Dare to Think | Mere Liberty Podcast (Kerry Baldwin)

In this episode, I discuss fashion as a theology - from Reformed perspective - with Robert Covolo.

mereliberty.com

TIP JAR: https://donate.stripe.com/aEUdUE5YodhZgkUeUV 

Summary | Is the Billy Graham Rule Above Reproach?

What do I mean by this question? It’s been suggested by many holding to biblical sexual ethic that the Billy Graham Rule is a prudential “rule of thumb” intended to mitigate the temptation for sexual sin.

But is this true? As I’ve discussed and interacted with Christians over the years, I’ve found there two basic interpretations of this rule. Either it’s a blanket, hard and fast rule, or it’s a good thing to consider in particular circumstances with particular people. The former interpretation comes from Billy Graham himself, and the latter comes from an assumption made about the content of the rule. This assumption is simply wrong.

Making prudential boundaries for oneself, to be used in particular circumstances with particular people is not at issue in this episode. By it’s very definition, boundaries require an act of discernment. The Billy Graham Rule, on the other hand, requires forgoing discernment and is from motivations that demonstrate it’s a rule not above reproach, and therefore un-Christian.

Main Points of Discussion

00:00 Introduction

01:27 What is the Billy Graham Rule and a thought experiment.

06:13 What does it mean to be “above reproach?”

11:38 Why Billy Graham created his rule and its implications

15:47 What the Billy Graham Rule is not

18:55 Concluding thoughts

Resource Links

What is the Billy Graham Rule? (According to Billy Graham) https://billygraham.org/story/the-modesto-manifesto-a-declaration-of-biblical-integrity/

Billy Graham Rule https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Graham_rule

Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) Biblical Qualifications of Elders https://www.opc.org/OS/html/V3/4e.html

TIP JAR: https://donate.stripe.com/aEUdUE5YodhZgkUeUV 

New Mexico is facing challenges in terms of violent crime, property crime, education, healthcare access, and economic stability. Despite being a "blue state," historically, Democrats in New Mexico have been pro-Second Amendment and have had few gun control laws. The majority of the population in New Mexico is Hispanic, with Nuevomexicanos being the result of intermarriage between Spanish or Mexican individuals and Native Americans. New Mexico has a complex history, including violent religious conquest and the intermarriage of Spanish and Native Americans. The majority of New Mexicans fall in the middle of the political spectrum and are ready for real change, as they are tired of the two-party duopoly.

Can Reformed Women be Ordained Deacons? | Show Notes

Are ordained Deaconesses compatible with historic Christian orthodoxy? Complementarians insist not, egalitarians insist, yes! A recently published book, by Medieval Historian and Baptist egalitarian, Beth Allison Barr claims that women were most definitely ordained as deacons and that patriarchalist church leaders today are unjustly barring women from being ordained.

Join me, Kerry Baldwin, with Deaconess Melissa DeGroot, as we dare to think about the ordination of Women Deacons.

Guest:
Melissa DeGroot, Deaconess,
LCMS (Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod

Melissa DeGroot is a certified and consecrated deaconess in The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. She studied Theology at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN. She served at the seminary in recruitment and formation, then later with the Synod as a Writer/Researcher for the LCMS Deaconess Department based out of St. Louis, MO. She has been a contributor to blogs: He Remembers The Barren and The Lutheran Witness. She was a weekly guest on KFUO radio’s bible study segment. DeGroot has also written articles pertaining to theology, women’s roles and the vocation of Deaconess in The Lutheran Witness, Higher Things Magazine, and For The Life of The World. She has also written and contributed to two books, He Remembers the Barren (both editions) by Katie Schuermann, and Never Forsaken: God’s Mercy in the Midst of Miscarriage by Dcs. Kathryn Ziegler. Melissa currently resides in Rio Rancho, New Mexico with her husband, son and dog, and has recently tried her hand at putting up shiplap. While DIY-ing has seemingly taken over her life, she prefers reading, hiking and cooking. And good conversation!

Ordination

Lutheran & Presbyterian

Augsburg Confession and Westminster Confession, Compared (Relevant Sections)

VII. Of the Church | XXV. Of the Church

VIII. What the Church is | XXVI. Of the Communion of Saints

XIV. Of Ecclesiastical Order | I. Of Holy Scripture

XV. Of Ecclesiastical Usages | XXX. Of Church Censures

XXI: Worship of the Saints | XXI. Of Religious Worship

Baptist

Baptist Faith & Practice - On the Church

"The biblical teaching about women in ministry is not about ordination because Southern Baptists do not believe in ordination or a clerical class. There is an argument that says, “A woman can do everything a non-ordained man can do.” The problem with that is that we are Baptists and have no theology of ordination whatsoever. For that reason, we have to understand that the pastoral office and pastoral function are the same thing." - Al Mohler, 10 Points of Complementarianism

Three strains of Reformed and Presbyterian Confessions

• The Dutch Reformed hold the “Three Forms of Unity” (3FU) which encompass the Belgic Confession (1561), The Heidelberg Catechism (1563), and the Canons of Dort (1619).
• The Swiss Reformed have the Second Helvetic Confession (1566).
• The Scottish Presbyterians hold to the Westminster Confessions - WCF (1647) and Shorter (1647) and Larger (1648) Catechisms.

The Westminster Confession also has a revised American version (1788) which denounced Establishmentarianism (the idea that the church should run the civil government).

Later, in 1689, came the London Baptist Confession, which is essentially a Baptist version of the Westminster.

NOTE: There is/was a “new” strain of “Reformed” theology that became popular through John Piper, John MacArthur, and others. Piper later dubbed this “New Calvinism.” I and many other Calvinist/Presbyterians reject this “New Calvinism” as not being Reformed. So we distinguish ourselves as "Old School" Presbyterians. Another term that shouldn’t be confused with “New Calvinism” is “neocalvinism” which was a historical resurgence of the Dutch Reformed tradition through Abraham Kuyper.

John Piper is responsible for both “New Calvinism” (2014) and the Danver’s Statement (1987) and the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (1988). His “12 Points of New Calvinism” has “Complementarianism” as a cornerstone tenant, among other tenants I find questionable.

Vocation

Luther on Vocation by Gustaf Wingren

God at Work by Gene Edward Veith

The Reformation on Vocation by D. G. Hart

Resources on Deaconesses in Church History

Deaconesses: An Historical Study by Aime Georges Martimort

Deacons and Deaconesses Through the Centuries by Jeannine E. Olson

A Historical and Biblical Examination of Women Deacons by Brian Schwertly

OPC Report of the Committee on Women in Church Office 

Phoebe Was a Deaconess, but She Was Not Ordained by Gregory E. Reynolds

Additional Resources of Interest

Images of the Spirit by Meredith Kline

Women in the Church – A Redemptive Historical Approach by Pastor Todd Bordow

What is Feminism in Simple Terms? | Dare to Think

MEMBERS ONLY CONTENT

Full (uncut) Interview with Deaconess Melissa DeGroot (56 minutes)

In the uncut version, we also discuss hierarchy, authoritarianism in the church, and a woman’s Christian liberty. To listen to the whole interview, you must be one of my monthly members. 

Become a Member!

Mereliberty.com/membership

Follow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mereliberty/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MereLiberty

Minds: https://www.minds.com/KerryBaldwin/

Locals: https://mereliberty.locals.com

This is a live recording of a Mere Liberty Courses informational seminar. For info, visit courses.mereliberty.com

In this episode, I interview Paul Jarvis about his book, Company of One where he challenges the idea of business growth for it's own sake. We discuss some interesting ideas like trade and specialization, automation and the effect it will have, and also the animated film, I, Pencil which explores basic Austrian-economic ideas. 

