2021

37. Think for Yourself with Karen Keener

Karen Keener, free thinker, natural health advocate, owner of The Sovereign Mom, and head of the Army of None (not yet released) can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and emailed at thekarenkeener@gmail.com.

She joins us today to talk about the denominational and political division among American Christians, the validity of most COVID diagnoses, and the blind compliance of the American public.

Timestamps & Starting Points:

1:35 “A church for smart people”

  • Growing up at Christian school, kids would fight about which denomination was right

  • She longed for a church without so much dogma, who used critical thinking

    • Without fear of being called blasphemous

  • Found Church of Religious Science

    • But politics got in there too

    • “politics gets involved in spirituality and then it's not really spiritual anymore” -Karen

5:39 Churches claiming to be the only valid -- or even the original -- group

  • But… many denominations started in the US

    • How can they trace their history back to the Early Church?

    • The Early Church was about Jesus, not doctrinal division

  • "I wanted to understand how they related to the state and there was no Baptist or church of Christ or Pentecostal, or none of that mentioned in their writings. It was all about Jesus." - Craig

9:28 Trump is equated with Jesus

  • "There was this whole fear that you were going to burn in Hell if you ask any questions." - Karen

  • It’s grown up to adulthood where people don’t question authority

    • Don’t question Trump

      • He is fighting the evil illuminati

    • They’ll call anyone who uses their own brain demonic

    • Y’all are crazy

14:11 It’s almost like Borderline Personality Disorder

  • Anything I agree with is holy

  • Anything I disagree with is evil

  • Humans are not seen as complex

    • They are either the embodiment of evil or good itself

    • If you point out a flaw or positive, they’ll say “Nobody’s perfect; only Jesus”

  • “This is like saying that Jack Black isn't a perfect replica of Beyonce… like they both can sing high notes, but like they're not perfect.     They’re such a far cry from each other, like Trump and perfection is so far away.” -Karen

    • It doesn’t matter if the person they’re following blatantly does evil, it is acceptable to them. If their enemy did that, they would be so upset

  • Young people are not growing up

    • Their parents are paying for everything

    • They’re taught not to think or question

    • They have been taught lies about history

    • Changing any of that is terrifying, so they cling to it

20:55 Craig and Karen’s political journeys

29:46  COVID theatrics

  • Karen’s friend’s dad got it

    • Proved to her that it was a real illness

    • Got sent away from the hospital because he “wasn’t bad enough for a ventilator”

    • Died after being on the ventilator for a month

    • Hospital would not offer any other treatment

  • Craig medically can’t mask

    • So he had to find other ways to fight it

      • VITAMINS

    • People with masks were the ones getting sick

    • He never got it, even when he spent time with those who did

  • Misdiagnosing COVID

    • Bacterial pneumonia and the flu both fit the diagnostic criteria

    • The actual tests were inaccurate

  • Deaths

    • Most people die in hospitals

      • If you diagnose everyone who comes into a hospital with COVID, then a lot of deaths will count towards it

  • Kerry Baldwin, The Virulence of Moral Panic

  • Misdiagnosing the flu

    • 37:15 Doctors are telling people, “The flu doesn’t exist anymore.”

    • Peter Doshi article from 2013

    • Make a big deal of it every year until now

    • They don’t usually test for Influenza

      • What if the symptoms are caused by something else?

        • Another illness

        • Eating poorly/detoxing from holidays

        • Less sun

        • Cold weather

        • Mold

        • Stress

  • Refusing to treat people

    • Hospitals incentivized to have serious cases

    • Didn’t offer typical pneumonia treatments to help

      • Waited for patients to be severe enough for ventilators

41:52 What’s the next thing?

  • Karen's episode with Pete Quinones

  • People are rule-followers, not boat-rockers

  • Changing the rules

    • Little kids need to mask now

  • Can they mandate a vaccine for work?

    • Anyone can ask, but they cannot require you to answer

  • We have our own authority; we don’t have to follow irrational laws

  • But how do we know who is on our side now?

    • People are not wearing masks because they’re vaccinated AND because they just don’t want to

  • Maybe an alien invasion to unite us under one world government?

