JR:
First, welcome, Kerry. How did you come to Christ, and what
influenced you to be, as your pod-cast promo on Facebook is
described, "Theologically Reformed, and Philosophically
Libertarian?"
KB:
I was raised in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS); baptized as an infant and
confirmed in the faith when I was 15. I have an inquisitive nature
and continued to ask questions to understand the deeper truth of
doctrine, but met resistance in one form or another. I spent a few
years attending Baptist and non-denominational churches in my 20s. In
roughly 2006, I decided to really examine the doctrine of baptism so
I could decide whether or not to baptize my own kids as infants. This
examination took me to R.C. Sproul and Ligonier who seemed to be
answering the questions I had been asking for many years. And the
study of baptism conveniently (providentially) found me exploring
related doctrines on soteriology, eschatology, covenant theology, and
more. In 2014, I officially became Reformed by joining an Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC).
My
exploration of reformed theology and libertarian philosophy began
exclusively from one another, and only by happenstance. In 2008, I
learned about Ron Paul and libertarian philosophy thanks to his ’08
presidential run. Much of what he was saying lined up with things I
had been learning through Sproul and Ligonier and so found some
compatibility. As time went on, I found there was so much
compatibility that my research into the two fields really began to
converge. I eventually found Reformational Philosophy, originated
from the Dutch Reformed tradition of Abraham Kuyper and Herman
Dooyeweerd. This non-reductive view of the world, grounded in
Calvinism, became the glue that now holds my libertarian philosophy
and reformed theology together.
JR:
I'd like to hear about your ministry, Mere Liberty. Could you tell me
about the Liberty Seminar and the coming link Reformed Eikon?
KB:
Just a correction: I don’t consider Mere Liberty a ministry. A
ministry is something directly connected to the institutional church
and ecclesiastical office. Though I do write about matters relevant
to theology, I adhere to the view that the office of ministry is
reserved to qualified men in the institutional church.
So,
my website is simply a place where I can publish and share my
thoughts on philosophical matters from a Reformed perspective. My
mission with Mere Liberty is to challenge prevailing paradigms in
politics, religion, and culture. This may be challenging
non-libertarian Christians to consider more seriously the principles
of a free society. It may also be challenging non-reformed Christians
to consider more seriously the importance of true doctrine. And it
may also include challenging reformed Christians on whether their
views are truly reformed.
The
Liberty Seminar is an online, semester-long, course I developed in
2020 when the lockdowns happened. I am a single, work-from-home,
mother of three – and I homeschool them. One of the ways I managed
to do this was by teaching my kids how to think well. My philosophy
background and inquisitive nature meant incorporating the Socratic
method (inquiry-based learning) into my homeschool model. By teaching
my kids how to think (not merely what to think), they have the tools
necessary to teach themselves anything. As families across the nation
were thrown into “remote schooling” I wanted to offer a resource
to parents that teaches them and their kids these valuable skills.
But to learn how to think, we need ideas to think about. The ideas I
present for discussion are the principles of living in a free and
prosperous society. I offer these courses for middle schoolers, high
schoolers, and adults.
I
have made no formal announcements about Reformed Eikon yet. I have
been compiling Reformed resources which are non-egalitarian but
challenge the (arguably) non-Reformed (Baptistic) views of
Complementarianism viz the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
(CBMW). This is a controversial topic. Many conservative Christians
assume complementarianism is merely a general belief about the
natural complementarity between men and women, and a proper view of
qualified male-only ordination. This is not the case. I have found
that though CBMW affirms these basic facts, they have developed and
promote some highly questionable doctrine that, at the very least, is
not Reformed. Reformed Eikon will provide a host of resources to
demonstrate the case that we can hold to historic reformed orthodoxy,
gender complementarity, and qualified male-only ordination while
rejecting the numerous errors of complementarianism (and by
extension, so-called “biblical patriarchy.”) Just to be clear, as
this is easily misconstrued, I do not support the ordination of
women, nor “lay teaching” during public worship, on the Lord’s
Day. I am not the least bit interested in softening this view. Nor do
I support feminism. For my position on feminism, you can listen to my
episode, What is Feminism in Simple Terms?
https://mereliberty.com/podcasts/what-is-feminism-in-simple-terms/
And my view of women’s ordination, here:
https://mereliberty.com/podcasts/can-reformed-women-be-ordained-deacons/
JR:
One of the best books I read last year is a book you're a co-author
of, Faith
Seeking Freedom: Libertarian Christian Answers to Tough Questions.