Links:

Company of One, by Paul Jarvis, https://amzn.to/2SXWNkE (Affiliate Link)

Paul's website, https://pjrvs.com/

Company of One Podcast, https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/company-of-one/id1359992823?mt=2

I, Pencil (The Movie) https://youtu.be/IYO3tOqDISE

I, Pencil (Commentary Series) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwHvizPqpWI&list=PLEQF5yI-YgywT4o2T2slLwwCzBABHRYUe

In this episode of Dare To Think, I discuss anarchist legal order, a.k.a. polycentric legal order with legal scholar and philosopher, Gary Chartier. 

4:01 Definitions

8:21 Anarchism and Natural Law Theory

13:19 How does anarchic legal order in a practical sense? Legal dispute resolution.

21:33 Anarchy and the creation of law; contract law vs violent crime

33:33 Child welfare in a stateless society

To support the production of these episodes, please visit https://mereliberty.com/membership/ 

On this episode of Dare to Think, Kerry interviews Rachel Green Miller about her new book, Beyond Authority and Submission. 

You can order Rachel's book here. (Affiliate links. Support this podcast by purchasing through these links). 

Beyond Authority and Submission: Women and Men in Marriage, Church, and Society 
https://amzn.to/2Znni5y

Episode Resources:

You can find more of Kerry's articles and podcasts on her website, here.

Check out Kerry's Facebook Page 
https://www.facebook.com/mereliberty/

Follow on:

On Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/kerry.mereliberty

On Twitter @MereLiberty

Email us at kerry@mereliberty.com

If you’d like to ask Kerry a question which may be answered on a future episode, you can text or leave a voicemail at (505) 886-1061. You may also send an email.

Consider supporting Kerry's work with just a few dollars a month.
https://mereliberty.com/membership

To donate specifically for Kerry's debate with Walter Block, visit https://mereliberty.com/newyork

Mistaken Christian Views of Culture | Show Notes

TIP JAR: https://donate.stripe.com/aEUdUE5YodhZgkUeUV 

Summary

American Christians are no stranger to the idea of culture. But there are number of ways in which they treat the Christian's relation to culture poorly. Some mistaken Christian views of culture are derived from two broader theoretical views: Scholasticism and Theonomy. This is part two of my interview with Gregory Baus. Listen to part one here: Rethinking a Reformed Christian View of Culture

In Scholastic views, for example, the tendency is to view culture as distinct and separate from matters of faith. This often leads to the view that secularism is not only a thing, but a thing to be wary of. It's "worldly" and therefore not something to participate in. In Theonomic views, culture is something to be conquered by counter revolution. Old testament laws are brought forward to the new covenant era as a means of enforcing "cultural Christianity" through the sword.

Out of these any number of nuances emerge. But we see both this views to be erroneous.

In this episode, I discuss these mistaken views with Gregory Baus, and discuss a neocalvinist view of culture.

Featured Guest Bio | Gregory Baus

Gregory Baus is a student of the Reformational/neocalvinist philosophy of Herman Dooyeweerd. A former international English teacher; he’s currently living in the US and writing a Master’s thesis on the topic of self-knowledge. (There’s a link to his profile in the show notes). Gregory became a libertarian anarchist in 2008 and we collaborated together on the statement, “What is Reformed Anarchism?” written in 2020

See his full profile: https://sites.google.com/site/ideolog/

Follow Gregory Baus on Academia, Facebook, and YouTube
https://independentscholar.academia.edu/GregoryBaus
https://www.facebook.com/gregory.baus
https://www.youtube.com/c/reformational

Main Points of Discussion

[01:52] Scholastic errors and the myth of religious neutrality
[03:44] Is this secularism?
[04:10] The neocalvinist view
[06:43] What about 'cultural Christianity?
[09:09] Theonomic errors
[15:22] Is neocalvinist "transformationalism" also unbiblical?
[19:57] Does Christian cultural activity matter "as living sacrifices" or is it all in vain?
[25:53] Gregory mentions discussion with PCA pastor Nate Xanders on the Reformed Anarchism statement

Resource Links

What is Reformed Anarchism?
https://www.academia.edu/44884160/What_is_Reformed_anarchism

Dialogue with PCA Pastor Nate Xanders on Reformed Anarchism
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwrDNUO5MDu-56FIiArhzVisvc1TayOFS

In this episode of Flashes of Liberty, we look at Etienne de la Boétie.

La Boétie provides one of the earliest and clearest explanations of why the suffering majority obeys the minority who rule over them; it is an example of voluntary servitude. Here is an abridged excerpt La Boetie's writing.

To purchase Discourse on Voluntary Servitude: Why People Enslave Themselves to Authority, click on my Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/2yA3FzL 

To become a patron of MereLiberty.com, visit mereliberty.com/membership

Follow mere liberty on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/mereliberty

https://twitter.com/MereLiberty

https://www.pinterest.com/mereliberty/

https://www.minds.com/KerryBaldwin/

https://www.instagram.com/mereliberty/

Episode Resources:

Manuscript for episode can be found at: https://mereliberty.com/009

To support the production of these episodes, please visit https://mereliberty.com/membership/ 

Resources Referenced

• Man, Woman, and the Meaning of Love by Dietrich von Hildebrand (https://amzn.to/2UxRaQa)
• The Myth of Religious Neutrality by Dr. Roy Clouser (https://amzn.to/2UxRaQa)
• The Wisdom of Trauma produced by Science and Nonduality

What does the Bible say about loving one another?

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." John 13:34

Jesus gives this command to his disciples at the Last Supper and following. At this time Jesus has washed the feet of his disciples and predicted the betrayal of Judas. He then prefaces this new commandment by saying, "Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

We Protestants love our law/Gospel distinction. It aims at ensuring we neither fall into legalism nor antinomianism. Christ fulfilled God's Law in our place so that we may enjoy renewed fellowship with God our Father. But questions concerning obedience to God's Law in the Christian life persist. And now we have this new commandment, directly from the mouth of Jesus Christ. So, what does this mean?

The command to love one another is repeated 15 times in the New Testament. Christ repeats it in John 15. Paul repeats it in Romans and Thessalonians. Peter repeats it in his letter to exiles of the Dispersion. And John repeats it in his first and second letters warning against false teaching. Paul even says that love is the fulfillment of the law.

But didn't Christ himself say that he fulfilled the law in Matthew 5:17? Romans 8:3-4 explains this:

"For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

So the fulfillment of the law in us, through the work of Jesus Christ, manifests in our love for one another.

Become a Member!

Mereliberty.com/membership

Follow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mereliberty/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MereLiberty

Minds: https://www.minds.com/KerryBaldwin/

Locals: https://mereliberty.locals.com

On this episode of Dare to Think, Kerry finishes her interview with legal scholar, Gary Chartier, about anarchism. Today we talk about property rights, social change, and do some myth busting.

Gary Chartier's books can be found here. (Affiliate links. Support this podcast by purchasing through these links). 

Anarchy and Legal Order: Law And Politics For A Stateless Society
https://amzn.to/2MWHevc

The Conscience of an Anarchist: Why It's Time to Say Good-Bye to the State and Build a Free Society
https://amzn.to/2KWIoUX

The Logic of Commitment (Routledge Focus on Philosophy)
https://amzn.to/2RkCsGk

PRE-ORDER Flourishing Lives: Exploring Natural Law Liberalism 
https://amzn.to/2MUreKg

Episode Resources:

You can find more of Kerry's articles and podcasts on her website, here.

Check out Kerry's Facebook Page 
https://www.facebook.com/mereliberty/

Follow on:

On Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/kerry.mereliberty

On Twitter @MereLiberty

Email us at kerry@mereliberty.com

If you’d like to ask Kerry a question which may be answered on a future episode, you can text or leave a voicemail at (505) 886-1061. You may also send an email.

