[tprovince08]

Not sure about Wheeling Jesuit, but I’m glad to hear you’re considering Loyola NO and Grove City College. I’d give my right arm to study under Prof. Block or Prof. Herbener. Seriously, though, you should also look into Texas Tech, as they have the Free Market Institute. I’m not sure exactly how Austrian it is and I believe it caters more to graduate students, but at the very least it would be nice to study at a school with an institute devoted to free markets. Dr. Benjamin Powell is the Director of that institute and has appeared on the Tom Woods Show once or twice, so it might be good to try to get in touch with him.

[tprovince08]

I second Grove City College. It certainly couldn’t hurt to study under Prof. Herbener. I’d also check out Loyola University, New Orleans. As I understand it, the faculty there is virtually all Austrian and certainly 100% free market oriented. At Loyola, you’d have a chance to study with “Mr. Libertarian” himself – Prof. Walter Block. Of course, Dr. Block would say that the title of “Mr. Libertarian” will always belong to Murray Rothbard.

Speaking of Rothbard (faculty and other members can correct me if I’m wrong), if you are more inclined towards the work of Hayek, then GMU would be a good place to look. But if you’re more of a Misesian/Rothbardian, then you might want to seriously consider Loyola, New Orleans, as Rothbard was Dr. Block’s mentor and I believe Prof. Block even got a chance to meet Mises himself.

Other schools to consider would be Troy University and (oddly enough) Texas Tech University.

[tprovince08]

On OIF, Esselbach, you might want to check out COBRA II by Michael R. Gordon and Gen. Bernard E. Trainor. It’s been a while since I’ve read it, but this was one of the books that helped me along in my transition from neocon to non-interventionist. While not exactly anti-establishment or out of the mainstream, the book does provide the non-interventionist reader with an incredible amount of information – more than enough ammo to show what a disaster the war was even from the planning stages.

[tprovince08]

I know I’m a bit late in chiming in, but to answer your (rhetorical) question, Dr. Gutzman, it was odd for Stewart to make that move. Stewart’s interviews at the end of each episode are virtually always one-on-one, even with guests that are conservative. That said, most of his “conservative” guests are well within the mainstream “3×5 Card” as Dr. Woods describes it, so perhaps he didn’t want someone to get away with telling truths that Americans aren’t supposed to hear. It was a heavily stacked deck, so hopefully a few people will realize that and do their own research on the issues that were discussed.

[tprovince08]

I appreciate the reply, Dr. Woods!

[tprovince08]

The best treatment of international relations from a libertarian perspective comes, unsurprisingly, from Murray Rothbard. “War, Peace, and the State” is an absolutely life-changing essay. It’s very profound, yet also very easy to understand. You can find this important essay for free at mises.org and lewrockwell.com.

[tprovince08]

Hi jackson,

For what it’s worth, I’m in a similar boat, only I’m considering PhD studies in theology. From what I understand, the job market in academia is extremely rough right now and with Washington’s insane policies, I don’t expect things to pick up anytime soon. The bad job market in the academy is especially bad for folks with the kind of degrees that we’re interested in pursuing (last I heard, anyway). The difference between you and me is that you have a marketable undergrad degree, whereas I majored in political science (and I can’t see myself working for the government, so that narrows my prospects substantially – that’s what I get for becoming an Austro-libertarian after graduation). So my advice would be to carefully research the job market before you spend 5-6 years in school for a degree that may not pay off.

[tprovince08]

ronulan,

Rob Bell writes in “Love Wins” that his views are taken from a long stream of Christian thought. If only he knew how long and deep that stream runs! In fact, I’m working on research that will demonstrate that Bell is actually closer to ancient Christian teachings on heaven, hell, and the nature of God and sin and man than most “mainstream” Christians in the West give him credit for. A reading of the Fathers of the Church (particularly the Eastern Fathers) will demonstrate that Bell is much closer theologically to what the Apostles taught than your average evangelical pastor here in the States. As for more modern comparisons to Bell’s work, one need only read C.S. Lewis’ “The Great Divorce” to see that Bell is far from being alone. Outside the mainstream of Western Christianity he may be, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s wrong.

