Christian libertarianism should not be confused with libertarian ChristianityLibertarian Christianity should not be confused with Christian libertarianism.Libertarian Christianity is a facet of Christian theology. Its advocates believe that it is the most biblically, rationally, and practically correct legal and political philosophy. This type of libertarianism...
.
Christian libertarianism is a term used by people to describe the synthesis of their
ChristianChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
beliefs with their
libertarianLibertarianism is a term adopted by a broad spectrum of political philosophies which advocate the maximization of individual liberty and the minimization or even abolition of the state...
political philosophy. It is also a political philosophy in itself that has its roots in libertarianism and it is a political ideology to the extent that Christian libertarians promote their cause to others and join together as a movement.
Christian libertarianism should not be confused with libertarian ChristianityLibertarian Christianity should not be confused with Christian libertarianism.Libertarian Christianity is a facet of Christian theology. Its advocates believe that it is the most biblically, rationally, and practically correct legal and political philosophy. This type of libertarianism...
.
Christian libertarianism is a term used by people to describe the synthesis of their
ChristianChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
beliefs with their
libertarianLibertarianism is a term adopted by a broad spectrum of political philosophies which advocate the maximization of individual liberty and the minimization or even abolition of the state...
political philosophy. It is also a political philosophy in itself that has its roots in libertarianism and it is a political ideology to the extent that Christian libertarians promote their cause to others and join together as a movement. In general, Christian libertarians believe that Christians should not use government as a tool to control others' moral behavior or to initiate the use of force against others. They further believe these principles are supported by Christ's teaching and by the Bible.
According to the Reverend Andrew Sandlin while he was at
The Chalcedon FoundationThe Chalcedon Foundation is a Christian Reconstructionist organization founded by Rousas John Rushdoony. Named for the Council of Chalcedon, it has also included well-known theologians such as Gary North, who later founded his own organization, the Institute for Christian Economics.The Chalcedon...
, Christian libertarianism is the view that mature individuals are permitted maximum freedom under God's law.
The glossary at Reformation Online says that Christian libertarianism is the view that supports maximum individual liberty under God's law; that Christ came, among other things, to grant men liberty under God's authority. It refers to John 8:36 in the Bible and says that the authority of all human individuals and institutions is strictly limited to what the Bible authorizes.
Some people do not distinguish between Christian libertarianism,
libertarian ChristianityLibertarian Christianity should not be confused with Christian libertarianism.Libertarian Christianity is a facet of Christian theology. Its advocates believe that it is the most biblically, rationally, and practically correct legal and political philosophy. This type of libertarianism...
, and
Christian anarchismChristian anarchism is any of several traditions which combine anarchism with Christianity. Christian anarchists believe that freedom is justified spiritually through the teachings of Jesus. This has caused them to be critical of government and Church authority. Some believe all individuals can...
. Others believe the distinctions are important: (a)Christian libertarianism is an extension of Christian theology, usually by people from
theonomicThe word theonomy derives from the Greek words “theos” God, and “nomos” law.-Definitions:The term "Theonomy" has been used to describe various views which see the God revealed in the Bible as the sole source of human ethics. Using the word in this sense, Cornelius Van Til argued that there "is no...
and
reconstructionistChristian Reconstructionism is a religious and theological movement within Protestant Christianity that calls for Christians to put their faith into action in all areas of life...
schools, so that this amalgamation includes many principles and perspectives of secular
libertarianismLibertarianism is a term adopted by a broad spectrum of political philosophies which advocate the maximization of individual liberty and the minimization or even abolition of the state...
. (b)Libertarian Christianity differs from Christian libertarianism in that it uses a different set of
biblical hermeneuticsBiblical hermeneutics is the study of the principles of interpretation concerning the books of the Bible. It is part of the more broad field of hermeneutics which involves not just the study of principles for the text, but includes all forms of communication: verbal, nonverbal and written.While...
from those used by Christian libertarianism. Even so, libertarian Christianity finds many principles and perspectives in common with Christian libertarianism. (c)Both Christian libertarianism and libertarian Christianity differ from Christian anarchists in that both Christian schools of libertarianism have strong beliefs in the right to private property, whereas anarchists, including Christian anarchists, have a history of professing belief in other forms of property. An essay at Anarchism.net points out, "both collectivist and individualist anarchists usually agree on the importance of abolishing the privilege of private 'bourgeois' property." In the book "For a New Liberty, the Libertarian Manifesto", by secular libertarian economist, Murray Rothbard, Rothbard says, "The libertarian favors the right to unrestricted private property and free exchange; hence, a system of 'laissez-faire capitalism.'"