Consider supporting Kerry's work with just a few dollars a month.
https://mereliberty.com/membership

Summary | Reformed Christians Discuss a Libertarian View of Abortion

TIP JAR: https://donate.stripe.com/aEUdUE5YodhZgkUeUV 

See all links at mereliberty.com/030

Since 2020, Christians (in particular, but certainly Christians more broadly) have been faced with real questions about the proper, God-ordained role of civil governance, love of neighbor, liberty of conscience, and human flourishing.

One major issue at the forefront is that of abortion and reproductive rights. Kerry Baldwin joins "Chortles" and "Wresby" on Presbycast, a Confessionally-Reformed Christian podcast to discussion libertarianism and the libertarian view of abortion in particular.

In this episode, you'll hear a brief introduction to what's been happening with the liberty movement, news from within the Party, including the removal of the Abortion plank from the party platform. You'll also get an introduction to Kerry Baldwin's pro-life view of abortion. Discussion centers around the need for asking a different set questions from the ones conventional pro-lifers have been accustomed to discussing.

These questions include: how do we actually account for abortion as murder in a legal sense? How is the legal question distinct from the economic element? What exactly is being banned in states across America right now? (It's not what you think it is). What constitutes justice for crime, and particularly abortion? ... and more!

If you're new to these ideas or have been persuaded that libertarians are default pro-abortion advocates, you may find this episode interesting and (hopefully) compelling. Baldwin is in the process of formalizing her arguments in a libertarian theory of reproductive rights for submission for peer review.

Join Kerry Baldwin with Presbycast as we Dare to Think about a libertarian view of abortion.

Main Points of Discussion

00:00 Introduction

01:29 What is the state of the liberty movement and Libertarian Party?

06:30 Why Reformed Christians can/should embrace libertarian philosophy and the principles of liberty?

14:38 Why should Reformed Christians care about a libertarian view of abortion?

22:10 What is the pro-life libertarian argument?

27:25 What about fallen humanity, materialism, or libertine ethics?

37:41 Would a libertarian view of abortion outlaw is as murder?

49:25 What is libertarian view of overturning Dobbs v Jackson and overturning Roe v Wade?

52:02 Summary/Conclusion

Resource Links

Are Libertarians Pro-Choice?

Faith Seeking Freedom: Libertarian Christian Answers to Tough Questions by Dr. Norman Horn, Doug Stuart, Kerry Baldwin, and Dick Clark

Kerry Baldwin's Theory of Abortion archive

Subscribe to Monthly Email List: mereliberty.com/signup

Become a monthly member: mereliberty.com/membership/monthly

mereliberty.com/036

TIP JAR: https://donate.stripe.com/aEUdUE5YodhZgkUeUV 

Summary - What Will it Take For Women to Choose Life with Emily Berning

https://letthemlive.org/ 

What would it look like for us to take seriously the reasons women give for getting abortions? Some of the loudest prolifers believe that considering reasons why women get abortions will somehow give credence to the pro-choice cause, and thus the legality of abortion. Some of the loudest prochoicers believe women aren’t exercising their agency if they aren’t choosing abortion.

There are numerous unintended consequences for this, not the least of which is the overwhelming sense that the abortion debate is entirely intractable. But what if we decided to listen? What if women seeking abortion were behaving rationally?

What if they don’t see abortion as an exercise of free choice, but of no other choice? What if political pundits and fringe extremists do not speak for women with unplanned pregnancies?

What if by listening we Let Them Live?

Join me, Kerry Baldwin with Emily Berning, as we Dare to Think about what it will take for women to choose life.

https://mereliberty.com/about/kerry-baldwin/

https://mereliberty.com/podcasts/

Main Points of Discussion

00:00 Introduction

01:25 About Emily Berning

07:07 How does the mission of Let Them Live help women to choose life?

09:07 What is the cost of motherhood?

11:17 Do women want to choose abortion? How the economy is negatively impacting the decision to choose life

13:34 How does the overturn of Roe v Wade impact how we help women with unplanned pregnancies? https://mereliberty.com/philosophy/life-vs-personhood/ 

17:15 How does politics get in the way of helping women?

20:43 The negative stigma associate with single motherhood

21:54 Pushback from Christian apologists who believe financial help is tantamount to bribery

24:22 Why is Let Them Live something both sides can support?

26:52 How is Let Them Live different from other pro-life organizations?

30:08 What is the process Let Them Live actually uses to support women in need?

33:33 Responding to requests for help on social media

34:55 What are the monthly financial goal and how do donors keep track of use of donations

38:37 Closing remarks

Resources Mentioned

Let Them Live https://letthemlive.org/ 
Mere Liberty Monthly Membership https://mereliberty.com/membership/monthly/ 
Kerry Baldwin's work on abortion https://mereliberty.com/abortion 

| SUMMARY - Nancy Pearcey Explains The Toxic War on Masculinity | 

TIP JAR: https://donate.stripe.com/aEUdUE5YodhZgkUeUV 

In this episode of Dare to Think, Kerry Baldwin interviews Professor Nancy Pearcey about her book, The Toxic War on Masculinity. This book is not intended to take sides in cultural-religious debate between Complementarianism and Egalitarianism.

Instead, Pearcey examines a socio-historical perspective of the phenomenon known as "toxic masculinity" and whether Christianity or secularism is responsible for it. Pearcey finds a number of surprising examples throughout history, and also today from prominent sociological and psychological marriage researchers. Pearcey's book is more of an academic apologetic written for educated layman, instead of a popular piece. 

Join me, Kerry Baldwin, with Nancy Pearcey, as we Dare to Think about the Toxic War on Masculinity

Read my review of Pearcey's book at https://mereliberty.com/041 

| MAIN POINTS OF DISCUSSION |

00:00 Introduction

01:20 What is the main problem the book is trying to solve?

04:47 What has been the cause for controversy surrounding the book?

09:01 The "Good" man versus "Real" man scripts

12:13 The "Andrew Tate" phenomenon of masculinity & classical Christian schools

14:09 How Christian men are absorbing the secular ("real man") script

15:02 Research for Christian men splits into two different groups: devout versus nominal

17:22 Brad Wilcox on Christian marriages

19:57 Nominal Christian men marriage and divorce stats

21:47 Percentage of nominal to devout Christian men is 50/50

23:24 Fatherless boyhood: a problem of no-fault divorce or Industrialization?

25:23 How did we lose involved fathers?

27:50 Is there a way to flex the workplace so fathers are no longer absent from the family?

29:02 The impact of fatherlessness hits boys harder than girls

30:24 The impact of father substitutes

31:44 How the 1950s model of the household cant possibly be the Biblical ideal

33:28 Closing

| RESOURCE LINKS |

Follow Nancy Pearcey on Social Media

• https://twitter.com/NancyRPearcey
• https://www.facebook.com/NancyRPearceyAuthor

Visit Nancy Pearcey's Website and purchase her book! (Preferred by author)

• https://www.nancypearcey.com/ 

Or on Amazon (Affiliate Support for Dare to Think Podcast)

• https://amzn.to/3wzDPcX 

| SUPPORT DARE TO THINK |

https://mereliberty.com/membership

https://mereliberty.com/membership/courses  LibertySeminar.com

Kerry Baldwin on Abuse, Sphere Sovereignty | Show Notes

TIP JAR: https://donate.stripe.com/aEUdUE5YodhZgkUeUV 

Summary

In this episode, Jacob Winograd invites Kerry Baldwin to discuss some cultural aspects of relationship from a Reformed and anarchist perspective. Winograd is concerned is the church is failing to “be the church” as a means of societal preservation (Matt 5:13-16). We begin with a description of sphere sovereignty as formulated in the statement on Reformed Anarchism. Sphere sovereignty is a concept articulated in neocalvinism from Dutch theologian, Abraham Kuyper, and Reformational philosopher, Herman Dooyeweerd. This sets the stage for our discussion on the institutions of the family, church, and the state, the proper understanding of these institutions, and how abuse arise within them.

