Godarchy Podcast

“For everything, there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.” And the season for GodArchy has come to an end. This will be the final podcast for the foreseeable future. In this episode, I explain why, reminisce a bit, and say some thank you’s.

The American founders were radicals. In the 21st century, America’s founding political principles seem pretty mundane. But in their time, they were extremely radical. And Thomas Paine was one of the most radical of the radicals. In this episode of the GodArchy podcast, I talk with historian and Paine biographer

What good is cryptocurrency anyway? With the steep decline in the price of bitcoin and the high-profile bankruptcy of the FTX exchange, you might be asking that question. But despite all of the negative press of late, there is still great potential for cryptocurrency. In this episode of the GodArchy

It’s official! GodArchy has partnered with the Libertarian Christian Institute with the GodArchy podcast joining the Christians for Liberty Network. In this episode, I drop the big news and then talk with Libertarian Christian Institute CEO Doug Stuart. We discuss the work of LCI, how Doug got involved, and how

Taxation is theft. And so is inflation. In fact, inflation is just taxation by another name. What is inflation? How does government use inflationary monetary policy to steal from you? And what are the spiritual/biblical implications? I cover these questions in this episode of the GodArchy podcast. Show Notes Taxation

As the saying goes, there’s more than one way to skin a cat. How do we advance liberty? Should we engage the political process? Or should we spurn it and undermine the state through other means? And what’s the best way to talk about liberty in a compelling way? In

You can’t trust politicians! Pontius Pilate is the archetypical politician, and the way Pilate handled Jesus’s trial teaches a lot of lessons about political power, the political process, democracy — and why we shouldn’t trust any of it. In this episode of the GodArchy podcast, I talk about some of these

This war needs to end — now! The U.S. has been involved in a war in Yemen for years. Calling the situation in that country genocide is no hyperbole. In this episode, I talk to foreign policy expert Scott Horton. He explains how the U.S. got into the war, its

The state may be illegitimate but it’s not going anyplace anytime soon. So, how do we live free in this unfree world? If you’re a regular listener to GodArchy, you know I talk a lot about the moral and ethical illegitimacy of the state and its governments. I frequently point

It’s dangerous history! Does history repeat? Does it rhyme? Does human nature change? These are some of the meaty topics I discuss with Dangerous History Podcast host CJ Killmer. CJ and I talk history, his approach to teaching the subject, and how history led him to libertarianism. And of course,

You have to believe in magic. After all, seeing is believing! In this episode, I chat with Doc Dixon. Doc is a professional magician who fooled Penn and Teller. He’s also a libertarian and a Christian. In this wide-ranging (and hilarious) episode, we talk about a bunch of topics including

After about a 9-month hiatus, the GodArchy podcast has returned!For the GodArchy reboot, I talk a little about where I’ve been and where the show is going. I explain why I decided to bring the show back and what you can expect moving forward. There is also a little foray

“There is nothing we can do with suffering except to suffer it.” – C.S. Lewis In this episode, I share a little about my journey through grief after the death of my mother, guided by “A Grief Observed” by C.S. Lewis. I also talk a little about my plans moving

The last enemy to be destroyed is death. I recently watched my mother die. It was a profound experience. In this episode, I share a few thoughts and the flashes of light I saw during a dark time. I also tie in a little political theology. Show Notes An Ethic

To jab or not to jab? That is the question. But a lot of people don’t feel like they have a whole lot of choice in the matter. In this episode, I talk about the coronavirus vaccine,  mandates and passports, from a libertarian Christian perspective. Show Notes Unmasking Rona –

If all these mitigation efforts including lockdowns and mask mandates worked, we should see a significant difference between areas that implemented such measures and those that didn’t. We see no such difference. In this episode of the GodArchy podcast, I talk with Ian Patterson about efforts to control coronavirus. We

