Faith Seeking Freedom: Libertarian Christian Answers to Tough Questions (Libertarian Christian Institute Press, 1010; Amazon) is an important book written several of my Christian libertarian friends. 1 All four of the authors are intelligent, well-read, articulate, and principled libertarians. As my endorsement my notes:
Achieving liberty will require enlightening our fellow men about its eternal truths. The contributors to this volume, Christians who are also principled and articulate libertarians, argue for a more libertarian interpretation of Christian teachings, and seek to explain to fellow Christians and other people of faith the glory and morality of liberty in terms they will already relate to. Liberty is ultimately about peace, love, and cooperation, which is a message that can appeal to the 2.4 billion Christians on the planet. This is a big potential audience. This is an important book and undertaking.
A second, expanded edition is forthcoming. I look forward to it. My blurb:
Achieving liberty will require enlightening our fellow men about its eternal truths. Building on the success of the first edition, this updated and expanded second edition of Faith Seeking Freedom features additional authors and new insights from Christians who are also principled and articulate libertarians. They argue for a more libertarian interpretation of Christian teachings, explaining to fellow Christians and other people of faith the glory and morality of liberty in relatable terms. While remaining accessible and not overburdened with scholarly jargon, it still manages to show that libertarian principles are supported by Biblical teachings—such as the explanation, in Sections 12, 14, and 15, of the connection between the libertarian principles of non-aggression, self-ownership, homesteading, and production, on the one hand, and the Biblical teachings about treatment of neighbors, stewardship of the gifts God has bestowed, and the admonition to be productive—to “be fruitful and multiply”—on the other. These insights and principles support and complement each other.
Liberty is ultimately about peace, love, and cooperation—a message that can appeal to the billions of Christians worldwide. This remains a big potential audience, and this enhanced book is an even more important undertaking. In addition, while the book is aimed at Christians, its linkage of principles of freedom to deeper moral truths is valuable to nonreligious libertarians as well. Liberty is not an isolated value; connecting related but different areas of thought is important. I am delighted that this book exists.
- For some podcast appearances, see KOL243 | Libertarian Christians Podcast with Norman Horn: Intellectual Property; KOL388 | Cantus Firmus with Cody Cook: Against Intellectual Property. [↩]
