Concern for social justice has become one of the most effective ways for Christians to signal that they care about the world's poor, yet below the surface of this virtue signaling are some important issues about justice itself – of social well-being – and understanding how to be a Christian concerned with the common good. It is important to understand just how the message of the gospel applies to the well-being of the world. Jason Jewell joins us to talk about why a libertarian view of the state, society, and human action are critical concepts to understand before one arrives at a viable pursuit of social justice. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4AzYQb-Kpk
We don't usually publish two episodes in a row on the same topic, but when we do, you can be sure it's really important! This week's episode features a unique audio documentary created a few years ago by our audio engineer for this podcast, Chris Williams. He succinctly presents a strong factual and logical case against abortion and then interviews two women with powerful pro-life testimonies. Audio Production by Podsworth Media - https://podsworth.com
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr9tdNQxMzQ
Transcript:
"I'm Karson Rosander. I'm from Billings, Montana. I've been following LCI for a few years now. My favorite product that LCI has produced is the book Faith Seeking Freedom. It's questions and answers for the Christian libertarian. And what's noteworthy about it is regardless of whether the questioner is a non believing libertarian or a non libertarian Christian, the answers are the same because there's one truth. And that's the thing, is what you're going to find is the integrity of the people producing the material. We're trying to get truth, not trying to sell a narrative. I've just found it very compelling and instrumental in developing my own understanding of both the scripture as it applies to our actions that we take here in this world. It's just really phenomenal. It's succinct and well formulated, and I think that everyone I know enjoys consuming the material."
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DONATE to LCI to further our mission: https://libertarianchristians.com/donate/
VISIT our website for the most consistent Christian political thought: https://libertarianchristians.com/
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClgaIu2EDHI
On this episode, the always insightful (and frequently controversial) biblical scholar Dr. Peter Enns joins the show to talk to us about the journey of faith, trusting God, how to disagree with other Christians, pitfalls in biblical interpretation, and much more. Those familiar with Enns’ work typically have a strong opinion either for or against him. The listener is of course free to reach his or her own conclusions, though we will say that a number of us at the Libertarian Christian Institute — even those who strongly differ from Enns on some points — have greatly appreciated and benefited from his material over the years.
Sooner or later, we all go through uncertain times in the Christian life. Who among us hasn’t felt scared, uncertain, or confused, and unable to voice our thoughts from fear of being made into a church pariah? One permeating theme of Enns’ work is that biblical faith is about trusting in God and moving forward even during these times; another is that being faithful to the Scripture requires us to come to it on its own terms, not ours. And all of this has tremendous relevance for how we relate to other believers in a way that honors Christ and unifies the Church, rather than furthers division.
If you feel compelled to deconstruct this episode, please consider doing a grammatical-historical word study of the transcript first.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZKVrE-P33Y
Join us as host Doug Stuart welcomes Preston Sprinkle, accomplished author and president of Theology in the Raw. Together, they tackle the weighty topics of politics, allegiance, and the teachings of Jesus as explored in Sprinkle's latest book, Exiles: The Church in the Shadow of Empire.
Dive into a discussion that journeys through the political implications wrapped in Jesus' teachings and their connection to contemporary issues such as power dynamics, citizenship, and nonviolence. Sprinkle dissects the often misunderstood statement about "rendering unto Caesar," unpacking the rich historical and contextual background that reframes this passage far beyond a simple lesson on taxation.
The episode further delves into the pressing question of what it means to give "allegiance" in a biblical sense. Listeners are invited to reflect on the concept of faith as not just intellectual assent, but a soul-deep commitment that challenges notions of political and national loyalty, especially within the American evangelical context.
Sprinkle and Stuart wrestle with the deep-seated views often conflating patriotism with faith, tackling the complex issues of submitting to government authorities, engaging with empire mentality, and what repentance looked like in the 1st century.
Prepare for a deep examination of the essence of being strangers and sojourners in God's kingdom as Preston provides a fresh understanding of Romans 13 and advocate for a life lived in the tension between respect for earthly governance and ultimate devotion to a higher King.
This episode is essential listening for those seeking to unravel the interplay between their Christian faith and political surroundings, urging believers to consider their true allegiance and what it means to be a part of a global, multi-ethnic body of Christ.
SUBSCRIBE to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/LibertarianChristianInstitute?sub_confirmation=1
DONATE to LCI to further our mission: https://libertarianchristians.com/donate/
VISIT our website for the most consistent Christian political thought: https://libertarianchristians.com/
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDGn0ZTa1-0
In this episode, author Connor Boyack joins Doug Stuart to discuss the latest edition in the well-known Tuttle Twins book line. "The Tuttle Twins Guide to Modern Villains" highlights the nastiest villains throughout recent history, with notable figures including Adolf Hitler, Karl Marx, and Woodrow Wilson. If you're interested in knowing why Connor chose the villains he did or if you just want to know more about the background and writing process of the Tuttle Twins series, this is the episode for you!
Connor Boyack is the founder of the Libertas Institute and has authored nearly 40 books, including the Tuttle Twins series, which has sold over 4.5 million copies. Connor graduated from Brigham Young University and has since been named one of Utah’s most politically influential people by The Salt Lake Tribune.