  • “Not that COVID was fake, but the pandemic was fake.” -Karen

  • They’re timing the changes in law so people will feel grateful and willing to listen

36. Love Without Borders with Josh Allen

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Josh Allen sits down with Craig to discuss his article “Christians without Borders.” Josh is a deacon at his church and focuses his life on doing what’s right and loving everyone around him regardless of nationality, political party, or any other measure. 

Craig and Josh explore the Christian response to people coming across the United States' southern border and how they understand it as christians and anarchists. Regardless of one’s political stance, Jesus taught that everyone is our neighbor and commanded us to love them. Our focus should be on His borderless Kingdom, not on the Empire of America. We need to give ourselves permission to let our love for God and for all people be our priority in life life with others, whoever these "others" may be.

“Anarchist friends. Don't let anarchy be to you what politics is to the folks that we've sort of left behind. Right? Love Jesus. More than you love anarchy or anything else.”

- Josh Allen

Timestamps & Starting Points:

1:30 “a great governor in Texas”

  • Craig’s coworker comments how glad he is the National Guard is protecting our border

    • So, Craig tunes him out and decides we need an article

      • Enter Josh Allen

2:37 Who is Josh Allen?

  • Floridian

  • Deacon

  • Republican → Libertarian → anarchist/label-less

  • 3:58 “People want to label everyone as either conservative or liberal; you're Democrat or Republican; you're this, or you're that. I'm in the camp of doing what's right.” -Josh Allen

5:00 Who is my neighbor?

  • Literally everyone

  • 5:53 “[Jesus] didn’t care about nation-states. He said all the time: He has a different Kingdom.” -Craig

  • 6:10 “Jesus is essentially telling people to shift their focus, stop caring about what the government says is important and care about what I (you know, the Son of God who sacrificed Himself for the salvation of the entire world) -- focus on what I'm telling you is important. You know, as God-- the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, who is essentially the King of the universe.” -Josh

7:00 Interpreting Scripture

  • Most Christians are biblically illiterate; they don’t know how to study the Bible 

  • OR they’re proud and think they have all the answers

    • God is mysterious. No one has all the answers

    • They make the entire Bible say what they want about one political issue, like the border

  • It's really all quite simple

    • Love God

    • Love your neighbor

    • Love your enemy

9:30 Are borders good or bad?

  • I don't know

  • But we don't have control over whether or not there are borders, so what's the point in arguing?

    • Why don't we just love the people around us?

  • Are the people coming over the border evil? Are they coming to hurt us?

    • They're mostly coming to escape problems caused by our government

    • They're coming over to feed their families

  • Threat or opportunity?

    • Christian priority is to tell people about Jesus and spread His love

12:17 Christian identity entangled in the state

  • Giant American flag in church's ceiling

  • Teaching that America is the new Israel

    • Or was at least created to protect Israel

    • But in reality, America is Babylon

  • Religion of the state is blatant, but we don't see it

  • People wrap their identity in who they watch on the news

17:33 Trump vs Biden on the border

  • Trump said so many hateful things about the wall

  • But Biden has locked up more kids and hurt more people than Trump ever did

    • And the Left is silent! 

    • They are so loyal to their team, they can't admit the evil

18:54 Teams

  • People voted solely based on fear of the other side

  • Christians latched on to Trump despite his hateful words because the Republican party is "godly"

  • Choosing

    • Cannot support the atrocities of the bipartisan options

      • Voted 3rd party in 2016

    • No viable options in 2020

    • If we can’t even be libertarian, who are we?

      • American identity is so wrapped up in political tribes

      • Found anarchist communities

        • Space to actually talk through issues without being accused of hating America

28:09 Childhood Education Propaganda “Truths”

35. All Christians Should be Anarchists with Pete Quinones

Pete Quinones, podcaster on Free Man Beyond the Wall and By Any Memes Necessary, writer for the Libertarian Institute, and documentary producer of The Monopoly on Violence, shares with us his thoughts, as an unbeliever, on why anyone who claims to follow Jesus should be an anarchist.