What feedback have you received to this book? Anything you'd like to
say about the Libertarian Christian Institute? Also, what was it like
working with not one, but three other co-writers?
KB:
Of those who’ve read the book and commented, I’ve heard nothing
but excellent reviews. To be fair, the respondents have been mostly
already convinced of libertarianism. But many newer libertarians get
asked tough questions they sometimes don’t have an answer for. So,
this book provides concise answers with resources for further study.
I’d love to hear feedback on the book from a non-libertarian,
however.
The
Libertarian Christian Institute (LCI) was born out of the question,
what is the best expression of Christian political thought?
Conventionally the answer to this question has been, republicanism,
in large part due to the
conservative coalition in the 1980s. If one takes the time to study
further though, political party lines used to be divided on very
different issues, and many Christians were Democrats before Jerry
Fallwell’s
“moral majority” took root as Republicans. Christians today,
including the Reformed, tend to take for granted political philosophy
and the need for a robust public discourse. Many Reformed are unaware
of the libertarian roots of notable Presbyterians such as J. Gresham
Machen, who might have been the first Christian to be labeled a
‘libertarian.’ So LCI, reevaluates the question and (essentially)
concludes that libertarianism is the best expression of Christian
political thought. Obviously, that’s somewhat of a loaded answer
and requires an explanation. That’s why our book, Faith Seeking
Freedom is valuable to the uninitiated Christian. LCI is not itself
Reformed – it’s ecumenical but limited to the Trinitarian
Christian tradition that ascribes to the ancient creeds. I represent
the Reformed voice on staff.
What
was it like working with three other authors for the book? It went
pretty smooth, actually. There’s 102 questions and we each took a
quarter of the questions based on our knowledge set. Then we reviewed
each other’s work to refine it. If anything, I’d say our ability
to work cohesively, from different theological backgrounds, evidences
our claim that libertarianism is indeed the best expression of
Christian political thought.
JR:
This world has always been a mess, but I think we're in an era where
it's messier than normal. What would be a "Theologically
Reformed, Philosophically Libertarian" solution? Are the
problems more political, spiritual, or none of the above?
KB:
I wouldn’t necessarily say that things are “messier than normal.”
I’d say, we’re now more keenly aware of the messiness that has
always been. The Internet has really allowed us to shine a light on
pervasive and perennial problems. But if, for example, you’ve read
Machen on politics, you’d see that much of this is not new. Here’s
an article I wrote about that.
https://libertarianchristians.com/2018/10/22/taking-up-machens-torch-an-archetype-for-christian-libertarians/
I
do believe that the Reformed view offers a unique perspective as to
the “solution” viz the Kuyperian concept of Sphere Sovereignty. I
have heard some guys like Doug Wilson appeal to Kuyper, but I’d say
Wilson’s understanding and application of sphere sovereignty is
deeply flawed. If your readers would like a more thorough treatment
of Reformed Libertarianism I commend them to read the statements that
I and my colleague, Gregory Baus, formulated on the matter:
Gregory
Baus and I have also begun discussions of the Reformed Anarchism
statement on my podcast, Dare to Think, beginning with episode 26 on
culture.
Other
important points of interest from the Reformed perspective is the
historically reformed position of resistance to tyrants. You can read
more about our view of Romans 13 here:
https://mereliberty.com/romans13/
Also,
many Christians tend to resist libertarianism because the Libertarian
Party comes off as very socially liberal on issues like abortion,
drug use, prostitution, etc. I have offered a libertarian theory
relevant to abortion that indicates libertarianism is foundationally
prolife. In the book, Faith Seeking Freedom, I wrote the chapter on
abortion (as well as most of the chapter on Christian ethics) to
address these important matters. You
can see all my work relevant to abortion, including my Soho Forum
debate against PhD Economist, Walter Block, at
https://mereliberty.com/abortion
JR:
Thank you for your time. If someone wants to learn more about Mere
Liberty, how can they accomplish this? And I didn't take time to ask
about your alma mater? (Though I'll confess, I always found it easier
to root for Wildcats than Sun Devils.)
KB:
I must confess that I attended Arizona State University online – so
never participated in the on campus culture. None the less, I
graduated from ASU, summa cum laude, in 2015 with a BA in Philosophy.
Please
feel free to visit mereliberty.com to learn more about me and my
work. You can find information on my online courses there as well.
You can find my podcast, Dare to Think, on any podcatcher. I
appreciate reviews on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and YouTube. You can
also find me on Facebook and Twitter. If you friend me on Facebook,
please send a message introducing yourself. I screen friend requests
and I’m more likely to accept yours if you’ve messaged me.
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