Main Points of Discussion

Resource Links

What is Reformed Anarchism?
Daniel 3 Podcast – Interview with Gregory Baus
What is Feminism in Simple Terms?
What is Christian Love?
Life-Saving Divorce by Gretchen Baskerville

Subscribe

Email list: mereliberty.com/signup
Monthly membership: mereliberty.com/membership

Rose Wilder Lane was an American journalist who became enchanted with communism early in life. She looked to communist Europe and the Soviet Union as the ideal for civilization. But in 1920, while traveling with the Red Cross to Europe,  she saw the real consequences of communism. Her paradigm was shattered! This led her to write on her experiences, earning her a place in history as one of the harbingers of modern libertarian philosophy.

Resources:

• https://www.libertarianism.org/publications/essays/rose-wilder-lane
• https://fee.org/articles/rose-wilder-lane-isabel-paterson-and-ayn-rand-three-women-who-inspired-the-modern-libertarian-movement/

Response to John Stossel on Abortion | Kerry Baldwin and Doug Stuart

TIP JAR: https://donate.stripe.com/aEUdUE5YodhZgkUeUV 

John Stossel on abortion

For the past 50 years, the abortion debate has been a polarized issue with common ground on either side. This polarization has created a perfect storm that suggests a deeply divided country.

A single data point gets twisted by both sides. 61% of Americans believe 1st trimester abortion (up to 13 weeks) should be legal. The pro-choice side twists this to say, "most Americans are support abortion rights." The pro-life side twists the same data point to say, "most Americans support restrictions on abortion."

I don't see it this way. I think most Americans exist in a gray middle. They're the ones who say, "I'm pro-choice, but …" or I'm pro-life, but …". Most Americans intuitively recognize abortion is wrapped up in tangential issues. So, abortion is a concession, not an ideal, in the mind of most. Failure to imagine a life-affirming alternative to the status quo leads to this concession.

I was recently invited to be a guest on John Stossel's show to discuss abortion, and was joined by Avens O'Brien; a pro-choice libertarian of feminists for liberty.

I have a great deal of respect for John Stossel and what he does. And I appreciate the opportunity to be featured on his show and alongside O'brien.

However, I think Stossel missed an opportunity. I hold that libertarianism is a true alternative to the polarized paradigm we've been stuck in.

In this episode, I sat down with Doug Stuart of the Libertarian Christian Institute to discuss some important elements of the interview with Stossel that didn't make it into the final edit.

Join me, Kerry Baldwin, as we Dare to Think about libertarianism changes the abortion debate.

Main Points of Discussion

01:52 Background to John Stossel episode

07:02 John Stossel on Abortion in full

12:42 Opening commentary

14:03 Where do we agree?

15:09 The problem of enforcement and drug bans

16:51 A person exists inside another person

19:02 My hope and the missed opportunity

22:34 Avens O'Brien's nuances

24:15 Initial reactions to Dobbs v Jackson

28:41 Why even Christian women are worried about the overturn of Roe v Wade

31:08 Militant anti-abortion abolitionists are supporting Joe Biden's failed criminal justice legacy

32:16 Women justified in the felt threat from the state

34:01 Pro-lifers "work not done yet" - what does this mean?

35:27 What I'd like to see libertarians do moving forward

Resource Links

Original episode of John Stossel on Abortion

Avens O'Brien, Feminists for Liberty

Restorative Justice

Libertarian Party Removes Abortion Plank from Platform

Become a Monthly Member

https://mereliberty.com/membership?utm_source=show+notes&utm_medium=link&utm_id=DTT

In this episode, I talk to Aimee Byrd; author of the book, Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Aimee uses thematic elements from a dystopian novella, The Yellow Wallpaper, to illustrate problems with teachings on gender by the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, and many protestant denominations. Her book is a call to action to Christians, and especially church leaders, to begin dialoguing about the problems she's drawing out and what the orthodox Christian view answers actually are.

The Yellow Wallpaper Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5fJywoGM1g&t=5s

To enter the giveaway, visit mereliberty.com/016. Deadline to enter is June 6th, 2020 at midnight EST.

To support the Mere Liberty Podcast, visit mereliberty.com/membership.

Find Aimee's work on the Mortification of Spin Podcast.

If you're interested in purchasing her books, please use these Amazon affiliate links:

• Recovering from Biblical Manhood and Womanhood https://amzn.to/3dp0WZa
• Why Can't We Be Friends? https://amzn.to/2XlGXFp
• No Little Women: Equipping all Women in the Household of God. https://amzn.to/2zMe8J2
• Theological Fitness: Why We Need a Fighting Faith https://amzn.to/2TXHPhh
• Housewife Theologian: How the Gospel Interrupts the Ordinary https://amzn.to/3cn3c1Y

Interpersonal Communication, A Dialogue with Antony Sammeroff | Show Notes

TIP JAR: https://donate.stripe.com/aEUdUE5YodhZgkUeUV 

It's very easy to think of libertarianism and the principle of self-ownership as being an extreme form of individualism. In fact, cynics of libertarian thought chide libertarians for being atomistic, selfish, egotistical, and the like. While any student of libertarian philosophy knows these accusations are baseless, other self-described libertarians may have difficulty relating ideas like self-ownership to relationships. 

This is for any kind of relationship - whether platonic, romantic, or more indirect like with the state. Antony Sammeroff and Kerry Baldwin dialogue about the importance of good communication skills, why most of us don't have them, what the consequences have been on a societal scale, and how we can start making changes for the good. 

Antony Sammeroff co-hosts the Scottish Liberty Podcast and has featured prominently on other libertarian themed shows including The Tom Woods Show, Lions of Liberty, School Sucks Podcast, and many more. His book Universal Basic Income — For and Against (with a foreword by Robert P. Murphy) is available in paperback and on Amazon Kindle. Subscribe to his Substack here: https://psychosocial.substack.com/ 

Resources Mentioned

Placating People by Antony Sammeroff

6 Reasons Why People Communicate ... Can You Name Them?  by Antony Sammeroff

Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships by Marshall Rosenberg (Affiliate Link)

How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber

Who's Pulling Your Strings?: How to Break the Cycle of Manipulation and Regain Control of Your Life by Dr. Harriet Braiker

Harsh Nazi Parenting Guidelines May Still Affect German Children of Today by Anne Kratzer 

Become a Member!

Mereliberty.com/membership

Follow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mereliberty/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MereLiberty

Minds: https://www.minds.com/KerryBaldwin/

Locals: https://mereliberty.locals.com

Much of what is being said on the news and social media about abortion by both pro-choice and pro-life activists is just plain wrong. In this episode, three pro-life libertarian women "take the mic" to discuss some of the most common myths about abortion

Listen to the full episode: https://libertarianchristians.com/2019/06/10/episode-122/

In 1683, John Locke arrived in the Netherlands with his friend and patron, Lord Anthony Ashley Cooper. The two had fled England due to suspicions that he and Cooper were involved in the Rye House Plot; a conspiracy to assassinate Charles II and his brother (and heir to the English throne) James. Though he didn't know it at the time, Locke's influential writings would make him known for being the father of classical liberalism, and lay the groundwork for the American experiment and the US Constitution.

Resources

• http://projectvox.library.duke.edu/content/masham-1659-1708
• http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/john-locke-134.php
• https://mises.org/library/5-john-locke
• https://youtu.be/Zy7mnbn_Ico?t=5m39s

Episode Resources:

Manuscript for episode can be found at: https://mereliberty.com/009

To support the production of these episodes, please visit https://mereliberty.com/membership/ 

Summary - A First Person Perspective of the First Battle of Loc Ninh, Vietnam

TIP JAR: https://donate.stripe.com/aEUdUE5YodhZgkUeUV 

mereliberty.com/038

My father died a two weeks ago today, March 21st. It was expected, as he suffered for many years from COPD.