Timestamps & Starting Points:

3:35 The early Church and anarchy

  • “My reading of the Bible is that every Christian should be an anarchist, and I don’t see where the whole bowing to the state, much less worship of a state that I see in the United States [comes from].” - Pete

4:40 Christians aren’t supposed to be involved in the state

  • 86% of people in Congress identify as Christian

    • “Anybody who goes into politics is going into politics to get wealth and power... so, I think they would say anything in order to secure that office.” - Pete

6:11 How Christians are perceived by non-Christians

  • Divided

  • Pete is not upset by hypocrisy because everyone on Earth is a sinner. What disappoints him is seeing Christians wedded to and worshipping the state.

11:39 Reasons Christians Excuse Anything Israel Does

  • Dispensationalism 

    • Idea that Jesus won’t come back until the Temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem

    • Christians will forgive anything as long as Israel has power so the Temple can be rebuilt 

    • is only 200 years old, compared to Christianity being 2,000 years old

    • “Israel was never a place; it was the people of God.” - Pete

    • Israel is now populated by white Europeans, and that is who we want to side with over the brown people who don’t speak English

  • Ryan Dawson of the Anti-Neocon Report talks about how the Israeli government is running the US government

  • “People will say, ‘Well, that’s cool.’ because it’s Israel. Nonono! That’s not how this works. We follow the teachings of Christ, and everything that the United States government and Israeli government’s doing-- that’s not how Christ told us to behave. Ever.” - Craig

  • Israel is not a democracy!!

    • It’s a theocratic socialist state

    • They’re welfare queens!

    • “This is theatre.” - Pete

22:46 2020 Theater

  • Elites have been buying land to live underground

    • If there was a real dangerous pandemic, they would have disappeared

    • Bill Gates didn’t even wear a mask at all

  • Insurrection

    • Congresspeople hid. These are the people who send others to fight in wars that benefit them. They’re cowards.

  • If the military was fighting for us, they’d attack the government

    • They’re defending the state.

28:10 FBI infiltrators

  • People in the insurrection who are not being charged or even named

  • Terror Factory by Trevor Aaronson

    • The FBI groomed kids to become terrorists and then arrested them

    • They don’t hate us for our freedoms. They hate us for killing their people and occupying their land.

33:35 The Constitution

  • “This is actually where my rabbit hole started that led me to anarchy. It was my study of the United States Constitution.” - Craig

  • “According to the United States Constitution, every war since WWI has been illegal.” - Craig

36:49 People trust cops, even when they don’t trust the government 

  • Police are the worst because it’s your trusted neighbor, family member, or friend enforcing unconstitutional laws

  • Police disregarding the Constitution

    • If you talk back to a cop, you’ll get thrown on the ground and arrested

    • If a cop sees you have a weapon, he’ll shoot you and/or take it from you

    • If a citizen did what cops do every day, they’d be called a criminal

    • “There’s a class of people above us in this country, and we all don’t have equal rights.” -Pete

    • “The state only protects the state. They have no interest in your rights.” -Craig

    • Duncan Lemp

      • Cops showed up at 4am to confiscate his illegal guns

      • Shot him dead through the window, dragged out his pregnant girlfriend and left her there outside

      • Read More

48:19 Plugs

34. Divine Comedy with Jason Mock and Rodney Norman

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Does God have a sense of humor? What is the role of comedy within society? Craig and Jason Mock are joined by comedian Rodney Norman for a fun(sometimes funny) conversation on comedy, politics, and Christianity. In this episode we are reminded of the importance and the power of joy and laughter. God wants us to be happy, to love one another and be joyous, but politics and fear can get in the way. Rodney helps us remember to laugh and to take life less seriously through comedy and a never ending curiosity. 


TIMESTAMPS AND STARTING POINTS:

00:22 Episode Intro

02:20 Jason’s go to comics

02:53 Rodney’s (fake) Background

  • Member of Q

3:36 Rodney’s Real Background

  • 20 years in comedy

  • Alcoholic grandfather acts

  • Philosophy

  • Role of Comedian

  • Nietzsche is big inspiration

5:57 Inspiration behind Sunday Sermon Video

  • State of the world, battles of who is a “real christian”

  • All comes down to treating others with love and respect - if we could do this, governments become unnecessary 

  • Kill the idiots to stop idiots?

