Aspen talk Nov 3rd: "Slave to law or love?"

Invitation to a "meet and greet" and gathering of friends of freedom

I am giving a public talk on Sunday evening (November 3rd) at the Mollie Hotel at 111 S. Garmisch St. Aspen, Colorado from 5-8pm. The event is unticketed, so entrance is on a first come basis. It is an informal “meet and greet” type gathering, so there should be plenty of time for us to chat and interact. I know this is not the easiest or cheapest place to get to, but circumstances mean I cannot plan and publicise public speaking dates far in advance right now; I am where I am.

The topic I plan to discuss is a perennial one — how can we govern ourselves and be free? In the last week my attention was drawn to “Lex, Rex”, a 17th century treatise on law and kingdom by Scottish minister Samual Rutherford. This book was burned at the time as being heretical against the tyranny of the monarch, and (I am told) formed a key part of the philosophical justification for the American Revolution. Nothing fundamentally changes, and we are back at roughly the same place of legalised despotism and a spiritual crossroads.

Even if all the corrupt Admiralty courts were abolished tomorrow, sound money was restored, and treason prosecuted to its fullest extend, we would still be mired in the same conundrum: if freedom arises from the ability to enact our own will, how to resolve the clash of those wills? The promise of covenant is the escape from the forced choice between peace (under the tyranny of legalism) or freedom (with chaos and violence). Every man faces the same question of which master to serve: law or love, Mammon or God.

My rough talk outline is as follows:

• Recap of the thesis of “spiritual exit from the law” and how electing clean representatives in fair elections in a downsized state still doesn’t fix the foundational spiritual problem of contract vs covenant.

• Vignettes from my time here in the USA on this particular trip that bring the spiritual war to life, especially how a ministry of reconciliation takes us above the realm of politics.

• My own tale of spiritual learning — as a child, academic, consultant, scientist, dissident, activist, rascal, artist, and father, including how to cope in a world run by narcissists, controllers, and psychopaths.

My question to attendees is whether the “anons” represent the new priest class in society, as the religious spirit of the right is exposed as a counterfeit of virtue, and the delinquency of the left is proven to be suicidal. Who can be trusted to uphold truth and morality when there is no worldly reward of status, wealth, or approval?

If the event is live streamed or recorded then I will announce it on my X group Return of the Geddi, as well as on my Telegram channel. Candour and publicity exist in tension, so let’s see which wins on this occasion.

Please do spread the word to anyone you know in the area! I have few local contacts.

If you are coming, it would be helpful to know, so we can plan numbers and get a larger room if needed… just hit ‘reply’ or DM me on X.