The Protestant Libertarian Podcast

Alex Bernardo
  • 4.8 (28)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

The Protestant Libertarian Podcast explores the intersection between protestant Biblical studies and libertarian philosophy. We will discuss the Bible, history, culture, economics, philosophy, and current events from both protestant and libertarian perspectives. Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com. You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Check out the Protestant Libertarian Podcast page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theplpodcast. Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!

  1. 2d ago

    Ep 274: Loving LGBTQ Neighbors While Holding a Traditional Sexual Ethic with Tony Scarcello

    In this episode I talk with Tony Scarcello about his brand-new book Love All Our Neighbors, where he explores how churches can faithfully hold to a traditional Christian sexual ethic while genuinely loving and ministering to LGBTQ people. Tony discusses the tension many Christians feel in this conversation, the ways the church has often failed LGBTQ individuals, and why many people leave not because of doctrine but because of their experiences. He explains why the perceived conflict between truth and love is a false dichotomy, offers a positive theological vision of the traditional sexual ethic rooted in creation and the gospel, and provides practical guidance for how churches and individuals can better reflect the heart of Jesus. We also discuss the dangers of purity culture, how pastors and laypeople alike can build positive relationships with LGBTQ neighbors, and why this is important to the witness and mission of the church.    Media Referenced: Love All Our Neighbors: https://a.co/d/0glpvxhz Red Hills Church: https://www.redhills.church/staff   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 theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  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!

    53 min

  2. Jun 25

    Ep 273: An Introduction to Sanctification

    In this episode I offer an introduction to the doctrine of sanctification. I explore how the language of sanctification is related to holiness-language, and that ‘holiness’ primarily denotes a state of being set apart for a particular purpose and is the Greek behind the NASB’s ‘saints’. I explore how holiness is related to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament by exploring Ephesians 1, then demonstrate that the Spirit was promised in the Old Testament in passages like Ezekiel 36 and Joel 2 (tracing their lineage back to Deuteronomy 30 and complimented by Jeremiah 31) which prophecy that in the eschatological era God will establish a faithful people by giving them the Holy Spirit, a promise which is fulfilled at Pentecost in Acts 2. We then explore how sanctification works in two Pauline passages, Romans 6:19-22 (and by extension Romans 8) and 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8, both of which use the language of sanctification as it relates to the presences of God’s Spirit and the obedient moral transformation it effects. Sanctification is, then, the process of becoming in practice what God has declared His people to be at their justification, namely, holy. If we are holy, we cast off sin and cultivate obedience through the power of the Spirit, living into our holy identity, which is the process of sanctification. Sanctification is a life-long process which God will complete for us in the resurrection and allows us to overcome the degenerative power of sin and death in the present.    Media Referenced: Overcoming Sin Through the Spirit: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-267-overcoming-sin-through-the-spirit/   Ephesians 1: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-248-far-above-all-rule-and-authority-ephesians-115-23/   The Active and Passive Wrath of God: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-270-the-active-and-passive-wrath-of-god-romans-1-and-6/   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 theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  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!

    28 min

  3. Jun 23

    Ep 272: The Apocalyptic Worldview of Ancient Judaism and Christianity with John J. Collins

    In this episode I talk with Dr. John J. Collins, Holmes Professor of Old Testament Criticism and Interpretation Emeritus at Yale University and the world’s leading scholar of apocalypticism and apocalyptic literature, about his brand-new book Apocalypticism as a Worldview in Ancient Judaism, out June 25, 2026 on Eerdmans. Dr. Collins discusses his career and life-long interest in apocalypticism and his role in formulating the standard definition of apocalyptic literature. He explains how ‘apocalyptic’ should only be used as an adjective and why the noun ‘apocalypticism’, denoting a worldview of related concepts, is more appropriate. When then discuss how apocalypticism works in ancient Judaism and its primary characteristics, including a view of history which offers a hope beyond ‘the end’, the use of myths and symbolism to communicate apocalyptic ideas, the cosmic scope of apocalypticism which includes a spiritual realm inhabited by spiritual beings which are sometimes at war with humanity, and the social and political crises which generate apocalypticism. We also discuss the relationship between millenarianism and apocalypticism, why early Christians transmitted apocalyptic literature, how apocalypticism manifests itself in modernity, and the impact of apocalypticism on Christian theology in today.     Media Referenced: Apocalypticism as a Worldview in Ancient Judaism: https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802885005/apocalypticism-as-a-worldview-in-ancient-judaism/   John J. Collins Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00AZMCO66?ccs_id=f0f3d77f-61af-4a1c-b058-3eb29998dc25   Wikipedia Page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._Collins   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 theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  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!

