Jennifer Townsend—adjunct instructor, death-and-dying scholar, and Heterodox Academy campus co-chair at Western Michigan University—challenges the ideological monoculture dominating higher education. Awarded for promoting open inquiry and viewpoint diversity, she shares how she openly defends free speech on a left-leaning campus without hiding her views. The conversation dives into Jonathan Haidt's moral foundations theory, the limits of identity-based diversity, the value of listening to understand (not just to win), and why free inquiry remains essential—even when bad ideas persist. Townsend also critiques credential inflation, encourages trades over debt-laden degrees, and describes classroom strategies that shift students toward nuanced, less knee-jerk thinking.

Books and resources mentioned:

Heterodox Academy website: heterodoxacademy.org

Jennifer's Substack on death and dying: The End

Jennifer's Instagram accounts (death education, death book club)

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Don't Label Me: How to Do Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice Without Sacrificing the Truth or Your Own Soul by Irshad Manji

How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide by Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay

The Three Languages of Politics: Talking Across the Political Divides by Arnold Kling

On Liberty by John Stuart Mill

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Economist and author Bryan Caplan returns to discuss his latest book, You Have No Right to Your Culture. Bryan explains why genuine “cultural preservation” would require totalitarian control over children and future generations, why most cultural change comes from generational shifts rather than immigration, and why appeals to a “right to culture” only seem to appear when immigrants are involved.

Doug and Bryan dig into Western civilization’s global influence (“Westtoxification”), the rapid cultural transformations in places like the UAE and Japan, and whether Western culture is really “under attack” or simply winning the world by passing the market test. They contrast perceived threats from immigration with the rise of critical theory and “wokeness,” and Bryan lays out his famous “Caplan compromise” on open borders—keyhole solutions like limiting welfare and voting while radically expanding migration.

The conversation also covers:

• What Bryan actually means by “culture” and why you don’t have a right to others practicing yours
• Why true cultural preservation implies a deeply totalitarian mindset
• Western civ, liberalism, and how the Enlightenment reshaped both
• Colonialism, anti‑colonialism, and why peace often matters more than political control
• Why fears of a coordinated partisan “open borders” plot are largely fantasy
• Cohesion, “turning the other cheek,” and how to actually build social peace in a diverse society
• Bryan’s debate strategy as the “passive‑aggressive Jesus”
• Lightning round: best meal, most overrated destination, surprising cultural practices, and dream dinner guests

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In a more theology-heavy discussion, the Libertarian Christian Podcast welcomed guest Rev. Nicholas Quient, pastor and New Testament PhD candidate, for a deep dive into apocalyptic theology in Pauline studies.

Quient contrasts the traditional Lutheran/Reformed view of Paul (individual justification and guilt), the New Perspective (covenantal nomism and Jew-Gentile unity), and the apocalyptic Paul—which sees the Christ event as God's invasive victory over enslaving cosmic powers, sin, and death, ushering in new creation amid the overlapping present evil age.

This episode explores how this framework emphasizes liberation, principalities and powers, and Christ's sovereignty, as well as its implications for libertarian thought: Paul's sharp distinction between the church (allegiant to King Jesus) and the wicked worldly powers.

Nick's book: https://amzn.to/4sySXzL

Nick's X profile: @nickquient

Nick's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/nttheologist

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NickQuient

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Doug Stuart interviews Caleb Franz, author of The Conductor: The Story of Reverend John Rankin, Abolitionism's Essential Founding Father. Franz shares the fascinating story of how he discovered and researched this largely forgotten figure from his hometown of Ironton, Ohio. The conversation explores Rankin's pivotal role in the abolition movement, particularly in the Ohio River Valley—a region often overlooked in abolitionist history that typically centers on New England.