In 2011, he composed a brief memoir. This was meant as catharsis for therapy we was receiving for PTSD he had suffered from his service in Vietnam. Prior to this, and for my whole life to this point, all we knew about my dad was that he had “shell shock” from time Vietnam - and so we didn’t talk about it.

In his memory, I’ve put that memoir to narration. Initially, this has been planned only for my family. But as I dug into his story a bit, I realized, that my father was part of a major battle that has historical significance. And so, with permission from my mother, I’m publishing it here for my listeners.

I’ve snagged a description from Wikipedia about the battle and it’s context. It reads:

“The First Battle of Loc Ninh was a battle during the Vietnam War that occurred between 29 October and 7 November 1967, fought by the Viet Cong, Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), Civilian Irregular Defense Group (a military program developed by the CIA of South Vietnamese to counter Viet Cong), and the United States Army.

The battle was part of the Operation Shenandoah II campaign.

This battle represented the first time that North Vietnamese Communists (headquartered in South Vietnam) had coordinated attacks from different divisions, and was intended as "rehearsal" to experiment with urban-fighting techniques to be used for the Tet Offensive.

Their operational goals were in part, to draw US and ARVN forces away from the cities in an upsurge of activity, in preparation for the Tet Offensive the next year.

The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War.

It was launched on January 30, 1968 by forces of the Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese against the forces of the South Vietnamese Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), the United States Armed Forces and their allies.

It was a campaign of surprise attacks against military and civilian command and control centers throughout South Vietnam.

The name is the truncated version of the Lunar New Year festival name in Vietnamese, Tết Nguyên Đán, (tet win dawn) with the offense chosen during a holiday period as most ARVN personnel were on leave.

The purpose of the wide-scale offensive by the Hanoi Politburo was to trigger political instability, in a belief that mass armed assault on urban centers would trigger defections and rebellions."

The First Battle of Loc Ninh, instigated by the North Vietnamese against South Vietnamese and the US, resulted in what was considered an American and South Vietnamese victory.

This is my father’s recollection of that story.

Main Points of Discussion

David B. Baldwin received the Bronze Star with Valor on February 27, 1968

Resources Mentioned

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Battle_of_Loc_Ninh
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_Offensive

In this episode, I'm interviewing three of my adult Liberty Seminar students and their experience with my inaugural Socratic seminar. Over the summer I launched a new online course, teaching the skills of critical thinking, using the Socratic method, while discussing the principles of a free society.

For more info visit: courses.mereliberty.com

To support mereliberty.com (and get a discount on the Liberty Seminar), visit mereliberty.com/membership

TIP JAR: https://donate.stripe.com/aEUdUE5YodhZgkUeUV 

Summary - Reformed Libertarians with Gregory Baus

Today I’m announcing a new podcast that I’ve been working on and will be co-hosting. Many of you know that I’m a Reformed Christian who is also libertarian. But what you may not realize, is the extent to which my libertarian views are grounded in the Reformed faith. For the past years, I’ve been one of the only Reformed libertarians with a major platform.

This has created a challenge to me to provide content on seemingly disparate topics, but this takes away from my ability to focus in the topics I’m better known for and would prefer to refine my focus on. So today, I’m making an announcement about this new project with my friend and colleague, Gregory Baus. I will be co-hosting this new podcast, in addition to this podcast, Dare to Think - which will only get better. I’m excited about the opportunities.

Join me, Kerry Baldwin with Gregory Baus, as we Dare to Think about introducing libertarianism to the Reformed world.

Main Points of Discussion

00:00    Introduction

01:26    How we came to start the Reformed Libertarians Podcast; Previous episodes with Gregory Baus on culture

02:56    What's the purpose of having a Reformed perspective of libertarianism; Definition of libertarianism

04:48    Typical Objections: "Profit over people" or "Do whatever we want"; Austrian Economic Theory; "If we care about human life, society, this warrants coercing groups to get along"; Principles of justice, morality, conception of human nature, nature of society and how it operates

10:14    Didn't John Calvin believe in using the magistrate to enforce Christianity? Reformed churches came to confess disestablishmentarian

13:42    What about Christian Nationalism? Mixture of more or less precise of Christian Nationalism create confusion and rejects the best Reformed Covenant Theology

16:28    Is libertarianism is a viable idea to begin with? When is the optimal time explore the ideas of freedom and prosperity? Shouldn't we just make the best out of the system we have? Overton Window: a set of ideas which are "thinkable."

21:23    Not a political commentary podcast; Mission of Reformed Libertarians

Resource Links

Reformed Libertarians https://reformedlibertarians.com/

Christians for Liberty Network https://christiansforliberty.net/

Libertarian Christian Institute https://libertarianchristians.com/

Become a monthly member for as little as $5/mth https://mereliberty.com/membership/monthly/

TIP JAR: https://donate.stripe.com/aEUdUE5YodhZgkUeUV 

Summary – Exploring Foster Adoption with Dox Dixon

There are many avenues of adoption and are mostly associated with adopting unwanted unborn babies. But what about foster adoption of already born children? What is the process of foster adoption like, what considerations should prospective adoptive parents consider? And what are some myths about it?

Join me, Kerry Baldwin with Doc Dixon, as we Dare to Think about what it will take for women to choose life.

Featured Guest Bio | Doc Dixon

Doc Dixon. I’m a magician, comedian & speaker. From corporate events, trade shows, to resorts in Cancun & private events — even 2 shows at The White House,  appearing on The Late Late Show with James Corden and FOOLING magic legends Penn & Teller on Penn & Teller:Fool Us — I bring a special mix of amazement and hilarity that makes events successful. I’m humbled to say, that’s not just my opinion, but the opinion of my clients for the past 30 years from here in my home near Atlanta, Georgia to across the country.

Main Points of Discussion

00:00 Introduction

01:24 About Doc Dixon and how he became a Reformed libertarian

07:09 The experience and process of being an adoptive family

16:58 The struggles of foster adoption

24:42 Why adoptive parents shouldn’t be viewed as heroes

32:55 Closing thoughts

Resources Mentioned

https://docdixon.com/
Doc Dixon on Mike Huckabee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv_uhEI1V8I 

Doc Dixon on Penn and Teller: Fool Us https://youtu.be/YaDnY5q_mxg

Mere Liberty Monthly Membership https://mereliberty.com/membership/monthly/

Kerry Baldwin’s work on abortion https://mereliberty.com/abortion 

I started learning about the people that shaped our conceptions of human rights, liberty, and prosperity and reading about their lives and ideas are like seeing flashes of light. They are aha! Moments bringing into focus what it means to live free.

As I've continued to dig into these things, I found a rich history of philosophy, economics, and even theology … dating all the way back to the ancients, making its way back through the middle ages and the Renaissance. It was at the heart of the Protestant Reformation, and the foundation for the American experiment. Today it hangs in the balance, not merely as an American relic, but as the spark of a potential global phenomenon.

Flashes of liberty is bringing these stories and ideas back to the forefront; it's breathing new life into them.

TIP JAR: https://donate.stripe.com/aEUdUE5YodhZgkUeUV 

Summary | Restorative Justice and Christianity with Kathleen McGoey

Kathleen McGoey is a trainer and facilitator of Restorative Justice Practices & Conflict Transformation. She has Master's in International Peace & Conflict Studies from the University of Innsbruck, Austria, and a Bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame. Kathleen is the former Executive Director of Longmont Community Justice Partnership (LCJP), where she oversaw community restorative justice programs in partnership with police and schools. Kathleen co-authored The Little Book of Restorative Teaching Tools (Good Books, 2020) and runs RestorativeTeachingTools.com, a free online collection of activities for teaching restorative practices.