    56 min

  4. Jun 16

    Ep 271: The Biblical Ethics of Possessions and Wealth with Carl-Magnus Carlstein

    In this episode I talk with Dr. Carl-Magnus Carlstein, lecturer on Biblical Studies at Linkoping University, Sweden, about the contribution he contributed with co-author Rebekah Eklund in New Testament Ethics, out now on Eerdmans, which explores the ethics of possessions and wealth in the New Testament. We discuss the often-neglected topic of possessions, why many Christians are uncomfortable with this topic, and why it is so significant to the New Testament. Carl explains why Luke has a unique take on this subject, how Christians tend to emphasize either radical renunciation or charity as the models for thinking about the ethics of wealth, and how Jesus is more concerned with intentions, moral formation, and the heart. We then look at four passages in Luke’s gospel which address the issue of wealth and possessions, show how in case after case Jesus is concerned with the disposition of those who possess wealth and how we must be transformed to use wealth properly. Finally, we discuss how the church can implement this vision today and cultivate healthy, God-honoring motivations towards what we possess.    Media Referenced: New Testament Ethics: https://a.co/d/02cjLNET Dr. Carlstein: https://liu.se/en/employee/carca26 Dr. Eklund: https://www.loyola.edu/academics/theology/faculty/directory/eklund-rebekah.html Episode on Barclay, Wealth, and the New Testament: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-260-wealth-and-the-new-testament-a-response-to-john-barclay/     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 theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  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!

    1 hr

  5. Jun 11

    Ep 270: The Active and Passive Wrath of God | Romans 1 and 6

    In this episode I explore the relationship between God’s active and passive wrath, demonstrating how God’s wrath is often manifested by Him allowing people to suffer the consequences of their sins, which is what Paul has in mind when he thrice says that God “handed them over” to sinfulness in Romans 1. Romans 1 and Romans 6, focusing especially on Paul’s understanding of obedience, participation in Christ, sanctification, and the Christian life. I discuss the theological categories of “active” and “passive” obedience and consider whether these categories always fit neatly within Paul’s participatory and covenantal framework. A central theme throughout the episode is the idea that Paul does not merely present salvation as a legal declaration detached from transformation, but rather as incorporation into the Messiah himself. Romans 6, in particular, emphasizes dying and rising with Christ, liberation from the reign of sin, and becoming enslaved to righteousness. I argue that Paul’s theology consistently frames obedience within the context of union with Christ and the work of the Spirit rather than autonomous moral achievement. The episode also explores how Romans 1 introduces many of the themes Paul develops throughout the letter, including the “obedience of faith,” the kingship of Christ, the gospel as the fulfillment of Scripture, and the transformation of the people of God through participation in the Messiah. Along the way, I discuss tensions within Protestant theological traditions regarding sanctification, imputation, transformation, and participationist readings of Paul, while emphasizing the deeply Christological nature of Paul’s gospel.   Media Referenced: More work on Romans: Romans 8:29-30 Episode: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-268-christs-image-and-human-glory-a-political-reading-of-romans-829-30 Christology and Romans: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-261-the-christology-of-romans-and-romans-13/ Government as God’s Servant in Romans 13: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-243-government-is-gods-servant-romans-13-isaiah-10-and-jeremiah-25/ Why We Get Romans 13 Wrong: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-130-everyone-is-wrong-about-romans-13-including-me/   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 theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  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!

    26 min

  6. Jun 9

    Ep 269: A Critique of ‘The Ballot and the Bible’ by Kaitlyn Schiess with Kevin Burr

    In this episode Dr. Kevin Burr and I critique The Ballot and the Bible by Kaitlyn Schiess. Schiess is an author and co-host of The Holy Post podcast and published this book in 2023. It is an analysis of the ways in which Scripture has been used and abused in American politics, and while there is a lot of excellent content in the book Kevin and I wanted to offer a thoughtful and respectful critique of the areas in which she falls short. We discuss how the book assumes the left-right political spectrum and her own unstated commitment to center-left political policies, question the notion that state-run welfare programs actually help the poor, her conception of the ‘common good’, and her interpretation of Jeremiah 29:7 and Romans 13. We discuss the Biblical view of a church set apart to steward God’s creation and how the New Testament offers us insights into the questions addressed by Schiess in the book. We also challenge her definition of concepts such as individual rights, capitalism, individualism, and libertarianism, as well as discuss her neglect of the warfare stated aggrandized by W. Bush and Obama.    Media Referenced: The Ballot and the Bible: https://a.co/d/096xwBOO Barclay Response: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-260-wealth-and-the-new-testament-a-response-to-john-barclay/ Kevin Burr Twitter: @kbburr Faith in the Folds Twitter: @faithinthefolds Faith in the Folds Podcast: https://rss.com/podcasts/faithinthefolds/ Faith in the Folds Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTLaLhEOui1uJi_1UrqP7oA YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZZM-uE_LoU&t=1144s Progressive Christian Nationalism Article: https://libertarianchristians.com/2023/10/09/progressive-christian-nationalism-left-right-authoritarian/ Listen to the article here: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-112-progressive-christian-nationalism/   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 theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  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!