  • Gospel isn’t about being right it’s about being nice and loving one another as ourselves

 8:38 Message of Jesus and how government blocks us from attaining the truth of the message

  • It’s in our best interest to live in peace with one another

  • How much power do you want to give anyone over your life?

  • When you have a final authority, they’re the only authority

10:54 Why having more Christians in office won’t make things better

  • Christians are called to the fringes of society the the centers of power

12:09 How Rodney uses comedy to spread the message of loving your neighbor

16:52 Untangling from the american media-political machine

  • Faith in God vs. fear of finite political leaders

  • Christ and stoicism

  • Straw-God, we have watered down and oversimplified who God is and made him into an impossible version

22:22 Politics or WWE - which is more real?

25:22 Why the rise in comedians challenging the system, and how does it affect how Rodney sees the future or social media(censorship, maintaining audience, free speech ect.)

  • Comedian is supposed to mock the things in the system to beat the system

  • When social media creates taboo, it give the comedian more material

  • Allegory and similes 

  • Some are trying to be the smart guy vs. a comedian

  • Lenny Bruce and George Carlin

  • If your playing safe you're not getting anywhere

32:22 Social media and life

  • Enjoy our lives vs. let others control it

33:25 Founders of America and what they fought for

  • 3% tax

  • Patrick Henry, George Mason\

  • Oath of to protect Constitution to protect from “enemies foreign and domestic”

 36:21 Jesus was a snark

  • Laughter as medicine

39:50 Comedy as medicine

45:17 Mitch Hedberg

  • Jokes

  • Working with him

48:43 Rodney’s Plugs

33. Politics & Religion Roundtable with Two Christian Anarchist & Two Atheist

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What does Christianity look like to a non-Christian? How does the secular world view Christian involvement in politics? Craig and Abby Cleckner(well know Bad Roman Christian-Anarchist) sit down with Nick and Josh(self-proclaimed atheist, who come with a mix of libertarian and socialists political views) to discuss faith, the state, and the mixed messages they see from Christians when these two worlds collide. In a true demonstration of how to have a civil conversation, we invite you to join us, from whatever political or faith background you may hail from, to keep asking questions and having hard conversations, especially with those you may assume you disagree with. Maybe God gave us atheists so we never stop asking questions in a pursuit to follow Christ.

Timestamps and Starting Points:

00:22 Episode Intro - What does christianity look like from a non Christian perspective? 

01:28 Josh’s Background

  •  Atheist

  •  Studies Mathematics at graduate level, undergrad in Physics 

  • Libertarian/socialist political views

2:06 Nick’s Background

  •  Atheist

  • Socialist(technically)

  • Non-religious background

3:48 Fundamental opposition to Christianity itself or how Christians behave vs. what they claim to believe?

  • Josh’s background with Christianity and religion

    • Science and religion

    • Difference of geography

    • Christian believers and Islamic believers devoutness is the same

    • Poison of religious beliefs in politics

    • “Going to hell for voting for a democrat”

  • Nick’s experience with religion

    • Never brought up with the Bible, has not read the entire things

    • Christians seem to not care about Bible in way they act

    • Told he was going to hell the one time he went to church

    • Fear based religion contradicts with idea of “loving God”

13:27 In John 3:6 Jesus says “if you do not remain in me you are like a branch that is withered, such branches are picked up thrown into the fire and burned” - is that not aggressive from a pacifist stance?

  • Diversity in Christian Belief, we read the Bible with baggage

  • Bible uses hyperbole

  • Jesus never said to subscribe to certain beliefs, but to follow him and how he treats people. If you try to rule over them you will experience being “cast out like a branch”

16:55  Abby and Craig’s stance on scientific knowledge, how does it affect your views? 

  • Craig keeps it simple, follow Christ is the best he can do

  • Abby - the bible is not a scientific document, but science can have religious elements.

    • As anarchist, money for science comes from government which is a contention

21:18 How has Josh’s understanding of science discount the existence of God, why couldn't he be the one who generated the science? 

  •  No physical/natural evidence for God

  • Perfectly ok imagining God as the master mathematician

  • Cannot accept monotheistic view of something that can be a part of the natural world, but also not be

24:02  Mythology & Religion

  • Means to explain the unknown(pre-science and pre/within religion)

  • Search for simple pleasant answer

28:13 Science is always pitted against religion, but are the two really opposed?

