The First Edition of the Christian libertarian Blog Carnival

Welcome to the May 22, 2009 (and first!) edition of the Christian Libertarian Blog Carnival!  The 12 participants have submitted a great selection of articles, which are presented below in alphabetical order.

Dave Jones presents Shawn Ritenour on Christianity and Private Property posted at Southern Bread.

I recently listened to the lecture by Shawn Ritenour, given at the Austrian Scholar’s Conference.  If you don’t know Shawn’s work, you really should.  His work on Christianity and Libertarianism is really well done and it’s worth your time to check out.  Plus, anyone that has the guts to sport that moustache deserves kudos.  This particular lecture was called Nineteenth Century Conservative Protestant Theory and the Biblical View of Property and it deals with the biblical and protestant views of private property theory.  I couldn’t find the paper on-line so I thought I’d hit some of the high points here.  I’ve linked the stream below if you would like to listen to it.

Editor’s comment: Dave has a great summary of an interesting and effective lecture. Don’t just pass over the lecture audio, it is worth hearing.

Dr Matthew Flannagan presents The Illiberality of Abortion posted at MandM.

Laws permitting abortion on demand are often deemed to be liberal. Political liberals are frequently ardent defenders of such laws. My contention is that support for abortion on the grounds of liberality is mistaken for the following reasons.

Editor’s comment: Not a lightweight effort, Dr. Flannagan has significantly added to the discussion regarding abortion on demand.  … and he writes from New Zealand … and he blogs with his wife …

Greg Heller presents The Comprehensive List of Christian libertarian Blogs, posted here at The Holy Cause.

I have spent many hours trying to compile a comprehensive list of Christian libertarian Blogs, which at the moment includes 29 entries.  See the end of this article for an explanation of the qualifications for listing.

Editor’s comment: In my humble and unbiased opinion, the most comprehensive list of this type, and a useful resource for the like-minded and those who wish to learn more about Christian liberty.

Larry Beane presents Personal Sovereignty posted at Lew Rockwell and linked from his blog Father Hollywood.

A lot of folks may not be aware of it, but there are more nations in North America than the Big Three (and I don't mean the beggars of the soon-to-be nationalized American junk producers in Detroit).

Editor’s comment: Reverend Beane presents a simple but easily forgotten truth, that each one of us is sovereign in our own lives, regardless of what is going on outside of our “castle”.

Mikkal Travvis presents American Christians Approve Of Torture? posted at The Last Days.

A new poll by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life reveals that the more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support the torture of prisoners.

What in the world is going on?

Editor’s comment: Mikkal Travvis writes a powerful condemnation of the apparently pro-torture tendency of US Christians.  As he says, “What it the world is going on?”  Warning: possibly disturbing photo in the article and heretical material in the blog.

Nellis Lake presents Power versus Unpower; Jesus chose the Anarchist Perspective posted at Christian and State.

Anarchism is a repudiation of power. As an anarchist I do NOT want power over others. I do not seek it. I am satisfied if I can have power over myself, opportunity to make my own choices for myself, to choose good or to choose evil. I am made in God’s image. I live—unremittingly—in the moral domain. Because of what I am I can do no other.

Editor’s comment: Nellis Lake contrasts Satan’s power-seeking nature versus that of Jesus, who “emptied himself” and “made himself nothing”. Who will we follow?

Norman Horn presents 10 Things I Hate About Taxes #10: Lost Prosperity posted at LibertarianChristians.com.

This is the tenth article in a series on taxation leading up to Tax Day, April 15.

… In the first installment of this series, I talked about how much effort is wasted just doing taxes. Compliance with the law results in a massive loss in productivity that could have been used elsewhere. In this article, I want to emphasize how much wealth is destroyed due to taxes, and how much better off we would be if we didn’t have them at all. This is the lost prosperity that we have missed.

Let’s crunch some numbers …

Editor’s comment: Norman Horn wrote a series of articles on the evils of taxation, which got quite a bit of “airplay” from what I could observe. See the full list, including links to all 10 articles here.

Paul Gable presents American Recovery Plan posted at Brushfires of Freedom.

Trust American Ideals…Trust Freedom…Do Not Believe or be Bullied by Lies

Wisdom from the past has often counseled that in the face of gargantuan problems, there may not be easy answers, but there are simple answers. America in April 2009 faces what seem to be gargantuan problems. Most would categorize the majority of the problems under the all-purpose label of ‘the economy’; Brushfires believes it is more a crisis of the Christian faith, as we suggested here. Either way, there are simple answers, though they are not easy answers.

Editor’s comment: Paul Gable makes an effective appeal for a return to our traditional values and freedom, and ignoring the lies of those who oppose freedom.

Ron McKenzie presents God and Law posted at Blessed Economist.

Christians believe that God is the King of all Creation.

How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth (Ps 47:11)!

For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods (Ps 95:3).

The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all (Ps 103:19).

The fact that God is a king means that he is very interested in the principles of government. Governing is the main role of a king. God is the king above all kings, so he must be the world’s top authority on good government.

Editor’s comment: Ron McKenzie contends that good laws are best made by following God’s perfect laws, as given to us in the scriptures. Maybe he has something there …

Rowman presents Evangelist for Freedom posted at Liberty vs Leviathan.

Wilhelm Röpke was a man whose life and work we all should be familiar with during these days of economic turmoil. With the recent bank interventions and bailouts, government controlled bankruptcies of automotive companies and calls for energy independence, his voice needs to be heard again. Fifty years ago Röpke penned a short memoir, entitled “The Economic Necessity of Freedom”, which outlined the development of his thought over the years. Even fifty years removed, his observations still ring true and he provides wisdom for the challenges of the day.

Editor’s comment: Rowman introduced me to a new author, Wilhelm Röpke, one who is almost prophetic in his message about freedom. I look forward to reading more.

Scott Ritsema presents What’s the point of this website? posted at CIVICS NEWS.

I was reminded again why I feel called to do the work that I do. I received a series of emails from a reader that absolutely lifted my spirits and encouraged me to continue with the news coverage, the commentary, the book, and the up-coming film. [And after the depressing report showing 60% of white evangelical Protestants are in favor of torture, these emails were a welcome boost.]

Editor’s comment: Scott Ritsema shares why it is important to him to share the true message of Christ.

The Whited Sepulchre presents Why I Am A Libertarian, Part 1 posted at The Whited Sepulchre.

Since I've reconnected with a lot of old friends on Facebook, a lot of them have followed the links to this site asked the same question: "Ummm.....Allen, what the hell got into you?"

Editor’s comment: I find Part 2 of Allen’s series as interesting as the first, but follow the normal rule and read the first one first.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Christian libertarian Blog Carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page, and on the widget on the bottom of the sidebar of The Holy Cause.

In closing - whereas I did not get a definitive answer regarding someone else hosting of the next Carnival, I will again be hosting it here at The Holy Cause. Please make submissions using the widget, you know the routine. Submissions for the next Carnival are due June 15, for publication on June 22.

Please help get the word out, so that the next Carnival can be an equal success!

Update 23 May 2009:  In preparing this Carnival, I read each article submitted, and considered whether it fit within the scope of “Christian libertarian”, at least enough for this carnival.  I did not review each blog, and do not endorse the content of some of them.

Update 28 May 2009: Deleted the above comment (too vague), clarified my concern, which was about The Last Days blog, and removed an unintended offensive statement I made about one of the authors (with apologies).  I am still learning …