The Libertarian Fallacy

Libertarians have made their home in the Republican Party where Christians also tend to caucus. Therefore, there is a potential influence of Libertarian ideology on the Christian worldview. And though there is much that we can agree on with Libertarians, the fundamental principle of Libertarianism -- the non-aggression principle -- is not an area of agreement. For the Libertarian, morality is determined by whether a given action hurts someone or not. But is this the way the Bible determines morality? No. The one all-encompassing principle for morality is the greatest commandment. If something is moral, it has to pass the test of conformity with the greatest commandment. It also has to pass the test of the second greatest commandment -- Love your neighbor as yourself. But the second greatest is second because it is subservient to the greatest commandment of loving God with all we've got. As such, the second greatest commandment must not be applied in ways that bring it into conflict with the greatest commandment.
Part 2 of this theme will be addressed next week, as we consider the bankruptcy of "it's OK as long as it doesn't hurt anyone" principle for sexual ethics.