  • People have different levels of need for certainty

  • It is important to keep asking questions on both sides 

  • Religion ask us to follow faith, feelings/belief, to be accepted, while science requires replicable evidence before it is accepted as knowledge 

33:57 Christians and Government 

  • Josh - very hypocritical, evangelical shouting

  • Nick - sickened on every level by the hypocrisy and lack of empathy for fellow man, amplified even more in evangelical movements

  • Praying for votes?

  • Equating Trump as chosen by God and America as doomed by his defeat

  • The Rapture

39:18 Fear based gospel & the evangelical love for Trump

  • Franklin Graham

  • Early church and the state

  • What does God care about? 

  • Romans 13 

41:28 If Christians were not being hypocritical how would they act in the political realm?

  • Josh- Government would tend toward a secular system if beliefs were “checked at door” and there would be no issue. The problem begins when a narrow view from the Bible is imposed on laws today.

  • Nick - when Christians get into gov’t it’s their rights above all others, which seems to be in bad faith, when rhetoric of the evangelical base seems hate filled.

  • Where were the evangelicals speaking out against kids in cages?

44:57 Christians need to understand the Republican party is not pro-life or Liberty

  • Why do they care more about fetuses than people who are already alive?

  • Never ending wars? 

47:17 Donald Trump is more akin to the antiChrist

  • Trump “I never had a reason to ask for forgiveness”

  • Is he what Christians actually stand for vs. what they proclaim to stand for?

53:11 People raised in the mindset of all powerful God, adopt a very top-down authoritarian worldview, does this prime these future voters to fall for someone like Trump?

  • Mass incarceration, uncountable amount of laws, need for authority

  • Theocracy is equally unsettling  

  • Avoiding extreme positions, forgetting the nuances - math and life

  • Thought crime

  • Authoritarian political candidates and authoritarian view of religion

58:10 Is there Hell?

  • Universalist Ideal

  • Hell is an experience we have in life not eternal torment

  • Jewish Mysticism - Kabbalah and Hell

  • Worshiping the Bible vs. Jesus

1:01:46 Is the Bible the word of God or translation from others?

  • The bible is a translation and collection of stories written by multiple people

  • Just follow Jesus

  • We are not going to full understand it in today's terms because of its origin

1:03:15  Dangers of having multiple interpretations of the BIble - is this the reason why it needs to be out of politics and why we need some level of secular governance?

  • “The evangelical vote”

  • Josh - don’t we need government to do some level of things

    • Markets can be forms/sources of authoritarianism?

      • Free market - Libertarian right, eco-libertarian, anarcho-capitalist

        • Monopolies that suppress rights of people

    • Abby - not possible without gov’t support to get Barons of industry, we don’t have true competition in the market because of regulations stopping it

1:07:15 The freer the market the freer the people?

  • Josh - market is a tool, in some circles the market becomes the government

    • Things like climate change or harmful products require some kind of oversight to remove dangerous things from being freely traded

  • Clear Patterson - geochemist, discovered age of earth and that lead content in water/atmosphere was toxic

  • Are oil companies the market? No, because it is controlled by the government, not a free market.

 1:11:05 What can Christians do differently to make non-christians be non-resentful towards Christains? 

  • Nick - Christianity is too far gone? 

  • Religion vs. Christianity 

  • Why Craig is not a big fan or religion anymore 

  • Josh - ignoring science in facts is where he loses them, if in any sort of public entity that has to be checked at the door 

  • Morality can not be legislated

11:16:16 Outsourcing morality to the state, Is the state evil?

  • Nick - tries to be cautious of notions of good vs. evil to avoid black and white dichotomy.

    • Bigger issue is our system is broken on almost every level

    • We all have our individual ideas but putting them into action is what's difficult

    • Is there a system now that truly benefits everyone?

  •  Can you change the mafia from the inside?

  •  Josh - saying all government does is evil ignores success of government, it is a tool that can be used both for “evil” and “good”; government meaning a collection of people who have come together to navigate something

  • Abby - initiating violence is never permissible

1:21:23 Violence by government - what do we define as violence? 