McGoey joins me to introduce the idea of restorative justice to my Reformed Christians audience. We discuss the concepts, principles, roots, and practice of restorative justice. How it's been successfully integrated with, and sometimes replacing, the criminal legal system, as well as adoption of the principles in various schools as a means of conflict resolution. Most importantly, we discuss it's efficacy not only one it's own merit, but by comparison with the obvious failure of the current criminal legal system.

Join Kerry Baldwin with Kathleen McGoey as we Dare to Think about Restorative Justice and Christianity.

Main Points of Discussion

00:00 Introduction

01:27 What is the purpose of restorative justice?

05:22 How restorative justice aims at healing relationships in addition to providing restitution.

13:18 Is restorative justice effective at producing deterrence and reducing recidivism?

21:54 Devil's advocate questions: why should I care about rehabilitating criminals?

27:00 Are there some people restorative justice won't work for?

33:02 Is restorative justice a solution for domestic violence and similar abuses?

39:33 What are the roots of restorative justice, and are they compatible with Christianity?

44:14 Summary/Conclusion

Resource Links

Restorative Justice Tools https://restorativeteachingtools.com/

The Little Book of Restorative Teaching Tools: Games, Activities, and Simulations for Understanding Restorative Justice Practices (Justice and Peacebuilding) https://amzn.to/3UNUjpr

Hire Kathleen! https://www.kathleenmcgoey.com/

How to Love Your Enemy: A Restorative Justice Story (Free the People Documentary) https://freethepeople.org/how-to-love-your-enemy-a-restorative-justice-story/

The coronavirus outbreak has us all switching gears. Given that government powers are taking advantage of this crisis, and seizing power beyond their constitutional limitations, I thought I'd narrate Rose Wilder Lane's personal journey out of communist thinking. Here, I'm narrating chapters 1 and 2 of, Give Me Liberty. 

Episode Resources:

You can find more of Kerry's articles and podcasts on her website, here.

Visit mereliberty.com/015 to see the resources in creating this episode.

Follow on:

On Facebook

On Twitter @MereLiberty

Email her at kerry@mereliberty.com

If you’d like to ask Kerry a question which may be answered on a future episode, you can text or leave a voicemail at (505) 886-1061. You may also send an email.

Consider supporting Kerry's work with just a few dollars a month.

Thinking Well in High Stakes Situations| Show Notes

TIP JAR: https://donate.stripe.com/aEUdUE5YodhZgkUeUV 

Summary

It's easy to believe high stakes situations - like a pandemic - create an imperative to act first. But this is false! We cannot take purposeful action, or well-reasoned action without thinking first. This is counterintuitive to most us. When we're under pressure to make a life-altering decisions, it's easy to believe a "shoot first, ask questions later" approach might work well. But especially when dealing with complex problems that affect us in various way, high stakes situations create an imperative to think first - before acting! To compound the issue, getting others to make particular decisions in similar situations means we are left with the power of persuasion. This is what makes life difficult. It's not only that we experience problems, but those problems are dynamic, and we cannot use force against others to make decisions we want them to.

In this episode of Dare to Think, I've republished a discussion I had with Doug Stuart at the Libertarian Christian Institute. We're discussing the courses I teach online at mereliberty.com about how to build and develop the skills of thinking well. Join me, Kerry Baldwin as we Dare to Think about the importance of thinking well in high stakes situations.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube, Rumble, or Odysee.

Main Points of Discussion

01:49 Intro; Human Action - Do groups act?
05:53 Can people do things without thinking?
09:36 What do we mean by high stakes?
15:32 High stakes decisions and imperatives to make a decision
 20:25 How should we treat experts and are they making decisions for us?
27:57 Why we can't take action without thinking first?
30:20 Final thoughts

Resource Links

The Liberty Seminar opens for registration three times a year with each semester. mereliberty.com/libertyseminar

Use DISCOUNT CODE DTT2022 at checkout to receive 30% off the SUMMER 2022 session.

Offer expires April 17th. If you find this after the deadline, sign up for the waitlist at mereliberty.com/waitlist

Waitlistees will be notified first of upcoming registration and also receive an exclusive discount just for joining the waitlist. 

Join my monthly newsletter! mereliberty.com/signup
Become a monthly MEMBER and receive premium rewards mereliberty.com/membership

Listen to the previous episode for additional context. This episode is a recorded Socratic session with a few of my adult Liberty Seminar students. More info at: courses.mereliberty.com

Hi, I'm Kerry Baldwin, and I'm an independent researcher and writer with a degree in Philosophy from Arizona State University. My research focuses on the philosophical thought of liberty, and particularly in finding an alternative to patriarchialism, feminism, egalitarianism, and complementarianism through a theologically reformed perspective. 

My mission with Mere Liberty is to challenge and rethink our paradigms about society, by applying reformed theology and philosophy to politics, religion, and culture. 

Mere Liberty is about liberty at its most fundamental core. It’s stripping away the rhetoric that we’ve become accustomed to hearing and challenging the paradigms that face us today. 

Mere Liberty is not about politics per se, rather it’s about the philosophies (and theology) behind the problems presented in politics and culture. 

Challenging the manner in which we see these problems will push us to think beyond mere political solutions that in effect isolate us from own responsibility. When we eschew responsibility what we really do is relinquish our associated freedoms. 

Mere Liberty is not exclusively neutral in its philosophy; genuine neutrality is impossible. Though there is opportunity to discuss the merits and demerits of any given philosophy, I take a distinctly libertarian approach to philosophy. 

Mere Liberty has two ongoing series: Dare To Think, which is a monthly series with a longer format geared toward the educated layperson, and Flashes of Liberty, which is a weekly mini cast dedicated to key historical figures who contributed to philosophical ideas of liberty. 

Please join me in exploring the ideas of liberty and challenge your own paradigms about how you perceive the world. For more information, you can visit my website at mereliberty.com

On this episode of Flashes of Liberty, Kerry talks about how Henry Hazlitt and how he came to write Economics in One Lesson.

Episode Resources:

You can find more of Kerry's articles and podcasts on her website, here.

Visit FLASHES OF LIBERTY: HENRY HAZLITT to see the resources in creating this episode.

Check out Kerry's Facebook Page to join the discussion.

Follow on:

On Facebook

On Twitter @MereLiberty

Email us at kerry@mereliberty.com

If you’d like to ask Kerry a question which may be answered on a future episode, you can text or leave a voicemail at (505) 886-1061. You may also send an email.

Consider supporting Kerry's work with just a few dollars a month.

Episode Resources:

On this episode of Flashes of Liberty, Kerry talks about Frederick Bastiat and his skill in economic sophistry.

Episode Resources:

You can find more of Kerry's articles and podcasts on her website, here.

Visit FLASHES OF LIBERTY: FREDERICK BASTIAT to see the resources in creating this episode.

Check out Kerry's Facebook Page for information [on entering to win a copy of Has American Christianity Failed?]

Follow on:

On Facebook

On Twitter @MereLiberty

Email us at kerry@mereliberty.com

If you’d like to ask Kerry a question which may be answered on a future episode, you can text or leave a voicemail at (505) 886-1061. You may also send an email.

Consider supporting Kerry's work with just a few dollars a month.

TIP JAR: https://donate.stripe.com/aEUdUE5YodhZgkUeUV 

Shane Rosenthal | Featured Guest

Shane Rosenthal is the founder and host of The Humble Skeptic podcast which seeks to explore the beliefs and ideas that shape our lives. He was one of the original creators of the White Horse Inn radio broadcast, which he also hosted from 2019-2021. Shane was one of the authors of the book Defending the Faith: Essays on Apologetics and has been a frequent contributor over the years to Modern Reformation magazine. He is a graduate of Cal-State Fullerton (B.A. Humanities) and Westminster Seminary California (M.A. Historical Theology), and resides with his family in St. Louis. 

