The Biblical Anarchy Podcast

In this episode of the Biblical Anarchy Podcast, host Jacob Winograd examines whether legal justification is a sufficient stopping point for Christian ethics on violence. Anchoring the discussion in 1 Corinthians 6:12 -- "all things are lawful, but not all things are helpful" -- Jacob distinguishes between principled pacifism, which he rejects on biblical grounds, and practical pacifism, a posture that treats lethal force as a genuine last resort rather than a celebrated option. Drawing on parallels from free market theory and noncoercive parenting, he argues that when violence is taken off the table as a default, better solutions emerge. The episode also critiques the "I wish a MFer would" ethos in Christian gun culture, revisits the early church's refusal to meet Roman persecution with defensive force, and challenges the binary framing that dominates both foreign policy and personal ethics debates among Christians. The conclusion: permissible is the floor, commendable is the target, and the church has been too quick to stop asking which one it is actually pursuing.Full Episode Notes at BiblicalAnarchyPodcast.comThe Biblical Anarchy Podcast is part of the Christians For Liberty Network, a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute. Audio cleaned up with the Podsworth App!https://podsworth.comUse code LCI50 for 50% off your first order at Podsworth.com to clean up your voice recordings and also support LCI!

If Christians cannot serve two masters, how does that play out for voting for people to be in authority or serving in a state military?Full Episode Notes at BiblicalAnarchyPodcast.comThe Biblical Anarchy Podcast is part of the Christians For Liberty Network, a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute. Audio cleaned up with the Podsworth App!https://podsworth.comUse code LCI50 for 50% off your first order at Podsworth.com to clean up your voice recordings and also support LCI!

Full Episode Notes at BiblicalAnarchyPodcast.comThe Biblical Anarchy Podcast is part of the Christians For Liberty Network, a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute. Audio cleaned up with the Podsworth App!https://podsworth.comUse code LCI50 for 50% off your first order at Podsworth.com to clean up your voice recordings and also support LCI!

This bonus episode was orginally an LCI Green Room livestream with Greg Baus from the Reformed Libertarian podcast to talk about how all authority comes from God, but divine, church, and civil authority aren’t the same thing—and how Christian nationalism tends to blur those lines. We reacted to a Right Response Ministry video (Joel Webbon and others) that said critics misunderstand Christian nationalism and argued the state isn’t religiously neutral. They used the Ten Commandments, Psalm 2 (“kiss the Son”), and Romans 13 to claim rulers should enforce not just laws about harm between neighbors, but also laws against idolatry and false worship. Greg and I pushed back hard, saying they were collapsing divine judgment into civil punishment and never gave a real principle for separating sin from crime, which leads to an unbounded “Christian nanny state.” We also critiqued their handling of Two Kingdoms theology, “general equity,” and what Romans 13 means by “evil.” After that, we listened to a chapel talk by Pastor Matt Cotta, who warned that when Christianity gets used for a political project it turns into a counterfeit faith, and that nationalism becomes an idolatrous rival. He drew a line between nations as people-groups and modern nation-states, argued nation-states enforce unity through coercion, and said the church is Christ’s kingdom—pilgrims and exiles—so worship itself witnesses against giving ultimate loyalty to any earthly nation.

Full Episode Notes at BiblicalAnarchyPodcast.comThe Biblical Anarchy Podcast is part of the Christians For Liberty Network, a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute. Audio cleaned up with the Podsworth App!https://podsworth.comUse code LCI50 for 50% off your first order at Podsworth.com to clean up your voice recordings and also support LCI!

Full Episode Notes at BiblicalAnarchyPodcast.comThe Biblical Anarchy Podcast is part of the Christians For Liberty Network, a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute. Audio cleaned up with the Podsworth App!https://podsworth.comUse code LCI50 for 50% off your first order at Podsworth.com to clean up your voice recordings and also support LCI!

