I had the flu and Streamyard defaulted to my computer microphone, so I apologize for my voice! In this episode I discuss Paul’s comments in Ephesians 1:15-23, particularly 1:20-22, that Jesus by virtue of his resurrection, ascension, and enthronement currently rules over all authorities and that the church shares in his cosmic victory. We discuss the major themes of Ephesians, particularly Christ and the church, and how Paul believes that those who have received the Spirit through faith in Israel’s Messiah are now members of God’s eschatological family. Jesus has already been installed as the cosmic king, and the list of powers over which Jesus is “far above” includes both earthy political rulers and malevolent spiritual powers. I look at two Greek terms Paul uses in Ephesians 1:21, arche and exousia, and show how their usage in other passages, notably 1 Corinthians 2:6-8 and Romans 13:1-3 clearly denote human political authorities. I conclude with some final thoughts about how the church must take Jesus’s enthronement over all powers seriously. 

Media Referenced:

Government as God’s Servant: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-243-government-is-gods-servant-romans-13-isaiah-10-and-jeremiah-25/

Cody Cook on Paul and evil forces: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-245-galatians-41-7-and-deliverance-from-this-evil-age-with-cody-cook/

The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at [email protected].  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the show’s profile! Thanks!

This episode is a recording of a debate I had with Jacob Winograd in the fall of 2025 about whether history or theology should take priority in Biblical interpretation. I argue that our starting point for Biblical exegesis must be the historical context of Scripture while Jacob defends the need to think about the text theologically. Both of us maintain that history and theology are important. Enjoy the conversation!

Media Referenced:

The Biblical Anarchy podcast: https://libertarianchristians.com/shows/biblical-anarchy/

Jacob on X: @BiblicalAnarchy

History and Biblical Interpretation with Drew Holland: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-226-history-and-biblical-interpretation-with-drew-holland/

The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at [email protected].  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the show’s profile! Thanks!

In this episode I explore the Parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15:1-7 in which Jesus, directly responding to his critics, explains how his audience would leave ninety-nine sheep in the pasture to find one who had wondered from the flock, rejoicing when the wayward sheep is found. Jesus isn’t telling a simple pastoral parable about God’s grace, but drawing on powerful imagery from the Old Testament prophets, particularly Jeremiah 23:1-2 and Ezekiel 34, about the wicked shepherds of Israel who had led God’s people astray and the promise that God would rescue his people from the curse of the covenant by sending a good shepherd, the promised son of David, to rescue the whole house of Israel. Luke believes the promises are being fulfilled in Jesus, the son of David bringing about the kingdom of God. I also discuss the need for Christians to keep wicked political leaders, modern false shepherds, at arm’s length and how the modern nation-state called ‘Israel’ only comprises members of two of the twelve tribes of Biblical Israel, meaning it is in no way a fulfillment of God’s promises in the prophets. 

Media Referenced:

Mark 10 and Political Assumptions: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-244-mark-10-wrecks-modern-economic-and-political-assumptions/

Government is God’s Servant: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-243-government-is-gods-servant-romans-13-isaiah-10-and-jeremiah-25/

Old Testament Prophecy w/ John Walton: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-109-understanding-old-testament-prophecy-with-john-walton/

 The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at [email protected].  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the show’s profile! Thanks!

In this episode I talk with Cody Cook about his new book Delivered from This Present Evil Age where he argues that Galatians 4:1-7 portrays Christ defeating the spiritual powers which enslave humanity and inaugurating a new creation in which ethnic, national, and political divisions are abolished through Jesus. He discusses the influence of the apocalyptic school of Pauline interpretation on his work, the importance of Paul’s opening statement in Galatians 1:3-4 that Jesus has “rescued us from this present evil age”, the wider context of Galatians, and how the stoicheia enslaved humanity before Christ. He then explains the dynamics of Galatians 4:1-7, the inauguration of the new creation, and its impact on Christian identity, revealing that Paul is effectively undercutting nationalism, ethnic divisions, and political identities. We then have a conversation about our differing interpretations of the Paul within Judaism and apocalyptic schools of Pauline interpretation and how we understand the role of the Law in the new creation. 

Media Referenced:

https://anarchistanabaptist.com/

https://www.cantus-firmus.com/

Cody on X: @CantusFirmusCC

Delivered From the Evil Age of the Present: https://a.co/d/0gGK466v

Cody on Annihilationism: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-238-hell-yes-or-hell-no-annihilationism-vs-ect-with-cody-cook/

The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at [email protected].  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the show’s profile! Thanks!

In this episode I explore the economic and political consequences of two passages in Mark 10. I explain how modern progressive and conservative Christians implicitly assume the nineteenth-century nation state model of political authoritarianism while undervaluing the role of the New Testament for ethical transformation. The church is supposed to be shaped by the teachings of Jesus, and we cannot explain them away. I return to the story of the Rich Young Ruler in Mark 10:17-27, showing how Jesus allows the man to walk away with his possessions. Jesus doesn’t follow after him or attempt to confiscate his property through political coercion but prophetically announces eschatological judgement. Modern Christians who want to follow Jesus should reject economic arrangements based 

Media Referenced:

Jesus and the Rich Young Ruler: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-105-jesus-and-the-rich-young-ruler/

Helen Bond on Gospels as Biography: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-167-the-gospels-as-biography-with-helen-bond/

Cornelis Bennema on Imitation: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-206-imitation-in-early-christianity-with-cornelis-bennema/

The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at [email protected].  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the show’s profile! Thanks!

