Libertarianism taught in the Scriptures

Is libertarian political philosophy compatible with Christian faith?

There are evangelical leaders who would say it is not. These tend to be cheerleaders for one party in our current system. I’m jaded enough to believe the real danger they see is that a Libertarian Party candidate might siphon votes from their favorite lesser-of-two-evils.

In fact, I’m convinced that libertarian economic philosophy is the only one advocated in the Bible. It rises directly from its pages. Outrageous, you say? Here are three ways the Bible may be pushing you in a libertarian direction.

First, consider Christ’s cornerstone ethic of love for your neighbor. You should love your neighbor as yourself. In his Golden Rule formulation: Do unto others as you would have them do to you. What if we used that as a political guideline?

Do you like being coerced into behavior you don’t agree with? Do you enjoy the thought of brutes with guns demanding your money? Would you rather be left alone, or burdened with a whole bunch of manmade rules that could land you in jail? Then don’t institute policies that do all those things to your neighbors. Why do you vote to empower a locust-swarm of agents to do that to everyone else?

Second, pay attention to the moments in which Christ’s disciples argued about which one of them would be the greatest in his kingdom, and how Jesus responded.

Pay attention to Jesus washing their feet on the night he was betrayed. Leadership is supposed to work differently now than it did before. Their “great ones” dominated them, lording it over them. Not so with you, he said.

Jesus forbids his followers from the use of executive, coercive power. That’s when your status allows you to say to those in your authority, “Do what I command or else.” Executive power uses threats, sanctions, and actual violence to secure the desired compliance from its subjects.

Jesus envisioned leaders using peaceful, cooperative means in their leadership. Their authority would be moral, not physical, or organizational. Executive power is intrinsically antichrist and is on God’s schedule for abolition (1 Corinthians 15:24).

Here we are, though, stuck voting for which scoundrel we think will wield it in a way that we like a little bit better. It’s no coincidence, that works out badly for the people who voted for the other guy, if ours should win. We’ll do unto them what they did unto us.

Third, as I point out in detail in my new book, “Radical Moses,” the law of God created a nation that was libertarian in its construction. The government of Israel was based on individual self-control in view of the (few) commandments, with a judicial system that could secure redress for victims of crime. That’s it.

Even when a later allowance for a king was made, it’s clear that his role was to serve as a judge and a military leader (when needed) but not as an executive ruler.

That makes us nervous because we’ve all bought into the idea that we can’t survive without an overbearing central authority. We’re more terrified by a lack of executives than by a horde of them.

As that first generation of emancipated Hebrew slaves showed us, freedom is scary. Let’s be brave.

Gordan Runyan is pastor of Tucumcari’s Immanuel Baptist Church and author of “Radical Moses: The Amazing Civil Freedom Built into Ancient Israel.” Contact him at:

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