Slaying Leviathan

Limited Government and Resistance in the Christian Tradition

By: Glenn S. Sunshine

Narrated by: Joshua Marchlewski

Christians first expressed these political truths under Caesars, kings, popes, and emperors. We need them in the age of presidents. Leviathan is rising again, and the first weapon we must recover is the longstanding Christian tradition of resisting governmental overreach.

Our bloated bureaucratic state would have been unrecognizable to the founders, and our acquiescence to its encroachments on liberty would have infuriated them. But here is the point; our Leviathan would not have surprised them. They were well acquainted with the tendency of governments to turn tyrannical: “Eternal vigilance is the price we pay for liberty.”

In Slaying Leviathan, historian Glenn S. Sunshine surveys some of the stories and key elements of Christian political thought from Augustine to the Declaration of Independence. Specifically, the audiobook introduces theories of limited government that were synthesized into a coherent political philosophy by John Locke. Locke, of course, influenced the American founders and was, like us, fighting against the spirit of Leviathan in his day. But his is only one of the many stories in this audiobook.

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a must read

this book is great especially the last few chapters. I would consider this a must read.

Interesting history

The short version: government has no power from God to command what God forbids, or to forbid what He commands. Those which try regardless are tyrants to be resisted.

birth of Christianity in the government

The book was on a Christian reading list given to us from our pastor. I loved this book, it is a great read

Great book

Thought provoking! Glad I read it. I hate required word limits, I said all I wanted to say.

virtuous convicting and understandable

very informative on the history and formation of the spheres of church and state. well worth the read even if you are catholic or orthodox.