History
The origins of Christian libertarianism in the U. S. can be traced back to the roots of libertarianism. According to
Murray RothbardMurray Newton Rothbard was an American intellectual, individualist anarchist, author, and economist of the Austrian School who helped define modern libertarianism and popularized a form of free-market anarchism he termed "anarcho-capitalism"...
, of the three libertarian experiments begun during the
European colonization of the AmericasThe start of the European colonization of the Americas is typically dated to 1492, although there was at least one earlier colonization effort...
in the mid 17th century, all three of them were begun by Christian groups.
Going back farther,
Martin LutherMartin Luther changed the course of Western civilization by initiating the Protestant Reformation. As a priest and theology professor, he confronted indulgence salesmen with his The Ninety-Five Theses in 1517. Luther strongly disputed their claim that freedom from God's punishment of sin could...
, one of the authors of the
protestant reformationThe Protestant Reformation was a Christian reform movement in Europe which is generally deemed to have begun with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 although a number of precursors such as Jan Hus predate that event...
, 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.
Criticism of Christian libertarianism
Most of the arguments used against Christian libertarianism are part of
criticism of libertarianismAdherents of different ideologies have criticized libertarianism for various reasons.There are broadly two types of libertarians: consequentialists and rights theorists. Rights theorists oppose "initiation of force and fraud," taken against a person who has not initiated physical force, threat, or...
in general. However, besides this, there are also Christians who oppose Christian libertarianism on religious grounds, especially because of opposing interpretations of the Bible. Christian critics of Christian libertarianism generally come from three factions: (a) Christians who share the basic claim to being
CalvinistCalvinism is a theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
with the theonomic reconstructionists, and
dominionistsDominionism describes, in several distinct ways, a tendency among some conservative politically-active Christians, especially in the United States of America, to seek influence or control over secular civil government through political action—aiming either at a nation governed by Christians, or a...
who claim to be Christian libertarians, but who object to theonomic reconstructionist theology; (b)
dispensationalistDispensationalism is a Protestant evangelical tradition and theology based on a biblical hermeneutic that sees a series of chronologically successive "dispensations" or periods in history in which God relates to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants. As a system...
Christians who have their own special set of objections to theonomic reconstructionist Christianity, and therefore to Christian libertarianism that affiliates with such theonomic reconstructionism; and (c) all other Christian sects who have their own variety of objections to theonomic reconstructionism, and therefore, to Christian libertarianism that is affiliated with such theonomic reconstructionism.
Libertarian Christianity falls into the first category of Christian critics of Christian libertarianism, because libertarian Christians are Calvinist adherents to
covenant theologyCovenant theology is a conceptual overview and interpretive framework for understanding the overall flow of the Bible...
, and as such, they object to (a) Christian libertarianism that affiliates itself with theonomic reconstructionism based on objections to theonomic reconstructionism; and (b) Christian libertarianism that does not affiliate with theonomic reconstructionism based on its presumed
ad hoc, non-systematic, and fallacious approach to theology. Libertarian Christians base their libertarianism upon a specific interpretive framework.
There have also been criticisms of Libertarianism from the point of view of the papal magisterium, notably in Libertas Praestantissimum,
Rerum NovarumRerum Novarum is an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on May 15 1891. It was an open letter, passed to all Catholic bishops, that addressed the condition of the working classes. The encyclical is entitled: "Rights and Duties of Capital and Labour"...
,
Quadragesimo AnnoQuadragesimo Anno is an encyclical by Pope Pius XI, issued 15 May 1931, 40 years after Rerum Novarum . Unlike Leo, who addressed the condition of workers, Pius XI discusses the ethical implications of the social and economic order...
and
Centesimus AnnusCentesimus Annus was an encyclical written by Pope John Paul II in 1991, on the hundredth anniversary of Rerum Novarum...
.
Further reading
External links