Audio Production by Podsworth Media - https://podsworth.com
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhKDb4g0SF4
In this episode, Doug Stuart interviews former public school teacher, Angela Harders. Harders is author of the book, Tales of a Toxic Teacher: Exposing the Cycles of Abuse Within Our Schools. Harders discusses her dreams and intentions when she first began teaching, and how quickly those dreams were squelched by the public school system. Many teachers like her share similar experiences, and Harders is calling out the public education, not as "broken" but as operating as it's designed.
Angela Harders: Journey Away from being a Toxic Teacher
People who become teachers usually do so because they envision a better world for kids through their education. But reality soon rears its head "within the first 5 minutes" of starting a job as a teacher. Harders explains how the public education system churns out traumatized kids and pass them through to be "society's problems." Not only is the system abusive, but the impact of the abuse cultivates kids who become abusive themselves. Harders, a public school teacher for 12 years, even describes how the zeros she gave one continually absent student were mysteriously changed to 60% (just passing) without her knowledge or consent.
Harders rebuffs the tired criticism that public education is "broken." It's not, she says, it operates as expected. Which is to say that it's intended to create submissive, compliant, factory-worker-type followers, ready for employment and trained to never question assigned authority. The complaints, however, that teachers are not given adequate supplies or leeway to be a creative teacher is all true. She had to get creative with her field trips so that students could make some tangible connection to otherwise foreign ideas that even we might take for granted. For example, she describes taking her students to a baseball game so they could understand the assigned reading which involved baseball. Hardships for students abound, but so also do hardships for teachers. As a Spanish teacher, one student asked her why he should care about learning Spanish when he was expected to die by the time he was 18.
The public education system is also rife with structural problems, says Harder. The compulsory aspect coupled with the cultural tendency to think of school as glorified babysitting is traumatic. We've all heard the stories of the kids who cry for the parents on the first day (first week, really) of school. Being separated from their parents, at this age, is not normal, and shouldn't be normalized. And yet, it is. Harders challenges parents about the education paradigm by noting that the state usually spends about $15k per student. Would you pay $15k for an education experience like this? No, of course not. But Harders says, the cost is even higher than that. That cost being, the unravelling of the social structure designed for raising the next generation: the family.
Harders, a divorce from an abusive marriage, also discovered the hallmarks of abusive relationships are all found within the public school system, and that system often creates what is known as a trauma bond. Where the abused ardently defends their abuser and excuses the abuse. So Harders left the public school system and now promotes unschooling, or what she calls Peaceful Worldschooling. She emphasizes the need to de-school, which means to take active steps to undo the damage done by the public education system. Peaceful worldschooling fits hand in glove with concepts like peaceful or gentle parenting, self-directed or interest-based learning, and using real life as a guiding "curriculum" to ignite the interests and passions of children. Indeed, making manifest the dream she and most teachers have going into this career field.
Listen to all this and more right here.
Main Point of Discussion
00:00 Introduction
03:03 Tales of a Toxic Teacher by Angela Harders
04:53 How quickly did you come to realize were a toxic teacher?
09:40 Public education is not broken
11:14 How did you overcome the design of public education?
13:46 Hardships of students; hardships of teachers
19:23 Structural problems built into the system
25:58 Connections to abuse
31:00 Leave-school, De-school, Un-school (Peaceful Worldschool)
37:29 State education compliance
44:20 Ahhh! Won't my kid just play video games all day?!
47:53 Concluding Thoughts
Resources Mentioned
https://peacefulworldschoolers.com/
https://www.facebook.com/PeacefulWorldSchoolers
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG0XFHxKs6DSDHdQluUNgqg
https://www.amazon.com/Tales-Toxic-Teacher-Exposing-Schools/dp/1733428550
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9YlgXQierw
Why would a politician change his or her position on a policy? How do we account for views that "shift" in one direction or another, especially when it appears to be out of political expediency? Eric Schansberg joins us to talk about this, as well as his book, "Turn Neither to the Right Nor to the Left", a must-read book for Christian Libertarians!
Audio Production by Podsworth Media - https://podsworth.com
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbUJzXSDMwE
In this episode, Norman is joined by Dr. RC Sproul Jr to discuss his new book Growing Up With RC. Dr. Sproul's father, RC Sr., was an acclaimed theologian who passed away in late 2017. RC Jr.'s book honors his faithful gospel legacy, and in the show we pass on some Sproul-inspired lessons and memories that influence our thoughts on both theology and politics today. Audio Production by Podsworth Media
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVgADoah7u4
What is the biblical portrayal of the state? The Libertarian Christian Institute frequently discusses this question; it has bery important ramifications for how we think about political philosophy. In this episode, we continue our interview series with the authors of Called to Freedom as we are joined by Jason Hughey, author of the chapter on the Bible and government. Jason walks us through the narrative portrayal of the state in the Bible and helps us to see that state officials are sinful people just like the rest of us. As such, they should not be viewed as a special class with some intrinsic ability or right to rule, nor are they exempted from the ethical constraints that bind everyone else. In contrast to political power, the power of Christ is found in the gospel. We also cover some helpful guidelines for thinking about political power and the Bible, some pragmatic considerations, and of course, we get Jason's take on Romans 13.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLJS-u5jmQM