian/

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! Check out the Protestant Libertarian Podcast page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theplpodcast. 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 Cody Cook and Doug Stuart about progressive Christianity. We examine the rise of progressive Christianity and its current popularity, why many evangelicals are deconstructing and moving to the left, and the ideological similarities between progressive Christianity and Christian nationalism. We then explore why Christian libertarianism is a better alternative to both systems and how progressive Christians and Christian nationalists will develop politically over the coming years, especially as we get closer to the 2024 presidential election. This is a great introduction and response to the progressive Christian movement. 

 
Media Referenced:

The Libertarian Christian Institute: libertarianchristians.com

Doug Stuart Twitter: @dougstuart

Libertarian Christian Podcast: https://libertarianchristians.com/shows/libertarian-christian-podcast/

Cody Cook Twitter: @CantusFirmusCC

Cantus-Firmus Podcast: https://www.cantus-firmus.com/podcast/

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! Check out the Protestant Libertarian Podcast page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theplpodcast. 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. Preston Sprinkle about his new book Exiles: The Church in the Shadow of Empire. In Exiles, Dr. Sprinkle articulates a political theology for the church, arguing that Christians should see themselves as set apart from the nations by rejecting empire and proclaiming the gospel. We look at the Biblical foundation of his political theology and why we should identify with Christ instead of other political allegiances. We also explore the current state of anti-imperial New Testament scholarship and how the church should apply the insights presented in this book. 

Media Referenced:

Exiles: https://a.co/d/2YJjRv3

Preston’s Website: https://www.prestonsprinkle.com/

Preston on Twitter: @PrestonSprinkle

Theology in the Raw: https://theologyintheraw.com/podcasts/

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! Check out the Protestant Libertarian Podcast page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theplpodcast. 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 to Old Testament scholar Dr. John Walton about his brand-new book The Lost World of the Prophets: Old Testament Prophecy and Apocalyptic Literature in Ancient Contexts, out now on IVP Academic. In this conversation, we explore how prophecy in the Old Testament developed throughout the course of Israel’s history, how prophecy fits into the cultural context of the Ancient Near east, why prophecy is primarily about speaking on behalf of God and not predicting the future, the relationship between prophecy and covenant, apocalyptic literature, and how prophecy should shape our understanding of the mission of the church and the future of God’s creation. This is an incredible introduction to a very complex topic that all Christians and libertarians need to understand. 

Media Referenced: 

The Lost World of the Prophets: https://a.co/d/8RWoHaR 

John Walton’s Academic Page: https://www.wheaton.edu/academics/faculty/john-walton/ 

John Walton IVP: https://www.ivpress.com/john-h-walton 

 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! Check out the Protestant Libertarian Podcast page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theplpodcast. Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!