The Protestant Libertarian Podcast

I sit down with my wife and first ever co-host Bethany Bernardo and discuss the amendment to Kentucky’s constitution that will be on the ballot in November. Issue 2 will read " Are you in favor of amending the Constitution of Kentucky by creating a new Section of the Constitution to be numbered Section 26A to state as follows: To protect human life, nothing in this Constitution shall be const...

On this episode, we review Bonnie Kristian’s “ What the Methodist Split Tells us About American Political Polarization ”, which was published in Reason magazine, and explore the impending breakup of the United Methodist church, the theological, social, and political ramifications of the split, and why Christians should do a better job of trying to get along, even with other Christians that disagre...

In this episode, we explore the contemporary definition of the term ‘love’, analyze how it is used in both theological and political discourse, and challenge it by interpreting the how the writers of the New Testament, particularly John, have an alternative understanding of the concept. We will then look at how, as protestants, we should apply the Biblical understanding of ‘love’ to our lives and...

I am a public school teacher. I am also a libertarian. How did this happen? In this episode, I explain why I became a teacher and why teacher tenure is a bad idea. I am eligible to receive tenure this year, and I have no plans to accept it. If you have been wondering about my career and how it intersects with my faith and my principals, this is the episode you have been waiting for!   Episode Outl...

On the first ever Protestant Libertarian Podcast roundtable, my three guests are Reverend Doctor Jennifer Copeland, who is the director of the North Carolina Council of Churches, Doctor Christina Cowger, who is the facilitator of North Carolina Stop Torture Now, an organization that has been fighting against CIA torture programs that use North Carolina-based planes, and Raymond McGovern, an army v...

In this episode, I sit down with Bill Schult, who is running for city council in Crescent Springs, KY. We talk about his campaign, libertarian philosophy, local government, and how libertarian principals should be applied at the local level. Bill is a practicing Catholic who is married with four kids, and is actively involved in the Libertarian Party of Kenton County. If you are interested in thin...

In this episode I talk with Ezra Wyrick, the man behind the excellent Twitter account @ezra4liberty and a rising star in the libertarian movement. Ezra describes himself as a ‘Rothbardian’, someone who is committed to the political outlook of the legendary libertarian philosopher and economist Murray Rothbard. We discuss stateless approaches to a number of social issues, the relationship between l...

In this episode I talk to Lawrence W. Reed, president emeritus of the Foundation for Economic Education, about his recent FEE article entitled ‘Jesus Would Support Student Debt Forgiveness? Not So Fast’. We discuss both the economic and Biblical problem with student loan forgiveness, which he critiqued in the article. We discuss the Biden administration’s motives for student loan forgiveness, how...

In this episode, I sit down with author Timothy Price and discuss an article he published entitled “ The Problem with Inerrancy ”. We discuss the challenges posed by the doctrine, why it might misguide believers into focusing on secondary theological issues instead of God, and why Biblical authority and sufficiency are better models for understanding the significance of the Bible. We also talk abo...

In this episode, we look at New Testament scholar James Crossley’s proposed ‘Next Quest’ for the historical Jesus, and I comment on several of the suggestions that Dr. Crossley makes for further research. The Next Quest has a lot of potential, but it could benefit from both libertarian and Austrian ideas. This is part two in the series; for a background on the quest please listen to episode 17.  ...

In part one of a two part series, we take a look at the Quest for the historical Jesus, the attempt by New Testament scholars to analyze the ‘Jesus of History’ that lies behind the ‘Christ of Faith’. We will look at the three different ‘quests’ for the historical Jesus, analyze their successes and failures, and examine where gospels scholarship is today. We are doing this in an attempt to understa...

In this episode I talk to Brian Peotter, who is running for US senate as a libertarian in the state of Colorado. We discuss his faith, his campaign, what he would like to see changed in the United States, and the direction of the national Libertarian Party.  If you want to learn more about him or support his run, check out the links below! Campaign Website: https://www.peotter.com LP National Link...

