Anarchy, COVID, and the Church: A Breakout Session that Offended (and Enlightened) Everyone

At this year’s FreedomFest, the Libertarian Christian Institute had the pleasure of hosting one of the first breakout sessions of the event, where we highlighted LCI’s 10th anniversary and our two latest book publications: Benj Giffone’s A House Divided: Technology, Worship, and Healing the Church after COVID and Cody Cook’s The Anarchist Anabaptist. Since the subject matter is definitely a bit controversial (at least for the mainstream), we boldly chose to title the session “Anarchy, COVID, and the Church. Or, How to Offend Everybody Everywhere All At Once!” Perhaps a bit click-baity of a title, it at least evokes that this session intended to cover topics that would challenge the hearer.

I opened the session briefly recounting the origin story of the Libertarian Christian Institute and our mission for the past decade of equipping the church to promote a free society. This means we’re speaking truth to power, and helping our fellow believers make a difference with important ideas about liberty like those our panelists were about to discuss. With the help of our dear friend Doc Dixon – our magical moderator for the panel – we handed it over to Benj and Cody.

Watch here on YouTube.

Challenging the Church’s COVID Response

The real substance began when Benj, author of A House Divided: Technology, Worship, and Healing the Church After COVID, took the floor. His message: COVID-19 exposed both deep flaws and profound truths within Western Christianity.

Benj’s central argument was that the church’s move to digital-only worship during the pandemic wasn’t just a logistical adaptation—it was a spiritual wound. “Life together in the church, which we were robbed of during COVID, is actually even more essential to our human being than just the utility of community,” he said. The rituals, sacraments, and face-to-face fellowship that bind Christians were, in his view, not only irreplaceable but essential for human flourishing.

But why did churches comply so quickly with government shutdowns and mandates? For Benj, part of the answer is fear among Christian leaders—especially Protestant elites—of being labeled “anti-science.” He noted that these leaders often uncritically endorsed restrictions, driven by status anxiety more than conviction. At the same time, Benj credited Christians and non-Christians alike who spoke out in defense of liberty, seeing in them natural allies.

Benj’s sobering conclusion: Christianity’s unique contribution isn’t just community or tradition. The New Testament provides the foundation for human rights, freedom, and a principled skepticism of “corrupted elites”—whether in government, science, or media. “Forgiveness and reconciliation,” he emphasized, “must be based in truth and repentance, not mere amnesty or forgetting.”

Anabaptists and the Roots of Christian Anarchism

Next, Cody Cook, author of The Anarchist Anabaptist: Essays on Radical Christianity and Freedom, offered a tour of radical Christian history, particularly the often-overlooked Anabaptists of the Reformation era.

Cook explained how these “radical Christians” rejected both religious violence and enforced state religion two centuries before classical liberalism caught up. “The only true faith is a voluntary one,” he argued—an idea that led the Anabaptists to refuse infant baptism (a pillar of church-state unity at the time) and to embrace voluntary, communal living. Their commitment to voluntarism, decentralization, and pacifism, Cook said, makes their story a rich resource for modern libertarian Christians.

He connected this tradition of principled dissent back to the New Testament itself, noting how early Christianity’s rejection of state power led church fathers to draw a sharp contrast between allegiance to Christ and allegiance to Caesar. For Cook, these ideas are not just ancient curiosities, but blueprints for voluntary, peaceful societies even today—and the Amish, Hutterites, and Mennonites prove such communities are possible.

Q&A and Takeaways

The session wrapped up with a spirited Q&A that felt, appropriately, like a family reunion of iconoclasts and agitators. A perennial favorite—“How do libertarian Christians handle Romans 13?”—was answered with a nod toward LCI’s online resources. Another attendee pressed Cook about “natural law,” to which he explained that while the Anabaptists didn’t use that label, their beliefs tracked closely with natural law principles for justice and self-defense.

It was clear that for this crowd, difficult questions are not only welcome—they’re part of the fun.

If there was one recurring theme, it was that true Christian community and principled liberty are deeply intertwined, more than many realize. While COVID exposed painful weaknesses in how churches navigate public pressure, the historic witness of believers—from the house churches of the pandemic to the anarchist Anabaptists of old—reminds us that faith, freedom, and flourishing walk hand in hand.

For those hungry for genuine community, real reconciliation, and a faith not afraid to say “no” when it matters, the session offered both intellectual ammunition and a warm invitation—clash of ideas included.

*Curious to go deeper? You can grab copies of A House Divided and The Anarchist Anabaptist through the Libertarian Christian Institute.*

*Were you at the session or have thoughts to share? Contact us here or on social media—offending everybody is optional, but strong opinions are always welcome.*

Source: https://libertarianchristians.com/2025/07/02/anarchy-covid-church/