And samgheb, as for the existence of God, one need not get caught up in debates on His existence. Ultimately, the best proof is firsthand experience. So read the Bible, read sermons and letters from the Fathers of the Church, go to Church services, and above all, pray. We see the invitation written in scripture: “Come and see!”

[tprovince08]

Samgheb,

If you’re looking for theological works aimed at a more general audience, I’d recommend the works of C.S. Lewis – “Mere Christianity” and “Miracles” are especially good and I think they’re helpful in regards to what you’re looking for. Rob Bell’s “What We Talk About When We Talk About God” and “Love Wins” are also very good.

[tprovince08]

Hi Patricia,

I know your post was directed to Professor Woods, but since this is on the General Discussion board, I thought I’d throw in my two cents. While I’m from the Orthodox tradition, I am a relatively new convert, so I know what it’s like to go through the process of being received into a new tradition. Especially in the Orthodox and Catholic Churches, it’s a big decision – a major commitment in many ways, as you well know.

While Dr. Woods can answer your important question much more thoroughly than I can, I would encourage you to keep praying about your decision to join the Catholic Church and think about why you believe this is where God is calling you. Every tradition has its shortcomings, but I think the most important thing to keep in mind is your spiritual life. The Church is ultimately a spiritual hospital and if you believe that the Catholic Church is indeed the ancient and Apostolic Church of the scriptures founded at Pentecost, helping you to be more like Christ each day, then by all means don’t miss out on where the Spirit of the Lord is leading you. As important as economics and politics can be, our spiritual life is even more important. I suppose what I’m saying all comes down to deciding what is best for you spiritually – try not to worry so much about the political and economic stuff for now.

Believe me, there are some issues I have with the current state of the Orthodox Church, but being received into the Holy Orthodox Catholic Church has been an incredible and generous blessing from the Lord. I’ll be praying for you – best regards as you make this decision.

[tprovince08]

Hey, everybody, it’s been a while since I posted, but thanks for the responses.

Sterling, I think I know what you mean – I was raised in the Southern Baptist tradition and I used to be as hardcore of a neocon as they come, along with just about everyone else in the churches I attended. So yes, it is exceedingly rare to find a liberty-oriented person in the Baptist tradition… or at least in the Southern Baptist churches I was raised in and attended until I was received into the Orthodox Church.

And drphil, you may have already done so, but I highly recommend looking into Professor Woods’ writing on the Catholic Church. He is a devout Catholic and has written some wonderful stuff as to why Catholics can indeed be libertarians in addition to his work on how the Catholic Church has contributed to the cause of liberty.

[tprovince08]

Hi, Samgheb. It largely depends on what you’re looking for. I had the opportunity to study at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University and I can tell you there is no end to the variety of perspectives and topics you can get in theological literature. For books aimed at a more general audience, I’d recommend anything from C.S. Lewis – “Mere Christianity”, “Miracles”, and “The Great Divorce” are especially well done works. Some of the best, most beautifully written, and interesting books I’ve read recently have been by Rob Bell, who is the author of “Love Wins” and “What We Talk About When We Talk About God”.

For more in-depth stuff, I’d recommend anything by William J. Abraham. He comes from the Methodist tradition and I had the opportunity to study under him at SMU. His work on Canonical Theism is particularly fascinating and very important. I come from the Orthodox tradition, so I’d also recommend the work of Fr. John Behr and Fr. John Romanides – their work on Patristic theology is especially good. Finally, from an Orthodox perspective, I can’t recommend the work of Archbishop Lazar Puhalo enough. While his books are in need of editing, you can find Kindle versions at amazon.com. “The Evidence of Things Not Seen: Orthodox and Modern Physics”, “The Nature of Heaven and Hell According to the Holy Fathers”, and “Freedom to Believe” are all very important works.

Hope this helps!

[tprovince08]

Got it. As I suspected, it was something all too obvious. Thanks for the help!

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