The Libertarian Christian Podcast

Cody Cook welcomes Eamonn Butler, British economist and co-founder/director of the Adam Smith Institute, for a timely discussion marking the 250th anniversary of Adam Smith's seminal work, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (published March 9, 1776). Butler, author of primers on Hayek, Friedman, and Mises, shares insights from his work studying and promoting the ideas o...

Mike Maharrey has been in the libertarian Christian space for a long time. In this episode he steps back from politics entirely and talks about his own story: a decades-long journey through evangelical Protestantism that eventually landed him in Eastern Orthodoxy. What drove the move, what he found when he got there, and what he'd say to other Christians who feel spiritually restless. Check out Mi...

Adoption belongs at the center of the pro-life conversation, not on its periphery. Yet Christians who can speak fluently about abortion policy often go quiet when the topic turns to adoption -- what it means theologically, what it demands practically, and why it is one of the most concrete pictures of the gospel available to the church. In this episode of the Libertarian Christian Podcast, host Do...

Host Cody Cook sits down with Patrick Carroll, a sharp libertarian opinion journalist based near Toronto whose writing appears in outlets like the Mises Institute, Libertarian Institute, AIER, and FEE (where he once served as managing editor). Carroll's Substack, Against the Left, regularly dismantles progressive arguments from a free-market vantage point—and this conversation dives deep into one...

Jennifer Townsend—adjunct instructor, death-and-dying scholar, and Heterodox Academy campus co-chair at Western Michigan University—challenges the ideological monoculture dominating higher education. Awarded for promoting open inquiry and viewpoint diversity, she shares how she openly defends free speech on a left-leaning campus without hiding her views. The conversation dives into Jonathan Haidt'...

Economist and author Bryan Caplan returns to discuss his latest book, You Have No Right to Your Culture. Bryan explains why genuine “cultural preservation” would require totalitarian control over children and future generations, why most cultural change comes from generational shifts rather than immigration, and why appeals to a “right to culture” only seem to appear when immigrants are involved....

In a more theology-heavy discussion, the Libertarian Christian Podcast welcomed guest Rev. Nicholas Quient, pastor and New Testament PhD candidate, for a deep dive into apocalyptic theology in Pauline studies. Quient contrasts the traditional Lutheran/Reformed view of Paul (individual justification and guilt), the New Perspective (covenantal nomism and Jew-Gentile unity), and the apocalyptic Paul—...

Doug Stuart interviews Caleb Franz, author of The Conductor: The Story of Reverend John Rankin, Abolitionism's Essential Founding Father . Franz shares the fascinating story of how he discovered and researched this largely forgotten figure from his hometown of Ironton, Ohio. The conversation explores Rankin's pivotal role in the abolition movement, particularly in the Ohio River Valley—a region of...

In this episode, Cody Cook interviews Joel Miller, author of The Idea Machine: How Books Built Our World and Shape Our Future . A former publishing executive, Miller reveals how books—far more than mere containers of text—have profoundly shaped civilization. He explores the "magic" of their physical form (which enabled Augustine’s transformative encounter with Romans) the timeless dialogues they a...

Doug welcomes back returning guest Jim Babka for a libertarian Christian deep dive into Donald Trump’s “second first year” in office. They walk through key events from 2025–26 and ask what they reveal about power, symbolism, and the state. Topics include: Why Trump’s second term feels so different from his first, and how anger and “getting even” seem to shape his decisions The Iran bunker‑busting...

Cody Cook sits down with Javan Lapp—a manufacturing executive, amateur historian, and Lancaster County keeper of goats—to explore the insights of 16th-century Anabaptist thinker Pilgram Marpeck into what it means for the church to be embodied without succumbing to state Christianity. Drawing from Javan’s contribution to Anabaptist Political Theology After Marpeck , the conversation examines Marpec...

Gregory Baus of the Reformed Libertarians Podcast joins Cody Cook to discuss how he grounds his libertarian views as a Reformed Christian. As an Anabaptist Christian, Cody was a little skeptical at the start of the conversation; but tune in to hear Gregory make his case! While he comes at it from a different direction, Cody concludes that he makes a good argument. Audio Production by Podsworth Med...

In this episode of the Libertarian Christian Podcast, host Cody Cook and guest Jacob Winograd (host of Biblical Anarchy) dissect the provocative Dispatch article “Is MAGA Christianity True Christianity?” by Michael Renaud and Paul D. Miller. The article's authors frame “old-guard” conservatism as the heir to the magisterial Protestant Reformation (Luther, Calvin, Zwingli) — elite, intellectual, an...

