We Americans have long referred to our nation as, “The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave,” and we frequently talk about liberty. On the weekend of March 9th, it was the topic of the Law and Liberty Pacific Northwest Tour, a one-day event put on by the Chalcedon Foundation, and live streamed by e3 Webcasting. But what is liberty? Are there limits to liberty? Is law merely the imposition of other men? How can we avoid the extremes of anarchy on the one hand and tyranny on the other? These are all good questions for any “Son of Liberty” to wrestle with, and they also happen to be a few of the questions that were addressed this weekend.

Chalcedon is a Christian educational organization, based out of Vallecito, CA, that seeks to promote the ideas of Biblical Christianity as they apply to every area of life. This event takes its name from a book by the same title, which written in 1984 by the organization’s founder, R.J. Rushdoony. The day featured talks from two distinguished speakers: Mark Rushdoony, the president of Chalcedon, and Bojidar Marinov, a missionary and author who leads a ministry to his homeland of Bulgaria. Both of these men spoke passionately about the ideas that have shaped Western Civilization over centuries of history.

The event, which was coordinated by Chalcedon’s Andrea Schwartz with the help of a local family, was held at the charming Majestic Inn in Anacortes, Washington, a town north of Seattle, WA. The crowd numbered over a hundred, and was made up of a wide demographic, ranging from families with kids, to young adults and college-age students, to older adults. They listened intently as Rushdoony and Marinov unpacked the theological and political ideas that are encompassed in the topic of law, and the nature of true liberty. Rushdoony opened the day with a historical overview of “How We Went From Liberty to Statism” and Marinov followed up with a dissertation on “Ethics as the Foundation for Liberty.” The afternoon talks delved into reasons for Christians to be optimistic, and the structure of a Biblical society.

The Law and Liberty Pacific Northwest Tour was a success, and the stream went well. Some may wonder why you would live stream an event such as this, but there are many reasons to do so. In addition to the people who were in attendance at The Majestic, more people, unable to travel to the event, were able to watch via the live stream. Chalcedon and organizations like it have extremely important, timely messages; and they desire to reach as many people as they can with what they have to say. Obviously, live streaming technology will never replace person-to-person interaction, but it does allow for ministries, organizations, and speakers to broadcast their ideas around the nation, and even the world. Live streaming is the future for the spreading of ideas and concepts, and anyone with something to say should consider taking advantage of it. It was great to be able to stream Chalcedon’s event, and it will be exciting to see where this goes in the future, whether America will once again be a free and independent republic.