Is Simone Biles “soft?” Did she embarrass America? Is she indicative of deeper problems in American society? A lot of people think so since the American gymnast dropped out of the Olympic competition. But perhaps there’s another way of looking at it. In this episode of the GodArchy podcast, I

Compulsory national service is slavery. Sound like hyperbole? I don’t think so. In this episode of the GodArchy podcast, I talk about compulsory national service, including military conscription, and explain how it destroys the fundamental concept of self-ownership. And if somebody else owns you — that’s slavery. Show Notes Who

In my view, centralized power is the greatest threat to liberty. The best way to confront that threat is the break up centralized power through secession. Secession gets a bad rap in the United States because of its association with slavery and the Civil War, but secession itself has nothing

I’ve got stuff to say! In this potpourri episode,  I hop on my soapbox and pontificate about several issues including a misguided reason for supporting wars, the dark side of social media, and the limitation of libertarian philosophy when it comes to promoting human flourishing. Show Notes Enough Already! Time

Should Christians get involved in politics? I don’t think there is a dogmatic answer, but it’s definitely something believers should at least wrestle with. Author and former pastor Mark West doesn’t think so. He recently wrote, “I would recommend that Christians avoid political means altogether. … I see political power

You know things are out of wack when soft drinks become politicized! And that’s where we are today. We’ve politicized virtually everything. But at the core, politics is violence, force and coercion. Surely, that’s not the best way we can come up with to interact with each other and advance

Trust the science! We’ve heard that mantra evoked a lot over the last year or so, but what does it really mean? What can science really tell us? And what are its limitations? In this episode of the GodArchy podcast, I talk about “the science” with Libertarian Christian Institute president

Profit is theft? I get comments like this from time to time on the GodArchy Facebook page. There seem to be a lot of Christians enamored with socialism. I think they have good intentions, but good intentions can’t trump economic reality. In this episode of the GodArchy podcast, economist Dr.

Listen in as Caryn Ann Harlos and I talk about things you’re not supposed to discuss in polite company – politics and religion. Caryn Ann Harlos serves as the Libertarian Party LNC National Secretary. In this episode, we talk about her spiritual and political journeys, along with her Christian faith

After two decades, isn’t it time to be done with the feckless and counterproductive “war on terror?” In this episode of the GodArchy Podcast, I talk with Scott Horton about his new book making the case that the whole terror war has been an unmitigated disaster and it needs to

We pray for peace and we revel in war. Sadly, this lyric written by Steve Hindalong generally sums up the state of the modern church. In this episode of the GodArchy podcast, I lay out the case that the state is a death cult and war is its highest sacrament.

How should God’s people wage war? I would argue that they shouldn’t. But in under the Old Covenant, they surely did. It should come as no surprise that God gave the Hebrews laws of war. In this episode, I talk with Adam Terrell about those laws and how they might

Should “dangerous” or “hateful” speech be shut down? Censorship is all the rage right now. A lot of people reason that as long as the government isn’t shutting people down, private censorship is OK, perhaps even beneficial to society. In this episode of the GodArchy podcast, I argue that censorship

How do we end America’s endless wars? In this episode of the GodArchy podcast, I talk with Dan McKnight, founder of Bring Our Troops Home. We talk about his experience in the military, why he started an organization dedicated to ending foreign wars of aggression, and practical strategy within the

Did you know Thanksgiving can teach us a valuable economics lesson? When the Pilgrims first established their colony in Massachusetts, they adopted a communal system based on the socialist notion “from each according to their ability to each according to their need.” Like pretty much all socialist experiments, it ended

When it comes to Christianity and libertarianism, I bet you’ve got questions. Well, we’ve got answers. In this episode of the GodArchy podcast, I chat with two of the four authors of a new book published by the Libertarian Christian Institute titled Faith Seeking Freedom: Libertarian Christian Answers to Tough

