Are we looking at immigration through the eyes of Christ—or through the eyes of Caesar? When the news shouts “invasion,” it’s easy to beg the state to “do something.” But what happens when “doing something” looks like masked men, rifles, broken windows, and traumatized children?
Chris Polk joins Craig to make an audacious claim: the enforcement of political borders and restrictions on free movement violate a God-given right—and it’s the worst kind of tyranny because it traps image-bearers in cages both visible and invisible. Along the way, they compare red vs. blue “law and order,” name our cop-aganda, revisit the Good Samaritan, and ask how a so-called “Christian nation” can justify treating neighbors like enemies. No King but Christ.
“No King but Christ” in the Age of ICE
Chris connects the celebration of militarized “safety” in American cities with our appetite for state solutions at the border. We tend to excuse violence if our team authorizes it—and then act shocked when that same power is used against people we like. “Don’t give Republicans power you wouldn’t give Democrats, and don’t give Democrats power you wouldn’t give Republicans,” he says. The target always changes; the machine does not.
“You had a rabid dog in a cage. All that had to happen was the wrong guy open the door.” — Chris
Borders: To Keep Them Out or Keep You In?
From years of trucking across the U.S. and Canada, Chris describes how crossing an imaginary line turned ordinary people into presumed criminals. Over time, he became convinced border theater isn’t mainly about keeping “them” out—it’s about keeping you (and your tax dollars) in. When escape requires permission papers and guns at gates, you’re not free—you’re managed.
A Pocket Translator, a Broken Beetle, and Simple Neighbor Love
When a Cuban couple’s VW broke down on a cross-country drive, Chris used a translate app, a U-Haul trailer, a friend’s shop, and $50 to get them back on the road. No forms. No status checks. Just two humans helping two humans—exactly the sort of “Good Samaritan” moment Jesus insists is the point (Luke 10).
“Purging statism made it simple: here are two image-bearers who need help—so help them.” — Chris
Jesus Walks Through Samaria, Not Around It
John 4 says Jesus “had to” go through Samaria. That line is a rebuke to our border instincts. The scandal isn’t just that a Samaritan can be “good,” it’s that the people we’ve othered are the very neighbors we are commanded to love. A “Christian nation” that cages travelers for paperwork violations should probably stop calling itself Christian—or start acting like Jesus.
“Worst of All Tyranny”: Why Restricting Movement Tops the List
Free speech, self-defense, property, enterprise—when local laws get oppressive, you can often leave. But if the state blocks your exit with walls and rifles, every other right becomes conditional. That’s why Chris calls border enforcement “the worst tyranny”: it converts neighbors into suspects and converts freedom into a permission slip.
“Freedom is a choice. The minute you start asking for permission, you’re not free.” — Chris
Cop-aganda, Qualified Immunity, and Our Appetite for Violence
From prestige police dramas to viral chases, we’ve been catechized to cheer when “the good guys” break the rules. That appetite dulls us to real-world flashbangs in the wrong crib and windows shattered over paperwork. Remove the masks and rifles, Chris argues, and most ‘immigration enforcement’ looks like what it is: bureaucratic punishment of the poor.
Would Jesus “Follow the Law”?
When Christians insist Jesus would comply with immigration law, Chris counters with the Gospels: Jesus repeatedly defied bad laws and religious power structures, and His crucifixion is the ultimate divine “No” to state violence. If Mary and Joseph fled Herod today, many of us would demand their papers.
Blowback Is Inevitable
Trauma begets retaliation. Raid families today; reap instability tomorrow. Ron Paul called it “blowback.” Jesus called it sowing and reaping. The Kingdom calls us to another harvest.
Listen & Reflect
🎧 Listen: What stories or Scriptures challenged your default settings on borders?
💬 Reflect: Where have you trusted state power to do what only sacrificial love can do?
📖 Read: John 4 (Jesus and Samaria) and Luke 10 (the Good Samaritan).
🤝 Practice: This week, meet a neighbor across a language or legal line and choose to serve.
Highlights & Takeaways
A “Christian nation” cannot justify caging image-bearers over paperwork and still call it Christian.
Border enforcement that restricts movement is uniquely tyrannical because it prevents escape from lesser tyrannies.
Both parties feed the same machine; swapping mascots doesn’t sanctify state violence.
Personal stories beat political scripts: neighbor love looks like towing a car, not checking a visa.
Jesus walks through Samaria; He doesn’t enforce our fences.
Cop-aganda forms our desires; qualified immunity shields abuses—bad discipleship all around.
“Would Jesus follow the law?” Not when the law crushes the least of these.
Expect blowback: raids today sow resentment and future violence.
Freedom isn’t a permit; it’s a posture. Asking permission is the first surrender.
No King but Christ means our loyalty to the Kingdom trumps allegiance to the flag.
🤝Connect with Chris Polk:
Previous Bad Roman Episodes with Chris
Lessons from the Trucking Industry with Chris Polk (Episode #77)
Home School: 2021 Year-End Round Table (Episode #47)
Your Rights with Chris Polk & Jacob Daniel (Episode #38)
God's Country or Jesus’s Kingdom? Navigating the Nexus of Nationalism and Faith in America (Episode #99)
Episode Timestamps:
(00:10) Framing the Question: Christ vs. Caesar
Craig frames the episode: immigration through Christ’s lens vs. the state’s lens.
Guest intro: trucker, entrepreneur, “cat lady and salsa maker,” returning friend Chris Polk.
The Memphis “safety” surge: why we cheer militarized policing when it’s our team.
(04:00) The Machine Called “Do Something”
“Do something!”, the spell of monopoly violence.
ICE didn’t start yesterday; every administration fed the dog.
Why team-politics blinds us to the machine itself.
(10:30) Fear Cycles & Border Theater
“Invasion” talk and television fear cycles.
Chris’ border-crossing years: from license checks to X-rays and suspicion.
Treating travelers like criminals for an imaginary line.
(18:00) Borders as Cages (Keeping You In)
Borders as cages: not to keep them out, but to keep you (and your taxes) in.
COVID era proof: the state’s first instinct is control, not care.
(23:00) The Cuban VW & Neighbor Love
The Cuban VW story: translate app, trailer, a friend’s shop, and neighbor love.
Tech as a bridge; statism as a barrier.
(27:00) Jesus Through Samaria
Jesus had to go through Samaria (John 4).
Reframing “Good Samaritan” as “Good Immigrant” to expose our prejudice.
(35:00) The Worst Tyranny: Blocking Movement
Why restricting movement is “the worst tyranny.”
You can flee bad local laws—unless the state blocks the exit.
(44:00) When “Our Guys” Get Power
From Jefferson to the Alien & Sedition Acts: power corrupts “our guys,” too.
States, courts, and the myth that legality equals righteousness.
(50:00) Cop-aganda & Qualified Immunity
Cop-aganda and qualified immunity: how entertainment disciples us to cheer abuse.
There’s a better way: summons and due process instead of masks and rifles.
(57:00) Would Jesus “Follow the Law”?
“Would Jesus follow the law?”why the Gospel answers “not when the law crushes the least.”
A Time to Kill moment: now imagine the detained family is yours.
(1:02:00) Sowing Violence, Reaping Blowback
Trauma and blowback: violence begets violence.
Turning from fear toward faithful neighbor love.
(1:08:00) Repentance, Friendship, & “No King but Christ”
How friendships changed our minds: growth, humility, and leaving team idolatry.
Closing plugs and “No King but Christ.”
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