Summary - Shane Rosenthal and the Humility of Healthy Skepticism

Amid all the tribalism and polarization we see today, Christians could learn something from The Humble Skeptic Podcast. Shane Rosenthal, host of the Humble Skeptic Podcast, joined me to discuss this new project, and the value of thoughtful and reflective Christians. We discuss a number of things, including the problem of the left-right paradigm that appears in politics, religion, and culture. How do we discuss tough issues especially with people who are defensive (or offensive) in their ideas. 

Rosenthal highlights his pilot episode, wherein he describes the experience of digging into the truth of a story his dad told him about Billy Joel, before Joel was famous. Rosenthal's skepticism was not motivated by distrust, but by curiosity and wonderment. We discuss the twists and turns of the process of thinking through a matter, as well as the reality of coming face-to-face with our own ignorance, a key feature of the Socratic Method which I use in my courses. 

Rosenthal wants people, Christians in particular, to recognize the value in becoming reflective thinkers, toward the pursuit of truth, for the love of God and neighbor. Rosenthal's gentle temperament, and childlike wonderment will inspire you to embrace the humble skeptic in you too. 

Join me, Kerry Baldwin, with Shane Rosenthal, as we Dare to Think about the humility of healthy skepticism. 

Main Points of Discussion

00:00 Introduction

01:28 Shane Rosenthal's background and concept for the Humble Skeptic Podcast

08:13 The fear of asking and receiving questions and what critical thinking is

15:17 Seeking to understand; digging into facts; evaluating information 

25:13 Seeking to understand ... our own emotions in relation to facts, truth

32:18  What to do when you have unanswered questions and no good resources?

39:54 Concluding thoughts

Resource Links

Shane's Substack https://shanerose.substack.com/podcast

The Humble Skeptic Podcast https://thehumbleskeptic.com/

Support the Humble Skeptic Podcast https://www.givesendgo.com/humbleskeptic

Rethinking a Reformed Christian View of Culture | Show Notes

TIP JAR: https://donate.stripe.com/aEUdUE5YodhZgkUeUV 

Summary

Culture is important since it’s the second most important thing we can do as humans: love our neighbor. But how exactly does this play out. Evangelicalism has tried to create a “moral majority” through various political activities. But this politicization of our cultural activity has led to unending “culture wars.” This hyperbolic metaphor has caused divisions among political lines.

What if Evangelicals got it wrong? What if norms for culture are written into the fabric of reality itself? How does Adam and Eve’s fall into sin affect these norms? And what if the conventional wisdom from leading evangelical figures – on both the left and right – have complicated the question? How should we think of culture and our activity in it? How might we challenge prevailing paradigms of culture toward a free and prosperous society?

In this episode, I discuss these questions and more with Gregory Baus, my co-collaborating on the statement of principles, What is Reformed Anarchism?

Featured Guest Bio | Gregory Baus

Gregory Baus is a student of the Reformational/neocalvinist philosophy of Herman Dooyeweerd. A former international English teacher; he’s currently living in the US and writing a Master’s thesis on the topic of self-knowledge. (There’s a link to his profile in the show notes). Gregory became a libertarian anarchist in 2008 and we collaborated together on the statement, “What is Reformed Anarchism?” written in 2020

See Gregory Baus' full profile here: https://sites.google.com/site/ideolog/

Follow Gregory Baus on Academia, Facebook, and YouTube
https://independentscholar.academia.edu/GregoryBaus
https://www.facebook.com/gregory.baus
https://www.youtube.com/c/reformational

Main Points of Discussion

1:47 Introduction to the Reformed Anarchism statement, what is meant by ‘anarchism’?
7:24 What is ‘culture’?
11:48 Why is it important to have a proper understanding of culture?
15:02 What is a Reformed Christian view of culture?
19:07 What is subjective sanctification?
23:51 Does, “be fruitful and multiply,” only refer to procreation and the family?

Next episode: Common mistaken views: Scholasticism and Theonomy. And what about neocalvinism and transformationalism?

Resource Links

What is Reformed Anarchism?
https://www.academia.edu/44884160/What_is_Reformed_anarchism

Dialogue with PCA Pastor Nate Xanders on Reformed Anarchism
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwrDNUO5MDu-56FIiArhzVisvc1TayOFS

mereliberty.com/040

TIP JAR: https://donate.stripe.com/aEUdUE5YodhZgkUeUV 

Summary

Welcome to Dare to Think, where we challenge & and rethinking prevailing paradigms. In today's episode, we delve into the relaunch of the Liberty Seminar, a course designed by Kerry Baldwin to cultivate the invaluable skill of thinking well using the Socratic method. Our guests, Mike Leavitt, Jacob, and Kerry Baldwin, engage in thought-provoking discussions on the significance of critically thinking and challenging existing beliefs. We'll explore how the Socratic method can be applied in diverse areas of life, from theology and education to personal growth and professional development. Join us as we learn about the power of asking the right questions and embracing the freedom of thinking well.

Main Points of Discussion

00:00 Introduction

01:06 What is the Liberty Seminar and what is it trying to accomplish?

05:05 What is the Socratic Method?

06:02 Is the Socratic method just about asking questions?

08:14 What is critical thinking and why is it on the decline in society today?

10:56 If tests don't demonstrate learning, then how do we know we're learning?

11:59 Why AI is not taking over reasoning

12:46 What do you get from the course, the Liberty Seminar

16:12 Real life applications: non-academic trade skills building

17:42 Real life applications: improve parenting skills and communication with your teen and adult children

19:05 Real life applications: professional soft skills development

19:26 Real life applications: study of doctrine and theology

21:43 How critical thinking is an effective response to manipulation

24:16 Why is courage implied when choosing to learn to think well

27:29 Objection: Christians who believe philosophy or reasoning is a distraction or will lead you away from the truth

32:56 How has Socratic Practice helped Kerry in her own life?

35:48 How does the Liberty Seminar helpful for intuitive thinkers or those who naturally pursue their passions and interests?

Resource Links

To get more information visit libertyseminar.com or https://mereliberty.com/membership/courses/

Original interviews: 

• How Socratic Thinking Can Aid Christians in Faith and Politics, w/ Kerry Baldwin https://libertarianchristians.com/episode/how-socratic-thinking-can-aid-christians-in-faith-and-politics-w-kerry-baldwin/
• Thinking Well and The Liberty Seminar with Kerry Baldwin
  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-197-thinking-well-and-the-liberty-seminar/id1506671648?i=1000643384563

Mere Liberty Courses

courses.mereliberty.com

Resources for the Episode:

American Heritage Dictionary definition

https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=feminism

Etymology

https://www.etymonline.com/word/feminism

Coleman Hughes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLERGkXwsnU

The New Discourses

https://newdiscourses.com/

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminist-philosophy/

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

https://iep.utm.edu/f/

Women's Liberation of Front at the Heritage Foundation

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/conservative-group-hosts-anti-transgender-panel-feminists-left-n964246

Women Thinkers in Antiquity and the Middle Ages

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmbzLDB0GOlPKnni0ZH6RWbI0s0ukjqOF

Mary Wollstonecraft

https://oll.libertyfund.org/title/wollstonecraft-boll-33-mary-wollstonecraft-a-vindication-of-the-rights-of-woman-1792

Gloria Steinem

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Steinem

Isabel Paterson

https://mises.org/power-market/isabel-paterson-woman-whose-wisdom-could-literally-save-world

https://mises.org/profile/isabel-paterson

Rose Wilder Lane

https://mises.org/library/libertarian-legacy-rose-wilder-lane

Katherine Bushnell

https://www.cbeinternational.org/resource/article/priscilla-papers-academic-journal/legacy-katherine-bushnell

Lady Demaris Cudworth Masham
https://meinong.stanford.edu/entries/lady-masham/

Hypatia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqzpHYfAdsE

Macrina the Younger

https://historyofwomenphilosophers.org/project/directory-of-women-philosophers/macrina-the-younger-327-379/

Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz

https://youtu.be/9wSOt3z_-YY

Gloria Alvarez

https://youtu.be/cd4rlZ1Npeg

Wendy McElroy

http://www.wendymcelroy.com/news.php

Aya Gruber

https://www.ayagruber.com/

Camille Paglia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camille_Paglia

Join my effort! Mereliberty.com/membership

Follow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mereliberty/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MereLiberty

Minds: https://www.minds.com/KerryBaldwin/

Locals: https://mereliberty.locals.com

mereliberty.com/042

On this episode of Dare to Think, host Kerry Baldwin delves into the complex history of the Libertarian Party's stance on abortion rights. In her exploration, Kerry highlights key shifts in the party's platform over the decades, shedding light on the diverse perspectives within the Libertarian Party.