Doug Stuart welcomes the outspoken and innovative "lunatic farmer" Joel Salatin for a lively conversation on faith, food freedom, and regenerative agriculture. Joel Salatin shares his family's dramatic journey from Venezuela to Virginia and explains how his Christian and libertarian convictions shape his approach to farming and environmental stewardship. Together, they tackle topics like governmen...

Bryan Caplan is a professor of economics at George Mason University and a New York Times bestselling author of thoughtful, persuasive, and contrarian books that challenge conventional wisdom on topics like immigration, education, government regulation, and feminism. This interview is a grab bag that covers some of his more controversial arguments and will be a delight to libertarians who are inter...

Doug Stuart sits down with Cody Libolt, founder of For the New Christian Intellectual and co-author of Redeeming the West: A Christian Defense of Reason and Individualism . Together, they dive into the philosophical roots of Western civilization, discussing why reason, self-interest, and individualism are crucial not just for a flourishing society, but also for a biblically faithful worldview. Cod...

In this festive episode of the Libertarian Christian Podcast, host Cody Cook and guest Jacqueline Isaacs unpack her viral 2011 article A Christmas Carol: A Capitalist Story . Despite Dickens’ socialist leanings, the story he crafts actually depends on free markets—without Scrooge’s wealth, there’s no life-saving operation for Tiny Tim, no turkey for the Cratchits--no redemption arc at all. Isaacs...

Host Doug Stuart welcomes back Katherine Mangu-Ward, Editor-in-Chief at Reason and co-host of the Reason Roundtable, for a candid conversation about what it means to be "the normal person in the room"—especially as a libertarian. Together, they unpack the challenges and rewards of approaching political dialogue with humility, common ground, and empathy rather than combative debate tactics. Katheri...

LCP host Cody Cook welcomes Dr. Gary Chartier to discuss his book, Christianity and the Nation-State . Chartier, Distinguished Professor of Law and Business Ethics and Associate Dean of the Zapara School of Business at La Sierra University, challenges Christian nationalism and state authority, advocating for a pluralist, consensual political order rooted in radical consociationalism. He critiques...

In this episode, Doug Stuart and Jacob Winograd sit down with James Lindsay to explore whether the West — and Israel by extension — can escape what Lindsay calls the “trap of catharsis.” Drawing from his recent essay Civilization vs. Catharsis, James explains how our culture has replaced reason and moral responsibility with emotional release — a worldview that seeks justice through outrage and pur...

Hosts Doug Stuart and Cody Cook have a lively exploration of movies and their deeper significance beyond mere entertainment. The conversation kicks off with playful banter about the differences—or pretensions—between the terms "film," "movie," and "cinema," before diving into their personal journeys into movie appreciation, including the influence of family, childhood favorites, and the allure of...

Are you confused about libertarian talking points like cryptocurrency, gold standards, central banks, and fractional reserves? Mike Maharrey, a seasoned expert from Money Metals Exchange and the Tenth Amendment Center, joins us for our "Money for Dummies" episode. Mike helps Cody Cook (the perennial stand-in for monetary dummies) demystify complex economic concepts for everyday libertarians, tackl...

This episode of the Libertarian Christian Podcast welcomes Finlay Beach. Beach is the author of the Managed Paranoia series, a near-future Sci-Fi thriller series that weaves libertarian ideals and Christian values into a gripping narrative of a dystopian world shaped by an overreaching post-pandemic government. Beach shares how he balances his day job with his passion for fiction writing, emphasiz...

Doug Stuart welcomes Alex Bernardo—host of The Protestant Libertarian Podcast —to unpack his book-in-progress on politics, economics, and New Testament interpretation. Alex argues that modern readers (and many New Testament scholars) import post-Enlightenment categories—“politics,” capitalism, socialism—into the first century and then draw conclusions the biblical writers never intended. His remed...

Cody Cook welcomes to the show John Roth, a scholar of the Radical Reformation and former editor of the Mennonite Quarterly Review. John and Cody explore the enduring relevance of Anabaptism at its 500th anniversary, focusing on its emphases on community, nonviolence, decentralization, and stewardship. Roth also discusses the Anabaptist Community Bible , a unique project blending scholarly insight...