Laurie Calhoun joins the show today to talk about her new piece over at the Libertarian Institute called The MIC Cult . She is a senior fellow at the Libertarian institute, a philosopher, and an author of several books and articles, many of which discuss the military industrial complex. We discuss the military industrial complex, the war on terror, Ukraine and Russia, and war propaganda. This is n...

We are looking at how conversations about theology and politics break down by analyzing Ludwig Wittgenstein’s classic work Philosophical Investigations . Wittgenstein argues that words have no stable meaning and that, like the rules of a game, people need to define terms during conversations if we want to be able to productively communicate with each other. We will then look at how F.A. Hayek reco...

In this episode, I interview Dr. Matthew Barber on the future of Christian higher education. Dr. Barber worked for nearly a decade in Christian higher education, and earned his PhD in Organizational Leadership, and he now works in business in the public sector. He has a unique perspective on the business aspects of Christian higher education because he both taught the subject and worked within the...

We define what the Mises Caucus is, how it will shape the future of the libertarian party, why mainstream outlets (and Reason!) are criticizing it, and how I believe the MC should proceed in the future.  Episode Outline: I. The Mises Caucus Takes Over the Libertarian Party  II. A Short History of the Mises Caucus III. Criticism of the Mises Caucus IV. Why I Support the Mises Caucus, and How to Pro...

We are looking at Thomas Kuhn’s classic work The Structure of Scientific Revolution , and his conclusion that science can’t explain everything and that scientists are just as subjective as the rest of us. We then look at how the government uses the myth of objective science to grow the state, as well as how science is not a threat to either the Bible or Christian faith.  Episode Outline: I. Scienc...

In this episode, I discuss the recent Dobbs decision by the supreme court that overturns Roe vs. Wade , why I think abortion is a moral evil but am deeply conflicted about its legality, and how there exists a healthy debate within the libertarian movement about when, where, and how abortion should be legal. We then look at Michael Gorman’s 1981 book Abortion and the Early Church to contextualize t...

I wanted to give you all an update about some minor changes we will be making in the show. I want to include more current events episodes and interviews, and because of that I will no longer be saying the episode number at the begging of the show. Unfortunately, I have already recorded three shows that have the (original) episode number in the recording, so you will have to disregard them. I am al...

In this episode, we look at a book called Who is an Evangelical? by Thomas Kidd, an American historian at Baylor university in Texas. He defines the term 'Evangelical' and explores the political evolution of the movement from its inception to its support of Trump in 2016. As it turns out, they evangelical movement was once kind of libertarian! This is a great overview for people that wan...

This week I will be encouraging us to think about why good arguments should be based on our ideas and not on the personalities of those with whom we debate. We look at the negative effect that polemics has on our society, how James and Paul encourage us to think about what we say, and ways in which we can have more productive conversations. Next week, we will be looking at the book Who is an Evang...

This week we are looking at what the Bible is and how we will be interpreting it on this show. We will return to these interpretive methods and analyze them in more detail on future episodes, but this will provide us with a starting point for thinking about how the Bible works.    Episode Outline: I. Reformation and the problem of Biblical interpretation.  II. How should we interpret the Bible – h...

In part two of our mini-series on creeds, we take a look at how Marxism, and the historical philosophy of G.F. Hegel which undergirds it, has operated as a social, historical, and political creed for nearly 200 years.   Episode Outline: I. A review of part one (episode 5) II. Georg Fredric Wilhelm Hegel (1770 – 1831) III. Carl Marx (1818-1883) IV. The Interpretive Problem  Next Week: We will be di...

You can now follow the Protestant Libertarian Podcast on Twitter! My handle is @prolibertypod. I still believe that social media can be toxic and am using this mostly for promotional purposes, so the best way to contact me is still theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com. I will, however, update the Twitter every week so you know what is coming up on each week's episode! Plus, I will be following...

In week one of a two-part series, we look at creeds that have defined the Christian church and examine some of the issues of thinking about the Bible through the lens of the creeds. We explore how the creeds are not just the product of theological debate within the early church but are also driven by political forces within the Roman Empire.  Episode Outline: I. Are creeds compatible with Biblical...