What’s it like being a libertarian, a Christian and a rock star? In this episode, I chat with Jason Reichert (aka J.J. Boogie), guitarist and producer for the 2-time Grammy Award-winning hip-hop band  Arrested Development. Of course, we talk music. But that’s not all. We also discuss how J.J. came

Libertarian AND Christian? How does that work? In this episode, I talk with Norman Horn, the founder of the Libertarian Christian Institute. We discuss how libertarian philosophy meshes with Christian theology. We also talk about Norman’s spiritual/political journey and the work of LCI. Show Notes The Libertarian Christian Website LCI

Have you registered to vote? As election day approaches, we’re being inundated with demands to get registered and go vote delivered with religious fervor. In fact, I argue that voting is one of the high holy sacraments of the religion of statism. So should we vote? And if we do,

Rule thyself… Self-rule is one of the cornerstones of libertarian thought. We own ourselves. We generally think of it as a negative obligation – kind of like a no trespassing sign – keep off me. But self-rule also involves a positive obligation – to literally rule ourselves and to direct

Are you hungry? After this episode of the GodArchy podcast, you just might be. This week, I talk with Dann Reid, host of the Culinary Libertarian podcast. We discuss food and cooking and intertwine it with a little bit of liberty.  We discuss Dann’s personal journey both as a libertarian

Ever wonder how Ron Paul’s Christian faith shapes his political ideology? We talked about it in this episode of the GodArchy Podcast.  We also discussed how his faith helped sustain him in the D.C. swamp. And as you would expect, there is also a good bit of discussion about war

Should libertarians take government help?   Governments have offered all kinds of help during the coronavirus pandemic, from unemployment benefits, to forgivable loans, to outright bailouts. But how helpful has the help been? Judging by this week’s guest Alan Mosley’s experience — not very. But that brings us back to

How do we live free in an unfree world? That question seems more and more poignant of late. Politics is clearly not moving us toward liberty. But we can still live free in Christ. In fact, Paul wrote that it is for freedom that Christ set us free. One way

Even if Covid-19 were airborne Ebola, or something even more horrifying, centralized decisions, imposed from the top down, by people who will never have to pay for the harm they do, would STILL BE A TERRIBLE SOLUTION!!! In the midst of a crisis, people cry for centralized government solutions. The

Josh Childress worked for the U.S. Border Patrol. Then his conscience got to him. So, he quit. During this interview, we talk about Josh’s slow evolution from statist to voluntaryist, his two stints in the military and why he became anti-war, and the journey that led him to quit his

There’s rot behind the “Thin Blue Line.” In this episode, I talk about the institutional problems with policing in America. I breeze by the typical arguments about race and riots and focus on what I see as the real problem – an institutional culture steeped in authoritarian violence. I  trace

Is government really the root of our problem? Those of us striving for more freedom and liberty generally focus on government as the enemy. But author Tom Mullen says government isn’t the root of the problem. It’s the nitwit mob that makes the whole system go. As H.L. Mencken said,

How do you navigate this world as a black, libertarian, Christian who happens to be a lesbian? Continuing my fireside chat series, I talk with Kim Schjang, host of the Lesbertarian Podcast. Kim is a Christian and a libertarian anarchist. She also happens to be a black lesbian. We chat

What about the economy? The coronavirus-induced government shutdowns have had devastating economic impacts. But a lot of people seem to think once we get the pandemic under control and restart the economy, everything will snap back to normal. In this episode of the GodArchy podcast, I explain why this won’t

How would a free society deal with a pandemic? I freely admit I don’t know the answer to that question. But I suspect it would be better than the response we’re getting from government. In this episode of the GodArchy podcast, I touch on a number of issues raised by

“Be Prepared” is more than just a cute Boy Scout motto. The coronavirus outbreak showed us just how fast society can go from all systems normal to full-blown panic. Within a matter of days, store shelves emptied, people found themselves on lockdown and fear gripped the entire country. It was

