So this week is going to be in part dedicated to fixing up and expanding the FAQ. Each day I’ll post one of the lingering questions asked recently and the best answer I can come up with.

Moreover, if you have a question on your mind, please feel free to submit it here. I look forward to your queries!

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It’s Q&A week at LCC

So please, if you want to friend me, do me a favor and introduce yourself as an LCC reader! Much appreciated. Oh, and don’t forget to “like” the LCC fan page. That’s a good thing to do too…

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If you Facebook an LCC writer…

The problem has been solved, and the podcast feed now works. If you unsubscribed, you can now re-subscribe in a normal feed reader or your podcast software just like normal. If you left your subscription intact, it will now work again! I have re-submitted the feed to the iTunes store, so eventually you will be able to add it directly to iTunes as well.

This has taken far too long to fix, but now that it’s done I’m looking forward to doing more podcasts again. So many things to do!

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LCC on iTunes Back on Track

It has been my distinct pleasure to get to know Laurence over these past few years, and what an honor it is to welcome him as an LCC contributor.

Also, make sure to check out Vance Publications for a great selection of Laurence’s books and other classic works that he reprints.

Oh yeah, Christianized-statism is going down, folks!

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Laurence Vance joins LCC Contributors

Click here to subscribe to the LCC Podcast directly with iTunes.

And if this works, any positive reviews you can give in iTunes and other podcast aggregators would be awesome as well…

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LCC Podcast feed appears to be fixed

LibertarianChristians.com is one of 10 finalists for the 2010 Blogging Scholarship Contest! It’s a big prize ($10k) and would be wonderful to win it. I hope you’ll consider voting for me in this contest. Here was my 300-word essay entry, answering the question: Why did you start blogging, and what does blogging mean to you?

I started blogging because I believe in the power of ideas. Good ideas fuel the engine of human progress. LibertarianChristians.com was established because I saw a lack of well-reasoned, just, and equitable political theory in the modern church, both Protestant and Catholic. American Christians in particular seem to be fixated on the two-party system, and they frequently possess no consistent philosophy for dealing with complicated yet critical subjects such as war, natural law, social ethics, and political economy.

Libertarianism provides a framework of ideas that explains how the world works and what the bounds of government truly should be. Moreover, libertarian philosophy is quite consistent with Christian theology. For example, libertarianism states that peaceful coexistence and freedom from aggression are the essence of civilization. Jesus’ injunction to “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” proclaims a similar message, one that Christians could and should remember in the political realm. Both groups believe morality does not change once someone takes a public office or puts on a uniform. We are all accountable to the same standard.

Blogging allows one to enter the virtual world dialogue of ideas and make one’s voice heard. By speaking up just a little, I have put forward a clear message, engaged the world, and encouraged others to join the conversation. It is time for Christians outside the left-right paradigm to tell fellow believers that there is another way to look at politics. “Conservatives” cheapen the lives of innocents in war while supposedly valuing the life of the unborn. “Liberals” believe that more control over individuals’ lives will solve the problems we face. Libertarians say otherwise. Liberty has been and always will be the prime organizational principle of society, and Christians should be the first to understand its benefits and herald its triumphs.

So give a shout out to liberty and the Christian faith, vote for me (Norman Horn) in the 2010 Blogging Scholarship Contest!

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Vote for Me (Norman Horn) in the 2010 Blogging Scholarship

This past spring, my wife received an invitation to pursue PhD studies in music theory and cognition at Ohio State University. We considered this situation very carefully, and eventually came to the conclusion that it was too good to turn down. It was a difficult decision because it requires us to live apart for a period of a little less than a year. We’ve had our share of disapproval voiced to us because of it, but we stand by this decision and believe that it is worth the costs.

Thankfully, we are doing well enough financially to fund all of it. We had been saving money for a possible short-term trip to Croatia to vacation and help the missionaries our church supports, and so all of those funds have been moved to money for flights. With frequent flyer miles and these savings, we can easily visit each other at least once a month. It may not be easy, but as my mother has said: “If there are two people who can pull this off, it would be y’all.”

So as of September 7th, my wife now lives in Ohio. I remain in Austin to complete my PhD in Chemical Engineering at UT. I still anticipate finishing next summer, and I have redoubled my efforts to be extraordinarily productive in this unusual stage of life. Work is a kind of prayer, you know…

I’m actually quite pleased to report that I have nearly caught up to the schedule I set for my experiments early this year. My work is proceeding very nicely, and since the limiting time factor is that I have limited instrumentation this is a very positive development.

However, transitioning into this new rhythm without my girl around is just downright weird. It has taken its toll on LCC for sure, but I promise this is temporary and things will be back to normal soon (whatever that means).

But you know what? Thank God for the free market, the amalgamation of human interactions where everyone radically benefits through productive effort and trade. More than any other time in human history, we can connect with other people from thousands of miles away with such low cost – blessings only possible because of the market. Katelyn and I have been able to talk whenever we want with cell phones, text messages, IM, and video chat. We may be far apart, but only seconds away. No government could support such innovation that makes our lives better! Isn’t it amazing?

Oh, and on a side note, I’m on the market for a job come next Summer. If you need a PhD chemical engineer in your business, give me a call sometime.

So enough of this pseudo-gloomy talk, what’s new with you? Any exciting things to report? Have you thought about how to promote peace in your church? I am still getting emails almost daily from people reading the article over at LewRockwell.com and want to do more. Fantastic! Keep on keepin’ on!

There are many plans in motion for LCC to expand into new territory, I hope you’ll stick around for it. Podcasting (and maybe even video) will become more regular, more authors are coming, new classic material is being discovered… I can’t wait to show it all off to you!

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A Personal Update

Right click here to download the entire mp3 audio file.

For those with podcast software, there is a special Podcast RSS Feed set up just for you.

If you are using iTunes, click on the following button to subscribe directly:

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Podcast: Lots of Updates (and the new FAQ)

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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New FAQ Questions Added

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. You can note that it is located in the navigation bar just below the header image, labeled FAQ just as you’d expect. Hover over it and you’ll see a little drop down menu where you can Ask a Question.

So how exactly do you ask a question? It’s really easy: just go to the Ask a Question page and fill out the amazingly simple form. All you need to do is write a question and provide your email address. When you submit, you will receive an email confirming your question was received, and when your question is answered you will receive another email with the response. Of course, I reserve the right to edit questions reasonably for clarity or to reject an inappropriate question.

But since this is the first announcement of the FAQ, I’ll include the submission form below. Tell your inquisitive friends, and ask away!

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Announcing the Christian Libertarian FAQ