Archive for Blog News
Podcast: Lots of Updates (and the new FAQ)
Posted by: | CommentsIn this podcast, I talk about recent happenings around LCC including the new FAQ section, and I answer a few of the recent questions submitted for the FAQ in detail.
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Tags: Blog News, christian libertarian, theology
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New FAQ Questions Added
Posted by: | CommentsSince the opening of the new Christian Libertarian FAQ last week, I have already received a number of interesting questions. Here are the latest inquiries from readers, and since some of them did not leave an email address (naughty, naughty!) it seems more than appropriate to post them directly on the blog as well:
Q1: When Paul wrote Romans 13, the government was distasteful to our 21 century sensibilities for sure. Yet Paul commands believers to honor the rulers, even calling them "servants of God." Coupled with Peter’s instructions to honor them, pray for them, etc., this shows that God has a role for government. Is it possible to determine if Paul personally prefers a small or large government? If God has a purpose for government should Christians be advocating it’s disappearing?
A: The problem with saying that Romans 13 proves there is "a role for government" is that it is conflating government being within God’s plan with government being sanctioned and declared inherently moral by God. When one considers the numerous negative references to the State in the Bible, such as Matthew 4, 1 Samuel 7, Genesis 11, and the book of Revelation, one cannot but admit that the State is, at core, rooted in rebellion against God. So while it is impossible to speak directly for Paul, it seems to me that the State itself is the problem and not merely the size. In conclusions, a Christian can admit that the State is not outside of God’s plan, and yet still advocate for it’s abolition as the greatest oppressor of the innocent in history.
Q2: What in the Bible suggests that followers of Jesus should subscribe to the ideas of libertarianism?
It would be incorrect to say outright "God/Jesus is a libertarian," but what I find very compelling in Scripture is that Christian ethics and libertarian ethics end up being very similar. Other instances: (1) The Golden Rule in Matthew 7:12 is very similar to the non-aggression principle. (2) Scripture is consistently skeptical toward power concentrated into the hands of rulers (cf. 1 Samuel 7). (3) The "Kingdom of God" is never characterized with the aggression of the State. Can you think of any more?
But besides Scripture, libertarianism has more or less emerged from the Western tradition, which is tied very strongly to historical Christianity. It’s ideological predecessor, classical liberalism, was primarily promoted by Christians in its infancy. So, we have an interesting historical argument as well supporting libertarianism from a Christian perspective.
Q3. What in the Bible suggests that followers of Jesus should not subscribe to the ideas of statism?
Besides all the positive reasons that support libertarianism, one of the greatest rejoinders to statism I know of is Matthew 20:25-28, where Jesus says: "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant… just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Q4. Where does LibertarianChristians.com make a distinction between resistance to unjust Government action and the directive to "submit himself to the governing authorities"? (Romans 13, NIV)
The position of LibertarianChristians.com is that Romans 13 is about prudence in action toward governmental intrusion in life. While civil disobedience is not immoral and certainly is great to do in certain cases, one must be very careful in executing such measures. For instance, my first responsibility is the caretaking of my family, and then serving the church. I will not do things that bring unreasonable risk upon them. Frequently enough there are better ways of making a difference. But most of all, LibertarianChristians.com does not and will never advocate violence as the answer to our problems.
Would you like to add anything to these answers? Comment below. Or if you like, ask your own question today!
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Tags: Blog News, christian libertarian, Christianity, government, history, libertarian christian, libertarianism, Romans 13, romans13, statism, The State, theology
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Announcing the Christian Libertarian FAQ
Posted by: | CommentsThere are a lot of changes happening on the tech-side of LCC right now. Some are small (things you’ll never see), some are medium (like moving the Contact Page under the About Page), and some are large. Two big changes have rolled out today. This morning I announced the implementation of Disqus for comment management, and now I’d like to announce another new feature: the Christian Libertarian FAQ.
As you probably know already, FAQ is short for Frequently Asked Questions, and I intend to make this FAQ an easy way for any reader who may stumble across LCC to inquire about libertarianism or about Christianity as it relates to libertarianism. I started it off with a few questions, namely a basic question about the non-aggression principle and three questions spawning from the recent post about marriage and homosexuality. Read More→
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Tags: Blog News, christian libertarian, Christianity, libertarianism
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Disqus Comment Management is Live
Posted by: | CommentsI have officially switched LCC’s comment management over to Disqus. This is a big step, and it kind of makes me nervous. With any luck, it will be a positive step toward even more engagement through comments.
Previously, in order to leave a comment you needed to “register” on LCC and I needed to moderate your first comment. After one successfully moderated comment, you could comment anywhere just by logging in, no moderation needed.
The change to Disqus makes it a lot easier to comment in general. You can login using Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo, or a Disqus account (which I highly recommend since it is becoming a very useful service). From there, you can leave a comment and have the option of posting to Twitter or Facebook about the post. I hope you’ll utilize this feature, since it will help spread the word about what’s going on at LCC on a regular basis.
If you already have a Disqus account, be sure to claim any comments you’ve already made by clicking on your name in a comment and going through a few easy steps. The plugin will search for any comments associated with your email address and apply them to your Disqus profile.
Disqus also has the interesting feature of “liking” comments as well, kind of like Digg or Reddit. “Likes” are applied to the commenter’s profile and are pretty fun to use.
The comment CSS styling within posts is a bit off of the native styling, which is a bit annoying but I’ll fix it over the next week or two. For now, I’m just glad the system works fine and the comment migration worked without a problem.
So, all ye stupendous thinkers and readers, comment away! Let nothing stop you! Make some noise!!!
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LCC Quietly Hits 1000 Comments
Posted by: | CommentsAnother milestone for LCC has gently come and gone… Congratulations to Daniel Hewitt, Lee Shelton, and Markham for breaking the 1000 comment mark, submitting comments #1000-1002, respectively, on the Gay Rights, Marriage, and Government Intervention post.
LCC has gone from just a few readers in late 2008 to over 400 now (depending on how Feedburner feels at the given moment), and the interactivity has definitely picked up as we have grown. I love hearing your comments, questions, feedback, and especially disagreements. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Your contribution to this site means a lot – to everyone. Let’s keep building this community!
In honor of this auspicious occasion, I will be making a transition to the Disqus comment management system in the next week. Disqus will make it even easier to submit, share, and manage comments, and hopefully it will encourage even more participation from all of us!
(And for any WordPress users out there… Akismet has blocked over 7500 spam comments. Crazy! Gotta love Akismet…)
(And for any WordPress users out there… Akismet has blocked over 7500 spam comments. Crazy! Gotta love Akismet…)
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