FSP @ Faith and Liberty conference

The Free State Project had a table at the Faith and Liberty Conference in Denver, CO last Saturday, July 24th, 2010. The Faith and Liberty Conference brought together people who have adopted that seemingly rare (these days) combination of Christian theology and libertarian political philosophy. Chuck Baldwin and Alan Keyes were the keynote speakers.

The FSP’s interest in being there was in recruiting new participants to our pro-liberty movement to New Hampshire. Some Christians are ready to exert the fullest practical effort towards the creation of a society in which the maximum role of government is the protection of life, liberty, and property, and the FSP welcomes them. The Faith and Liberty conference seemed like the kind of place to find such people, so off I went to represent. Indeed, there were several people there who were unaware of the FSP’s existence and progress and were very excited to hear about what we’re up to in New Hampshire.

As a Christian, my interest in being there went beyond simply recruiting for the Free State Project. The FSP welcomes all sorts of people who are ready to work together to create a freer society, regardless of their theological stance. In fact, some of us agree on only one thing: we want more freedom from government tyranny.

It seems I’m not alone in my acceptance of non-Christian libertarians in the realm of politics. I’ve occasionally thought that I’d rather see non-Christians actively protecting freedom in the political arena, than Christians who take an oath to defend our Constitutionally-protected freedom only to violate that oath once elected. I was happy to hear Dr. Baldwin, a Christian pastor, clearly assert that very point.

Lately, Christians have a pretty mixed track record regarding their support for political liberty. Often, their preferred solution to the problem of tyranny is more tyranny. I was genuinely curious as to what I would find at this conference. Would I find Christians who think more government is the solution to tyranny? Would I find Christians who view government as an instrument to force Christian morality on the whole populace, regardless of their faith or lack thereof? Would I simply find a group of Christian theocrats? Would I find Christians whose faith in the human organization(s) of the Church was sufficient to rely on its human institutions to solve the problems we face?

I’m pleased to report I found no such things. In fact, what I found was quite the opposite. I found people who understood God’s role in America’s libertarian heritage, and the role of America’s progressive rejection of God in the downfall of our liberty. Instead of blaming the government for its assault on God, they rightly blame the Church (literally, we, the Christian people) for failing to effectively preserve Christianity, thereby undermining the foundation of freedom in America. I’d say they’re right.

Both Chuck Baldwin and Alan Keyes delivered what could only be called sermons. They preached to the choir, arguably too small by a factor of about a zillion, and we needed to hear it. They laid responsibility for neglecting our duty to preserve liberty in America squarely on the shoulders of the church. They specifically called on pastors of all stripes not to neglect their duty but to embrace it.

When pastors abstain from preaching important parts of the gospel out of fear of government retribution, they lead their congregations in bowing down to Caesar and not to God. Keyes and Baldwin delivered this message clearly: obedience to government over God, which many people in America readily practice, is the primary cause of our present crisis. While this is made visible in the political realm in the form of ever expanding government tyranny, the underlying problem is inherently spiritual. And there are no effective political solutions to spiritual problems, as the framers of our Constitution clearly understood.

I am encouraged, though, that such an event as this would even happen in the first place. Liberty isn’t dead. Even so, I’m not shocked that fewer than half of the Denver MSA’s 2 Million residents attended this event. After all, we didn’t get to where we are due to widespread adoption of the ideas of Christian self-government and the practice thereof. Though I am disappointed with our present circumstance, I am encouraged that the few of us who were there understand the problem and are doing what we can to correct it.

I am encouraged that the event was organized at great personal cost to the organizers, not because the cost was great, but because they did it despite the cost. I am encouraged that many of the attendees clearly understand the philosophy of freedom, and clearly understand its only stable foundation. I’m encouraged that relatively well-known speakers such as Chuck Baldwin and Alan Keyes continue to address the problem of the church’s idolatrous government worship despite the unpopularity of that message both inside and outside the church. And I’m encouraged that a remnant of ordinary people are standing up and taking action to protect and preserve what liberty remains for the benefit of our posterity.

Clearly we’re far outnumbered. The idea of concentrating in one geographic location – the very idea the Free State Project is founded on – is appealing to Christians who understand and want more liberty. Not all are ready yet to move, but some are, and some have already.

I hope this conference inspires leadership in the right direction. Specifically, I hope:

1: that more Christians repent of their government worship and work to reach the church with message of Christian liberty,

2: that more non-Christian libertarians exchange the sinking sand of their current theology with the solid rock of Christ, which is the very best foundation upon which to build a philosophy of freedom,

3: and that more people see the benefits of geographically concentrating our efforts, that we may restore proper limits to government and achieve some semblance of political Liberty in Our Lifetime, at least in one little corner of the world.

… And yes, I hope many would do that here in New Hampshire…

V-