O Come Emmanuel is often treated like a peaceful Christmas hymn, but its message is far more restless than we remember. In this belated Christmas episode of the Biblical Anarchy Podcast, Jacob Winograd explores how the song reflects Israel’s longing, Christian exile, and the tension of a kingdom that has come but is not yet fully realized.Christmas is not only about celebration; it is also about waiting. It is about living between promise and fulfillment, between Christ’s victory and the world’s resistance. Rather than escaping that tension or trying to solve it with political power, this episode calls Christians to embrace faithful hope, resist false kingdoms, and remain anchored in the reign of Christ.Full Episode Notes at BiblicalAnarchyPodcast.comThe Biblical Anarchy Podcast is part of the Christians For Liberty Network, a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute. Audio cleaned up with the Podsworth App!https://podsworth.comUse code LCI50 for 50% off your first order at Podsworth.com to clean up your voice recordings and also support LCI!

What is real freedom, and why does it matter for how we live, think, and take responsibility for ourselves? In this episode, I sit down with Brent Freeman (@BGetsBetter) to explore anarchy, personal sovereignty, and what it might look like to build a free society from the ground up.We talk about whether a stateless order could be realistic, how health and mindset shape human behavior, and why decentralization appeals to so many people who are tired of political extremes. Along the way, I bring in what the Bible teaches about authority, justice, and the limits of human government, contrasting the Christian case for liberty with Brent's own perspective as someone outside the faith.If you're interested in how freedom intersects with culture, responsibility, and real-world incentives—not just theory—this is a conversation worth tuning in for.Full Episode Notes at BiblicalAnarchyPodcast.comThe Biblical Anarchy Podcast is part of the Christians For Liberty Network, a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute. Audio cleaned up with the Podsworth App!https://podsworth.comUse code LCI50 for 50% off your first order at Podsworth.com to clean up your voice recordings and also support LCI!

In this episode, Jacob analyzes how conspiracy theory culture has grown across the political spectrum, using the recent Dave Smith vs. Seth Dillon exchange on Piers Morgan as a launchpad. Jacob reflects on the tension Christians face in a world overwhelmed by information, propaganda, and the rapid spread of mistrust toward institutions. Looking closely at foreign policy failures, government deception, and cultural tribalism, he explains why skepticism can be healthy — yet warns against replacing one blind trust with another. The conversation also explores how the rise of AI, deepfakes, and hyperpolarized online spaces makes discerning truth harder than ever, especially for Christians seeking to live faithfully in an empire of disinformation.Jacob then addresses how blowback, identity politics, and a broken media environment fuel radicalization on the right. Using examples like Nick Fuentes, Israel-Palestine debates, and reactions to Charlie Kirk’s death, he explains how dishonest narratives — whether from governments, commentators, or influencers — strengthen the worst impulses in conspiracy theory culture. Instead of demonizing people or censoring them, Jacob argues for honest dialogue, principled skepticism, and Christian integrity. The episode closes with a call for the church to resist grievance-based politics and pursue truth, peace, and a kingdom-centered worldview in the midst of cultural chaos.Full Episode Notes at BiblicalAnarchyPodcast.comThe Biblical Anarchy Podcast is part of the Christians For Liberty Network, a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute. Audio cleaned up with the Podsworth App!https://podsworth.comUse code LCI50 for 50% off your first order at Podsworth.com to clean up your voice recordings and also support LCI!

From a recent LCI Greenroom with Jacob Winograd of Biblical Anarchy, Dave comes in to address some of the criticisms he has received including from libertarians, and the theme of the conversation is why Christians need libertarianism to properly analyze the world, but that also libertarianism isn't enough to create a moral and peaceful society.Full Episode Notes at BiblicalAnarchyPodcast.comThe Biblical Anarchy Podcast is part of the Christians For Liberty Network, a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute. Audio cleaned up with the Podsworth App!https://podsworth.comUse code LCI50 for 50% off your first order at Podsworth.com to clean up your voice recordings and also support LCI!