In this episode I discuss Paul’s statements in Romans 13:1-7 that governing authorities “are established by God” (Rm. 13:1) and that “rulers are servants of God” (13:6). I explain the need to understand the function of Romans 13 before drawing any conclusions regarding its meaning, and how it must correspond with the rhetorical context of Romans and Paul’s thought generally. I then explore the promises of a coming Messiah made in the Old Testament, particularly 2 Samuel 7, and argue that Paul believes those promises have been fulfilled in Christ. I then examine two passages in the Old Testament in which the prophets refer to pagan emperors as “servants of God”. In Isaiah 10, the Assyrians are God’s servants for the purpose of punishing Israel but will be destroyed, and in Jeremiah 25 Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, also execute God’s justice before being himself judged by God. The final two oracles of woe in Jeremiah 50-51 envision the destruction of Babylon, and both Isaiah and Jeremiah proclaim the future day when David’s house will be restored and a Davidic king will sit on the throne forever. Paul knows this tradition and is not legitimizing human government as an eternally valid institution. In fact, Paul is suggesting, ala 2 Corinthians 2:6-8, that time is running out for the authorities believers must pragmatically obey. 

Media Referenced:

Everyone is Wrong about Romans 13 episode: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-130-everyone-is-wrong-about-romans-13-including-me/

Ascension, Kingdom, and Eschatology: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-235-ascension-kingdom-and-eschatology/

The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at [email protected].  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the show’s profile! Thanks!

This episode features a debate I had with Cody Cook on LCI’s Greenroom, moderated by Jacob Winograd, where Cody and I debate whether libertarianism is compatible a right-wing or left-wing phenomenon. I take the position that modern libertarianism should rightly be classified as right-wing while Cody argues it is more compatible with left-wing ideology. Enjoy the friendly debate!

The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com. 

Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at [email protected].  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the show’s profile! Thanks!

In this episode I talk with Cody Libolt, writer, podcaster, and co-author of the new book Redeeming the West: A Christian Defense of Reason and Individualism. Cody defines both ‘reason’ and ‘individualism’, demonstrating how these terms are often misused in modern discourse. He discusses the dangers of collectivism for Christianity, the Biblical basis for individualism, why Christians need reason and common sense, and how the church can redeem this important Western tradition. 

Media Referenced:

Redeeming the West: https://a.co/d/dgTeJvl

Cody on X: @CodyLibolt

Cody’s Website: https://www.codylibolt.com/

For the New Christian Intellectual Website: https://christianintellectual.com/

The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at [email protected].  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the show’s profile! Thanks!

In this episode David Beito and Phil Saunders debate Walter Block on the Israel/Palestine conflict. David and Phil defend the proposition that a Swiss-style canton model of government could resolve the conflict, offering a decentralized political arrangement which incentivizes cooperation and economic growth. Walter Block thinks the Palestinians are to blame for the conflict and need to be removed from the land. Dr. David Beito is a professional historian and proposed the Swiss-canton model. Phil Saunders lives on the border between Israel and Palestine and works for several peace-promoting NGOs. Walter Block is an accomplished Austrian economist and author of numerous books and articles. 

Media Referenced:

David Beito on FDR: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-229-the-real-fdr-with-david-beito/

David Beito on the New Deal: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-118-the-new-deals-war-on-the-bill-of-rights-with-david-beito/

The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at [email protected].  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the show’s profile! Thanks!

In this episode Dr. Dru Johnson returns to discuss his new book Understanding Biblical Law: Skills for Thinking Through and With the Torah, out now on Baker. Dr. Johnson explains how modern people have misunderstood the Law, reading it through our contemporary legal and theological frameworks, and busts several myths about Biblical Law. We then explore how the Law must be understood in in ancient legal context, how intersects with narrative, its role in community formation, its movement from specific instances to general principle, and its overall concern with righteousness and human wellbeing. We also discuss the need to understand the Law in its ancient context, its impact on New Testament interpretation, and its enduring relevance for Christians today.

Media Referenced:

Understanding Biblical Law: https://a.co/d/ccRVa7U

Dru on X: @Dru_Johnson

OnScript Podcast: https://onscript.study/

Biblical Mind Podcast: https://thebiblicalmind.org/

The Protestant Libertarian Podcast is a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute and a part of the Christians For Liberty Network. The Libertarian Christian Institute can be found at www.libertarianchristians.com.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at [email protected].  You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod, and YouTube, @ProLibertyPod, where you will get shorts and other exclusive video content. For more about the show, you can go to theprotestantlibertarianpodcast.com. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Go to libertarianchristians.com, where you can donate to LCI and buy The Protestant Libertarian Podcast Merch! Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the show’s profile! Thanks!