Franz discusses Rankin's theological arguments against slavery, his work on the Underground Railroad helping thousands of enslaved people escape to freedom, and his profound influence on key historical figures including Harriet Beecher Stowe (whose "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was inspired by Rankin's letters) and Ulysses S. Grant (who studied under Rankin before attending West Point). The episode delves into the research process behind writing historical biography, the intersection of faith and liberty in the abolition movement, and how Rankin's Christian convictions drove his radical opposition to slavery from the 1820s through the Civil War era.

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In this episode, Cody Cook interviews Joel Miller, author of The Idea Machine: How Books Built Our World and Shape Our Future.

A former publishing executive, Miller reveals how books—far more than mere containers of text—have profoundly shaped civilization. He explores the "magic" of their physical form (which enabled Augustine’s transformative encounter with Romans) the timeless dialogues they allow with dead thinkers like Paul and Athanasius, and the preservation of classical knowledge by monks and Muslim scholars.

The conversation highlights pivotal moments: Charlemagne’s reforms that spread readable texts, the printing press’s role in supercharging the Reformation and scientific progress, and literacy’s liberating power—even as slaveholders banned it to maintain control.

Miller also reflects on modern trade-offs: digital Bibles, AI tools, and the enduring value of books in freeing us from the tyranny of the present while building on centuries of accumulated wisdom.Perfect for anyone who loves history, ideas, and the quiet revolution of reading.

Links:

The Idea Machine: How Books Built Our World and Shape Our Future

Bad Trip: How the War Against Drugs is Destroying America

Size Matters: How Big Government Puts the Squeeze on America's Families, Finances, and Freedom

Miller's Book Review (Joel's Substack)

The Full Focus Planner

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Doug welcomes back returning guest Jim Babka for a libertarian Christian deep dive into Donald Trump’s “second first year” in office. They walk through key events from 2025–26 and ask what they reveal about power, symbolism, and the state.

Topics include:

• Why Trump’s second term feels so different from his first, and how anger and “getting even” seem to shape his decisions
• The Iran bunker‑busting strike and what it says about the myth of Trump as a “peace president”
• The push to buy Greenland, the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico, and how Trump uses symbolism and deal‑making theatrics
• ICE’s shocking tactics as “terror theater” to drive self‑deportation and deter migration
• Why Jim argues the Epstein files are thedefining story of 2025:
  • How Congress slow‑walked and then quietly passed the disclosure law
  • How the administration has violated it with redactions and delays
  • What the limited releases already reveal about Epstein’s roles in intelligence, arms, and under‑the‑table influence
  • How the Epstein issue is uniquely damaging Trump in the polls

Along the way, Doug and Jim connect these developments to memetic theory, the deep state, Zionist influence, and the fragility of American faith in both church and state.

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Cody Cook sits down with Javan Lapp—a manufacturing executive, amateur historian, and Lancaster County keeper of goats—to explore the insights of 16th-century Anabaptist thinker Pilgram Marpeck into what it means for the church to be embodied without succumbing to state Christianity.

Drawing from Javan’s contribution to Anabaptist Political Theology After Marpeck, the conversation examines Marpeck’s theology of the incarnation and how Christ’s literal body informs the identity of the church as the body of Christ. They discuss Marpeck’s debates with spiritualists, his emphasis on voluntary faith and embodied practice, his critique of both legalism and disembodied spirituality, and why his “middle way” remains relevant today.

The episode also touches on the church as voluntary society, suffering, cruciform spirituality, and the balance between creedal conviction and lived ethics—offering fresh insights for libertarian Christians interested in both ecclesiology and political theology.

Buy Anabaptist Political Theology After Marpeck: https://amzn.to/4qebIXV

Javan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/javanlapp/

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Gregory Baus of the Reformed Libertarians Podcast joins Cody Cook to discuss how he grounds his libertarian views as a Reformed Christian. As an Anabaptist Christian, Cody was a little skeptical at the start of the conversation; but tune in to hear Gregory make his case! While he comes at it from a different direction, Cody concludes that he makes a good argument.

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