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The Midwife vs. the State: Home Birth, Christianity & Obeying God with Brenda 'Granny' Smith
Description
The State of Arkansas told Brenda “Granny” Smith to stop attending births.
She wadded up the cease-and-desist letter and threw it away.
Brenda had already spent years helping mothers when she found herself facing state scrutiny, an arrest warrant, legal bills, and what she says were eight years of Facebook screenshots collected as evidence.
Why keep going?
Because Brenda believed God had called her to stand beside women who needed help, and she was not willing to let fear of the state become more important than obedience to Christ.
That lived experience eventually helped her recognize something about herself: the Christian faith she already practiced fit naturally with anarchy built on consent and non-aggression.
Her challenge is simple: “If your faith doesn’t require something difficult of you, why are you even doing it?”
In this episode, Craig and Brenda dig into:
👶 Home birth, midwifery, and informed choice
⚖️ State regulation and voluntary relationships
📱 Arrest warrants, surveillance, and Facebook screenshots
✝️ Obeying God rather than men
🕊️ Consent, non-aggression, and Christian anarchy
👑 “Who is your master?”
🏛️ Government as a “perpetual parent”
❤️ Loving enemies instead of simply rejecting rulers
🌅 Becoming an “apocaloptimist” when the world looks like it is falling apart
📖 For Full Show Notes: https://thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-169
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