Government schools are an abject failure. You don’t have to look very deeply to figure out America’s education system is a mess. The typical solution involves throwing more money at it. But what if the system is the problem? What if the whole model of compulsory, government schooling is creating

Did Jesus really mean all that stuff he said in the Sermon on the Mount? The Sermon on the Mount is hard. So hard that a lot of Christians have relegated it to an ideal for some other time and place. But what if Jesus really intended for his people

What can one learn in the Big Apple? A lot, as it turns out. In this episode of the GodArchy Podcast, I share some things I learned about life and humanity during a trip to New York City. I touch on the amazing world of material abundance we live in,

Pro-life? Pro-choice? Which side are you on? Few issues are as binary and divisive as abortion. But the standard “pro-life” and “pro-choice” positions in American politics have utterly failed to adequately deal with the issue. Kerry Baldwin has developed a  philosophical framework that can overcome some of the shortcomings inherent

A killer in a church killed. Was this an incident to celebrate or to mourn? In this bonus episode of the GodArchy podcast, I talk about the recent events inside a Texas church. How should we view them? Was the killing of the shooter justified ethically? Morally? How does the

Should America build that wall? Should libertarians support it? And what about Christians? In this episode, I tackle the issue of immigration from both a libertarian and Christian perspective in preparation for my upcoming interview with economist Bryan Caplan, author of “Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration. I

Do we really need government cops to “protect us?” Peter Quinones doesn’t think so. In this episode of the GodArchy podcast, he joins me to talk about the concept of private policing. Peter and I discuss the myriad problems behind the “thin blue line,” the myths many people believe about

How can one believe in Anarchy and also in an Abrahamic religion? if you’re happy for a religious cult to rule your life, why not a country? They’re practically the same thing. Good question. In this episode of the GodArchy podcast, I answer it. What’s the difference between a country

A lot of people on the left (and the right) justify their politics because they view their preferred policies as just, compassionate and loving. In this episode of the GodArchy podcast, I look at a blog post by Christian activist John Pavlovitz. He makes just such an assertion. In the

Vengeance, so wrong. Drop the gun, forgive the girl. My love, so strong. Mercy is a silver pearl. By now, you’ve probably heard about the Dallas cop who killed an unarmed man in his own home, and how the victim’s brother forgave the killer cop. It was a beautiful picture

Christian anarchist? Is that even a thing? Yes! Yes, it is. And in this episode of the GodArchy podcast, I have a little fireside chat with fellow AnarchoChristian and podcast host Stephen about the ideas. Stephen shares a little bit about his faith journey and the path he took that

Come see the violence inherent in the system! You’ve may have seen the famous Monty Python scene from the Quest for the Holy Grail where Dennis shouts that line as King Arthur roughs him up. (If you haven’t the video is in the show notes.) The bit is pretty funny,

Would you stand in protest in front of a column of tanks? Tank Man did. You’ve almost certainly seen the iconic photo of the man standing in front of a column of Chinese tanks in Tiananmen Square. Nobody knows who that man was nor anything about his fate. Robert Anthony

Your right to self-defense is a natural right that flows logically from the concept of self-ownership. That right is increasingly under assault as governments attempt to crack down on various types of firearms in the name of safety. Maj Toure is having none of it. He is the co-founder of

What would you do if your spiritual and political beliefs evolved to the point that they were at odds with an important part of your life?David Swain had to confront this question. When his political and spiritual journey led him to reject war, he had a problem — he worked for

Government does stuff. We can do it better!Do you ever get tired of politics? It seems like everything these days is political. Heck, we’ve even politicized chicken sandwiches. As a result, it seems like pretty much everybody looks to the political process to solve the world’s problems. Everybody wants the

Christians can and should defend the free market! Christians often dismiss economic arguments saying that they are “unspiritual” or “materialistic.” In his book The Church and the Market,  Dr. Tom Woods cuts through that kind of silly rhetoric and makes a compelling argument for the free market from a Christian