In this episode of the Biblical Anarchy Podcast, Jacob shares his recent guest appearance on The Larry Sharpe Show, joined by fellow Christian libertarian Amity. The conversation centers around the often-repeated slogan “politics is downstream of culture,” with Jacob arguing that this is only half the truth. When people can’t afford rent, groceries, housing, or health care, culture doesn’t remain abstract; it reacts — often violently. The discussion explores how monetary policy, inflation, and government distortion of markets shape cultural norms, time preference, hope for the future, and even the ability of families to form and thrive. Jacob and Amity explain how artificially low interest rates, cronyism, federal subsidies, and barriers to local production inflate the cost of living and erode long-term thinking, while cheap consumer goods mask deeper economic instability. Larry pushes the conversation into cultural psychology — asking why Americans consume impulsively, carry massive debt, and increasingly lose hope for marriage, homeownership, and purpose. Jacob and Amity respond by showing the tight feedback loop between economic suffering, social despair, and political polarization, alongside the Christian vision of work, rest, service, and meaningful community. Together they dissect generational hopelessness, declining marriage rates, the rise of socialism among young people, the moral hazards of government programs, and why solving cultural decline requires both spiritual renewal and economic reform. The conversation concludes with a challenge to Christians and libertarians alike: cultivate homes, churches, and communities built on service, responsibility, and example — while tearing down the economic and political structures that keep people trapped in cycles of dependency, resentment, and despair.Full Episode Notes at BiblicalAnarchyPodcast.comThe Biblical Anarchy Podcast is part of the Christians For Liberty Network, a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute. Audio cleaned up with the Podsworth App!https://podsworth.comUse code LCI50 for 50% off your first order at Podsworth.com to clean up your voice recordings and also support LCI!

Jacob Winograd talks with Ben Weir, founder of Punks for Liberty, about what it really means to live free under Christ’s rule instead of man’s. The two dig into the tension between faith and rebellion—what anarchy looks like when it’s not chaos, but love lived out without coercion. Ben shares his story of going from infantry soldier to touring punk musician to Christian anarchist, reflecting on how music, conviction, and faith all meet at the crossroads of liberty and grace.Jacob and Ben unpack misconceptions about anarchy, the exhaustion of political tribalism, and the soul rot that comes from trusting in power instead of God. They talk about what it means to stand apart from the world without hardening your heart, and why Jesus’ compassion and defiance both matter for how we live today. From the tears of a Savior who cared deeply to the righteous anger that turned over tables, they show how the Gospel has always been a challenge to every empire—ancient or modern.Full Episode Notes at BiblicalAnarchyPodcast.comThe Biblical Anarchy Podcast is part of the Christians For Liberty Network, a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute. Audio cleaned up with the Podsworth App!https://podsworth.comUse code LCI50 for 50% off your first order at Podsworth.com to clean up your voice recordings and also support LCI!

In this episode of the LCI Greenroom, Doug Stuart and Jacob Winograd sit down with James Lindsay to explore whether the West — and Israel by extension — can escape what Lindsay calls the “trap of catharsis.” Drawing from his recent essay Civilization vs. Catharsis, James explains how our culture has replaced reason and moral responsibility with emotional release — a worldview that seeks justice through outrage and purification rather than truth and reconciliation. Together, the discussion unpacks how this mindset, rooted in critical theory and postmodern thought, shapes everything from social movements to the global narratives surrounding Israel, the West, and the meaning of civilization itself.But this wasn’t a debate — it was an attempt to understand. Doug and Jacob press James on the taboos surrounding foreign policy discussion, the tendency to frame every disagreement as friend versus enemy, and whether defending the West from ideological decay risks mirroring the same tribalism it seeks to resist. The conversation wrestles with the spiritual and moral foundations of truth, liberty, and civilization — and asks whether any of them can survive without humility, repentance, and the courage to confront our own moral blindness.

In this episode, Jacob Winograd takes on Jon Stewart’s infamous “19 Questions for Libertarians” from his 2011 exchange with Judge Napolitano. Stewart’s list of “gotcha” questions—about roads, firemen, safety nets, and “heartless” libertarians—once made waves online. But more than a decade later, Jacob unpacks why those same arguments still miss the mark.From a distinctly biblical libertarian perspective, Jacob answers each question one by one, exposing the hidden assumptions behind them and showing that true compassion doesn’t come from coercion. He breaks down what liberty really means, why government isn’t the source of rights, and how biblical principles of justice, charity, and personal responsibility offer a better foundation for a free and moral society.Full Episode Notes at BiblicalAnarchyPodcast.comThe Biblical Anarchy Podcast is part of the Christians For Liberty Network, a project of the Libertarian Christian Institute. Audio cleaned up with the Podsworth App!https://podsworth.comUse code LCI50 for 50% off your first order at Podsworth.com to clean up your voice recordings and also support LCI!