Erasmus on Christianity and War: Christian War Fever
“I simply admit that I have written some rather distasteful things for the purpose of frightening Christians away from the …
All Articles by Laurence Vance
Erasmus on the Evils of War
“Since we see that there is hardly ever any respite from wars, which normally arise from the ambition or anger …
An Injury to Civilization
Review of Jack Beatty, The Lost History of 1914: Reconsidering the Year the Great War Began (Walker & Co., 2012), …
Are Christian Libertarians also Pacifists?
I have been called many things since I began writing in 2003 about the immoral, unjust invasions of Iraq and …
Mises Explains the Drug War
Air travelers were outraged when the FAA announced that there would be flight delays because air-traffic controllers had to take furloughs as a result of sequester budget cuts. But there is another federal agency whose budget cuts Americans should be cheering — the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Should the Ten Commandments be posted?
Someone asked me what I thought about the Ten Commandments being posted inside or in front of courthouses. My short answer is: what’s the point?, who cares?, and this is much ado about nothing. My long answer is what follows.
Christian Anti-Capitalism
Review of Daniel M. Bell Jr., The Economy of Desire: Christianity and Capitalism in a Postmodern World (Baker Academic, 2012), …
Abortion and Republicans
A Georgia teenager was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of killing a 13-month-old baby in a stroller …
Pulling Down Strongholds
I have a confession to make. I have been accused of writing with an agenda. I hereby plead guilty. For …
Being a Constitutionalist is Not Enough
Being a constitutionalist is not enough; being a libertarian is.
Is Obama gutting the military?
I am not a fan of Barack Obama. But since there are a lot of things that could be said …
Just Politics
To get an idea of Ronald Sider’s perspective in this book, we might begin with a look at the man …
If I were a pastor
I am not a pastor. I am not a minister. I am not a preacher. I am not a priest. …
A Biblical Defense of Self-Defense
I have written many articles on gun control. As a book reviewer, I am especially interested in new books on gun …
Sow It Everywhere
Review of Martin A. Lee, Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana—Medical, Recreational, and Scientific (Scribner, 2012), vii + 519 …
Can Conservatives Be Libertarians?
Some libertarians are applauding the recent Supreme Court decisions relating to same-sex marriage, not because of anything to do with …
Glenn Beck Almost Gets It Right (About Guns)
Review of Glenn Beck, Control: Exposing the Truth about Guns (Threshold Editions, 2013), xvi + 189 pgs., paperback, $12.00. I …
Follies of Christian Militarism
Introduction to War, Christianity, and the State: Essays on the Follies of Christian Militarism by Laurence Vance (Vance Publications, 2013), …
Adultery and the State–Moral Courage or Moral Busybodies?
The legislature of the state of Colorado recently passed, and the governor signed into law, a bill to repeal an …
You might be guilty of military idolatry if…
This past Memorial Day brought forth the usual military idolatry. What makes it worse, though, is that this military idolatry …
Shall We Smite With the Sword?
Philip Mauro (1859-1952) was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and educated at Columbian University in the nation’s capital, now known …
Does Libertarianism Diminish Freedom?
Hillsdale College in Michigan hosts Mises Lectures in free-market economics and houses the library of Mises in the Ludwig von …
Is it Okay to Kill?
Is it okay to kill? I don’t mean a bug in your house, a snake in your garage, or a …
Decriminalization, Legalization, or Freedom?
In between drug prohibition and drug freedom are two concepts that are often confused. Drug prohibition is the criminalization of …
All Taxation is Theft
When it comes to governments the world over, bad economic policies usually beget more bad economic policies. That is especially …
Alexander Campbell, Tolbert Fanning, David Lipscomb: A Nineteenth-Century Anti-War Triumvirate
A shorter version of this essay was presented at the 2013 Austrian Economics Research Conference at the Mises Institute. Alexander …
Liberals, Conservatives, and the Welfare State
Ronald Sider is a liberal. Paul Ryan is a conservative. But don’t let the labels fool you; they are more …
Janus Christians
“Were it not for the support offered by several tens of millions of evangelicals, militarism in this deeply and genuinely …
Is God Against Drones?
He is not, according to former CIA analyst and current Christian axis of evil candidate Mark D. Tooley, as long …
Two Views of Libertarianism
There exists much confusion in the political sphere about libertarianism. Conservatives often mischaracterize it as discounting human nature and disdaining …