Can a Muslim and Christian get along on a podcast together? The answer is a resounding yes! In this episode, I chat with Muslims4Liberty cofounder Hesham El Meligy. I spend a lot of time asking Hesham questions about his faith, and he smashes some common misunderstandings and stereotypes. And of

Identity politics is the order of the day. Could there possibly be a better way to view each other?Politicians encourage us to look at each other as members of a solitary group. Then they pit those groups against each other to gain power for themselves. In this episode of the

What if we just ignored the government? In this episode, I talk with activist and radio show host Lou Sander about agorism, counter-economics and underground economies. Most activism directed at changing the political system involves utilizing the political system.  Lou believes there is a better way — simply do an

Can a Christian and an atheist find some common ground? Why yes. Yes, we can. In this episode, I talk with fellow libertarian anarchist Alan Mosley, who happens to be an atheist. We talk about our differences, find common ground, and discuss why killing people and taking their stuff isn’t

What is the truth about America’s wars?   People often support America’s wars because they believe them to be righteous endeavors. After all, the U.S. is fighting tyranny, toppling dictators and spreading democracy. But the truth is far different. In this episode of the GodArchy podcast, I talk to foreign

In this episode of the GodArchy Podcast, I get personal. A couple of people have asked me to share my testimony. I’ve touched on it before, but in this episode, I share my spiritual journey and how it impacted my political evolution.

You often hear people assert, “We are the government; the government is us.” In a nutshell: no! Here’s a question: if we are the government, as so many people assert, why am I suing myself? (I have been involved in an open records lawsuit with the city of Lexington for

In this episode, Doug Stuart of the Libertarian Christian Podcast and I take apart an article touting the “biblical values” of democratic socialism. This article by Obery M. Hendricks Jr. published at Sojourners touted the “biblical values” of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s democratic socialism. He claims it is the political philosophy that

In this episode, I talk with entrepreneur Jason Rink about decentralization of both government and the Church. Political decentralization is a fundamental libertarian concept. Should we be thinking in similar terms when it comes to the Church? In this episode of the GodArchy podcast, Jason and I discuss this idea.

I hear three objections to the ideas presented by GodArchy over and over and over again. In this podcast episode, I confront them head-on. No matter the particular subject I’m addressing, three objections to the concept of GodArchy – Christian anarchism/voluntaryism – come up time and time again. An anarchist

Why should we embrace free-market economics?I’ve had a lot of people tell me we should focus so much on economics. After all, there is more to life than money. We can’t boil down everything to an economic calculation. And yet these same people vigorously advocate for imposing policies that are

Does following Christ involve rejecting violence?We call Jesus “The Prince of Peace,” but the history of Christianity has been anything but peaceful.  Despite Christ’s clear teaching about loving your enemies and turning the other cheek, even suggesting that Christians should embrace “pacifism” will make people uncomfortable, if not outright angry. Libertarians

Who would Jesus bomb? I’m going to go out on a limb and say, nobody.  In this episode of the GodArchy podcast, I make the antiwar case from both a Christian and libertarian perspective. “We pray for peace but we revel in war.” – Steve Hindelong America has been constantly

You’ve almost certainly seen the meme: “Taxation is theft.” But is it? Really? I tackle that question in this episode of the GodArchy Podcast. It’s almost become a cliche’, particularly in libertarian circles. We see the memes all over Facebook. It’s become a go-to retort in comment threads. You can

Who owns you? How you answer this questions has important ramifications and should inform the way you interact with other people. In the next two episodes, I am going to cover two foundational ideas that underlie the GodArchy worldview — self-ownership and the non-aggression principle. In this episode, I tackle self-ownership.

It’s the inaugural episode of the GodArchy Podcast.For more than a year, people have been telling me I need to start a GodArchy podcast. I’ve fought the idea. But I finally gave in. In the first episode, I explain the concept behind GodArchy and provide a brief overview of the