Christian libertarianism

Part of a series on
Libertarianism
Origins Age of Enlightenment Aristotelianism Classical liberalism
Concepts Anti-statism Anti-war Counter-economics Crypto-anarchism Dispute resolution organization Economic freedom Free market Free-market environmentalism Free society Free trade Free will Freedom of association Freedom of contract Homestead principle Individual Individualism Laissez-faire Liberty Limited government Localism Natural and legal rights Night-watchman state Non-aggression principle Non-interventionism Non-politics Non-voting Participatory economics Polycentric law Private defense agency Property Self-governance Self-ownership Spontaneous order Stateless society Tax resistance Title-transfer theory of contract Voluntary association Voluntary society Workers' self-management
Schools Agorism Anarchism Anarchist communism Autarchism Christian libertarianism Consequentialist libertarianism Free-market anarchism Fusionism Geolibertarianism Green libertarianism Individualist anarchism Left-libertarianism Libertarian Marxism Libertarian socialism Minarchism Mutualism Natural-rights libertarianism Paleolibertarianism Panarchism Right-libertarianism Social anarchism Voluntaryism
People Émile Armand Mikhail Bakunin Frédéric Bastiat Murray Bookchin Walter Block Noam Chomsky Voltairine de Cleyre Joseph Déjacque David D. Friedman Milton Friedman Henry George William Godwin Emma Goldman Friedrich Hayek Henry Hazlitt Auberon Herbert Karl Hess Hans-Hermann Hoppe Stephan Kinsella Samuel Edward Konkin III Peter Kropotkin Étienne de La Boétie Rose Wilder Lane Roderick Long Tibor R. Machan Wendy McElroy Carl Menger John Stuart Mill Gustave de Molinari Albert Jay Nock Robert Nozick Isabel Paterson Ron Paul Pierre-Joseph Proudhon Ayn Rand Lew Rockwell Murray Rothbard Jean-Baptiste Say Joseph Schumpeter Herbert Spencer Lysander Spooner Max Stirner Robert Taft Linda and Morris Tannehill Henry David Thoreau Leo Tolstoy Benjamin Tucker Josiah Warren
Aspects Anarcho-capitalism (and minarchism) Criticisms Intellectual property Internal debates LGBT rights Objectivism Revolution Political parties Theories of law
Related topics Civil libertarianism Civil societarianism Constitutionalism Libertarian conservatism Libertarian Democrat Libertarian Republican Libertarian science fiction Libertarian transhumanism Libertarianism in the United States Market liberalism Objectivism Public choice theory Small government
Outline of libertarianism Libertarianism portal Liberalism portal

Christian libertarianism describes the synthesis of Christian beliefs concerning human nature and dignity with libertarian political philosophy. In contrast to the Christian left and the Christian right respectively, they believe charity and enforcement of personal-level morality should be the purview of the church and not the government. These responsibilities must not be abrogated, though non-governmental organizations without state funding are free to pursue them as well.

Christian libertarianism is also a political ideology to the extent that its supporters promote their cause to others and join together as a movement. As with secular libertarianism, socialism, fascism, and crony capitalism are strongly opposed, as is theocracy. Of course, the latter does not include merely being influenced by Christian concepts.

They believe these principles are supported in the Bible by Christ's teaching (see below), and His criticism of the laws (Halakha) as observed by the Pharisees. There is great concern that even in relatively free societies, laws and regulations are becoming increasingly numerous, irrelevant (and occasionally hostile) to the Christian lifestyle, and too complex for the average person to understand.

Since Jesus never advocated making laws to promote morality and discourage sinful behavior (as was common in the Old Testament), Christian libertarians are opposed to using government as a tool to control or force the behavior of others. Most acts considered as sinful should stay within the domain of the church and family, and not be enforced by the state. Exceptions are made for "crimes against humanity" such as murder, rape, robbery, and the like. For example, a Christian libertarian may believe that adultery is immoral, but it should not be illegal. When the state charges someone with a crime, this tends to "secularize" the act, rather than focus on its sinfulness (if any) and need for redemption. As prison separates families and is extremely expensive for taxpayers, only those who are a violent danger to society or have otherwise committed a one-off heinous crime (e.g. spousal murder) should be incarcerated.