As she navigates through the party's evolving positions on abortion, Kerry addresses the recent removal of the abortion plank from the platform, which has sparked debates among delegates who hold varying views on abortion.

With a focus on the nuances of the party's stance and the implications for both pro choice and pro life libertarians, this episode offers an in-depth analysis of a contentious issue within the Libertarian Party.

Join Kerry as she discusses the ongoing philosophical debate and its potential impact on the future of Libertarianism.

00:00 Introduction and history of the abortion plank

06:44 Historical LP stance on abortion shows division.

09:47 Delegate supports removing abortion plank.

11:02 Dallas Accord: Libertarian Party for all libertarians.

14:30 Silence on abortion: Threat to women's rights?

18:43 Authoritarian policies infringe on reproductive rights.

23:02 Libertarian platform silent on abortion for consistency.

24:58 Podcast promoting critical thinking and membership benefits.

On this episode of Flashes of Liberty, Kerry discusses the libertarian concept of Spontaneous Order and who first articulated it. Was it the Daoists (as previously thought), or the early Confucians?

Episode Resources:

You can find more of Kerry's articles and podcasts on her website, here.

Visit THE CONFUCIANS AND SPONTANEOUS ORDER to see the resources in creating this episode.

Check out Kerry's Facebook Page 

Follow on:

On Facebook

On Twitter @MereLiberty

Email us at kerry@mereliberty.com

If you’d like to ask Kerry a question which may be answered on a future episode, you can text or leave a voicemail at (505) 886-1061. You may also send an email.

Consider supporting Kerry's work with just a few dollars a month.

Hyperlinked show notes found at mereliberty.com/035

TIP JAR: https://donate.stripe.com/aEUdUE5YodhZgkUeUV 

Summary - Decriminalizing Sex: Where Prostitution Meets Purity Culture

An odd twist in my research on a libertarian theory of reproductive rights (and abortion), I've had to dive into how the criminal justice system treats the crime of rape. In doing so, I've been led to what might appear to be very strange. The parallels between the culture surrounding illicit sex work and evangelical purity culture. I cannot say where any causal relations lay between the two, only that they appear to be, strikingly, correlated. And correlated in such a way that Christians in particular must pay attention and take heed.

In this episode, I seek to break down the legal concerns regarding sex work and prostitution, and the connections to human trafficking. The connection to human trafficking is difficult given the prevalence and nature of trauma. I wrote a review of Dr. Gabor Mate's work on trauma in a documentary called, The Wisdom of Trauma. One aspect he addresses are the reasons why women will prostitute themselves and it seems to stem exclusively from trauma. But, when it comes to dealing with traumatized people, there is a principled disagreement about how to deal with sex workers with trauma: use the legal violence of the state to rescue women, penalize women, or only in response to violence done against them.

But there might be another way to deal with trauma, trafficking, and voluntarily choosing to prostitute oneself. And that lays in education concerning sex and intimate relationships. I've found a strong correlation between the views of men and women by "Johns" and "primps" and the view of men and women in evangelical purity culture. Have evangelicals unwittingly set the stage for sex trafficking and prostitution? I think there's good reason to believe that American evangelicalism contributed to the problems some evangelicals are trying to now fix, regarding sexual violence.

The popular view by Christian anti-human  trafficking organizations is to embrace the Nordic model - make the men behave! Use the threat of legal violence to make bad men behave better. But does this work? I also explain why the nature of economics will not allow for legal violence to "deter" bad behavior. And why this necessitates decriminalizing sex work if we're going to improve societal and legal views concerning women and sex.

DISCLAIMER: While this episode is aimed at supporting decriminalizing sex work, it is not an endorsement of sex work as morally legitimate. I hold and maintain a Christian sexual ethic (sex is designed by God only for heterosexual marriage relationships), though I believe evangelical "purity culture" is an unbiblical, anti-Christian view. 

Main Points of Discussion

00:00    Introduction

Ep. 292: Decriminalizing Prostitution: Can Christians Support it?

01:45    Definitions: 'sex work', 'prohibition', 'prostitution', trafficking'

04:04    Why is it important to understand these distinctions

05:46    Difference between 'decriminalization' and 'legalization'

07:58    Explanation of legalization; Nevada vs Rhode Island

09:08    The feminist argument against decriminalization (Nordic model)

09:55    Clip from Julie Bindell's opening statement at the Soho Forum

13:43    "The bleakest view of masculinity"

14:50    Do we know how many sex workers are trafficking vs voluntarily participating?

16:24    Clip from "Sold in America" - a "John's" view of women in purchasing sex

17:41    Evangelical Purity Culture Detour

18:09    Does 'rape culture' exist?

 19:28   Nancy Pearcy: how "nominal" evangelical men skew divorce and domestic violence data in the church

23:01    What does evangelical purity culture have to do with decriminalizing prostitution?

27:08    What the so-called "experts" told evangelical women about how to have a good Christian marriage

27:33    Quotes cited by Shelia Wray Gregorie's, The Great Sex Rescue

31:55    Ontological distinctions between men and women don't require a predator/prey relationship

33:39    Connecting the stigma of sex in purity culture to the stigma found in legal prohibition of prostitution

34:21    Legal denial of basic human rights - No Humans Involved

36:22    The unjust handling of sexual violence by our criminal justice system

40% of police officers perpetrate domestic violence in their own homes.

37:41    Are victims of rape stigmatized because of prostitution, or is prostitution stigmatized because of certain views about women, already discussed? (Connection to spiritual manipulation of religious values)

41:57    The perpetual victim status of women - propagated by feminists and patriarchalists

43:17    How do we change society to value women and children, abhor the evils done against them, and still maintain a system of justice?

43:59    Misunderstanding economic demand is resulting with failure and unintended consequences

46:39    In countries that have the Nordic model, no decrease in demand but an increase in antisocial behavior

50:18    Compare to New Zealand - decriminalized sex work in 2007

51:05    Why Christians should care about decriminalizing sex work - even while we don't endorse it.

52:12    Let our yes mean yes, and our no mean no - justice requires it.

52:58    Concluding thoughts - what decriminalizing prostitution means for Christian teaching about a biblical sexual ethic.

Additional Resource Links

• Mere Liberty Monthly Memberships
• The laws that sex workers really want | Juno Mac
• Deacon pleads guilty to child porn charges

Become a Member!

Mereliberty.com/membership

Follow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mereliberty/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MereLiberty

Minds: https://www.minds.com/KerryBaldwin/

Locals: https://mereliberty.locals.com

Resources Mentioned:

Music: Patria y Vida – Yotuel , @Gente De Zona , @Descemer Bueno , Maykel Osorbo , El Funky https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP9Bto5lOEQ 

The Doublespeak of Black Lives Matter and a Libertarian Response

Liberty Memes Returns https://www.facebook.com/LibertyMeme

Liberty Memes $5 Club https://www.facebook.com/groups/506343186580255

https://adncuba.com/

https://www.cibercuba.com/

https://cubamissing.com/

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?extid=CL-UNK-UNK-UNK-AN_GK0T-GK1C&v=2953378994880924

https://www.instagram.com/soscubanyc/