    1h 29m

  7. Jun 2

    Ep 268: Christ’s Image and Human Glory | A Political Reading of Romans 8:29-30

    In this episode I explore an easily-overlooked text with surprising political implications. In Romans 8:29-30, Paul claims that we were “predestined to become conformed to the Image of His Son” and that because of this will have been “glorified”. What does Paul mean? In her book Conformed to the Image of His Son, Dr. Haley Goranson Jacob argues that Paul is claiming believers are conformed to Jesus’s status and  function as the Son of God who rules over creation, and that our glorification denotes a sharing in that rule. She explains how ‘glory’ when applied to humans in the Greek Old Testament regularly denotes power, authority, and dominion, that the restoration of human glory is an important subtheme in Romans 5-8, and that the sharing in Christ’s inheritance which Paul articulates in Romans 8:12-17 is a participation in his rule. The language of ‘image’ in Romans 8:29 is evocative of Genesis 1 and Psalm 8, where humans are, as God’s image-bearers, given dominion over His creation, and since Jesus now rules are king over all creation his family, defined by faith and the Spirit, participate in that rule. The political implications are significant; I discuss how the church is God’s set-apart family and that we are given the task of and empowered to rule over creation, which we must do in conformity with the crucified Messiah. The church exercises political power, but the political power must be cruciform and congruent with Christ’s Messianic reign. I also discuss how passages like this should be brought into the conversation about the Bible and politics.    Media Referenced:             Ephesians 1 Episode: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-248-far-above-all-rule-and-authority-ephesians-115-23/   Philippians 2 Episode: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-248-far-above-all-rule-and-authority-ephesians-115-23/   Galatians 4 w/ Cody Cook: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-245-galatians-41-7-and-deliverance-from-this-evil-age-with-cody-cook/   Liberty and Authority: https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/ep-184-liberty-authority-and-the-political-spectrum/     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 theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  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!

    58 min

  8. May 28

    Ep 267: Overcoming Sin Through The Spirit

    In this first (official) installment of my semi-weekly ‘Theology Thursday’ series, I discuss how God enables us to overcome sin through the power of His Spirit. Reflecting on a recent sermon I heard from Matthew 5:27-30, in which Jesus equates lust with adultery and then instructs his audience to gouge out an eye or cut off a hand if it causes them to sin. While Jesus is obviously using hyperbole, he doesn’t in this passage explain precisely how one is to over the temptation of adultery (or any other sin). Fortunately, Paul fills in the gaps. Drawing on Romans 8, particularly 8:12-14, Paul says that it is the Spirit which enables us to put to death the deeds of the flesh. All throughout Romans Paul has drawn a parallel between sin and death, a Biblical theme reaching back to the Garden of Eden and paralleled in the covenant between God and Israel outlined in Deuteronomy 27-32. Sin necessarily leads to corruption and death, a point Paul repeatedly makes in Romans and necessitating, as Jesus implies, a surgical removal. Fortunately, those who place their faith in God’s Messiah Jesus are given the Spirit, which allows us to begin the process of resurrection in the present and overcome our sin-which-leads-to-death through the gracious, Spirit-enabled process of sanctification. We can and should work to overcome the corruption of sin and are, by God’s grace, enabled to do so through the power of the Spirit.  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 theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com.  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 st

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The Protestant Libertarian Podcast explores the intersection between protestant Biblical studies and libertarian philosophy. We will discuss the Bible, history, culture, economics, philosophy, and current events from both protestant and libertarian perspectives. Questions, comments, suggestions? Please reach out to me at theprotestantlibertarian@gmail.com. You can also follow the podcast on Twitter: @prolibertypod. If you like the show and want to support it, you can! Check out the Protestant Libertarian Podcast page at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theplpodcast. Also, please consider giving me a star rating and leaving me a review, it really helps expand the shows profile! Thanks!

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