In addition, Christian libertarians generally see no need for government-provided social services. These are best left to private nonprofit organizations, in which churches play a major role. Voluntary giving is always preferred over mandatory taxation. Individual freedom of religion without state interference is fully supported regardless of one's beliefs. Nevertheless, a majority religion in a given locale could display its faith on government-owned property if it had the popular votes to do so. Public sector discrimination is strictly forbidden, while in the private sector, it is permitted, though discouraged (excepting bona fide associated costs, such as with insurance).

Definition

According to Andrew Sandlin, an American theologian and author, Christian libertarianism is the view that mature individuals are permitted maximum freedom under God's law.

The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments have varing enforceability under Christian libertarianism. Note: Beliefs differ on whether to consolidate at the beginning or end to prevent forming more than ten commandments. This list consolidates coveting with the alternative numbering used by Catholics and most Lutherans in brackets.

• 1st [1a] Commandment (forbid other gods): Church only
• 2nd [1b] Commandment (forbid idols): Church only
• 3rd [2] Commandment (forbid God's name in vain): Church only
• 4th [3] Commandment (keeping Sabbath): Church only
• 5th [4] Commandment (honoring parents): Church only
• 6th [5] Commandment (forbid murder): Both church and state
• 7th [6] Commandment (forbid adultery): Church only (assuming full consent of those who committed the adultery)
• 8th [7] Commandment (forbid theft): Both church and state
• 9th [8] Commandment (forbid false witness): Both church and state (but only civil enforcement for defamation unless perjury occurs)
• 10th [9/10] Commandment (forbid coveting neighbor's wife [9] and property [10]): Church only (unless it rises to the legal threshold of harassment)

Not all specific crimes that the state can enforce are addressed directly. For example, kidnapping would be part of the eighth [seventh] commandment.

History

The origins of Christian libertarianism in the United States can be traced back to the roots of libertarianism. According to Murray Rothbard, of the three libertarian experiments begun during the European colonization of the Americas in the mid 17th century, all three of them were begun by Christian groups.

Going back farther, Martin Luther, one of the authors of the Protestant Reformation, has been called a libertarian. In the introduction to "Luther and Calvin on Secular Authority", the editor, Harro Hopfl, says that libertarian, egalitarian, communal motifs were part of the texture of Luther's theology.

Lord Acton was a theoretician of Christian libertarianism who suggested that political liberty is the essential condition and guardian of religious liberty. The Acton Institute, an American Christian libertarian think tank, is named after him.

Christian Bible References

The quotes below come from the translation commonly referenced as the New King James Version.

From the last book of the Christian New Testament, called the Apocalypse or Revelation, chapter 22, verses 10-16; this passage references the principle of non-interference in the lives of others:

And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”

“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

The New Testament book, 1 Corinthians 5:9-13, addresses this same principle:

I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people.

Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.

But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner — not even to eat with such a person.

For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”

From the first book of the Christian New Testament, called the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 15, verses 1-20; this passage references the simplicity of spiritual purity, and the non-necessity of a multitude of contradictory physical rules:

Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying,

“Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”

He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”—then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.

Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,

And honor Me with their lips,

But their heart is far from Me.

And in vain they worship Me,

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”

Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”

But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”

Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”

So Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

See also

• Christian anarchism
• Christianity and politics
• Classical liberalism
• Consequentialist libertarianism
• Jacques Ellul
• Libertarian Christianity
• Minarchism
• Original sin
• Ron Paul and Rand Paul
• Thomas E. Woods

Further reading

• Bandow, Douglas. Beyond Good Intentions: A Biblical View of Politics ISBN 0-89107-498-8