  • Josh - harming human beings is violence or but being taxed?

  • Craig - majority of taxes go to military to kill people we will never meet in our lives

  • Voluntary Taxation Systems - base taxes then option to choose where your tax portion goes

1:24:18 Majority of Christians celebrate war

  • Blind patriotism - weird sense of freedom

  • Care more about soldiers who have died than those who come back injured

1:29:57 American exceptionalism & Christianity

  • God created everybody

  • Being a living God means he doesn’t control anything

  • Can’t pray cancer away with enough faith

  • Story of three boats

1:33:21 Prosperity Gospel - televangelist - the people who exploit people’s faith and profit

1:36:14 Be a Cheerful giver - Doctrines and Children

  • Science must exist in free system

  • How can a Christian grow in their faith without questioning what is going on? 

 1:39:39 Josh’s Plug’s

  • Articles at universe today Josh Campbell

  • Journey to the Stars

32. The Troops’ Battle, The State’s Evils: Waging War with Eric Campbell and Nicolas Harrelson

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What if everything you have been told about the War on Terror has been a lie?  

In this episode Craig talks with veterans Eric Campbell and Nicolas Harrelson about their experiences as servicemen who toured in Iraq. They discuss how their experiences changed their view on war, and led them on a path to anarchism. Putting a face on the humanity in Iraq and learning that the people there are everyday men and women who are just trying to provide for their families and live in peace, brought about a change in perception for these men. Discovering that the military presence and intervention has caused more harm than good, and the people of Iraq preferred Saddam to the US military was a sobering realization. What is the truth, and why do we continue to occupy these countries? 

LINKS & STARTING POINTS:

2:33 Eric’s Background 

  • 20+ years of service 

  • Professional national guardsman 

  • E5 sergeant 

  • Radio operator/communications specialist 

3:51 Nicolas’ Background

  • 2nd deployment to Iraq 2011

  • Wounded on second deployment, October 2011

16:05 Eric’s Story of being in the military & deployed overseas

  • Got to know the locals

  • Conditioned to believe that “they” were evil and vile

  • Dealt with normal everyday truck drivers who were not devoutly religious Muslims but instead...stereotypical truck drivers

  • Realized he was lied to about what kind of people the Iraqi people were 

  • The lies and propaganda is in the American churches, media, and military training 

  • The Iraqi people are just normal everyday people struggling to survive, and we ruined that. 

32:36 Nicolas’ Story of being in the military & deployed overseas

  • The United States being in conflict and war with other countries has been normalized 

  • There is no longer peace between us and the rest of the world 

  • There has been a complete dehumanization of others 

  • The effects of war on his friends 

  • Suicide of friends he served with 

  • Began putting a human face on the “others”

  • “It says a lot about the effects we have had in Iraq when the Iraqi people rather have Saddam as opposed to what we have brought them” 

  • We have been involved in the war on terror for 20 years 

  • Created the perfect storm of ambiguity that allows for the government to do as they please 

  • Creates broken individuals(veterans)

  • How does the war effect those who didn’t ask to be involved?

  • Heavy burden to bear 

44:56 We have not been in a declared war since World War 2

  • Military industrial complex benefits from perpetual war

  • Conflict profits the government by growing it 

  • “For every terrorist we kill, multiple are created” 

  • Average everyday Americans are sucked into the cycle 

  • War makes money 

  • The soldiers are there to protect Halliburton and those connected to Halliburton and their profits

  • Every aspect of the military has some company tied to it 

54:02 Afghan Papers 

  • In-depth account of evidence that the military strung along the public and the government to perpetually continue the mission in Afghanistan and Iraq, as a means to continue receiving funding 

  • War and conflict has become normalized 

  • The United States government has always been the aggressor in all of these conflicts 

  • There are no sensible and rational arguments for going into Iraq and Afghanistan 

  • We trained Saddam Hussein

  • Bin Laden trained by CIA

59:56 There is a need for ministry and mental health assistance in the military 

  • War should be the last resort of failed diplomacy 

  • There is a large number of service men and women who believe that war should be a last resort 

1:09:59 Eric’s gaming blog: The Anarchist Gamer on blogspot 


31. Christians and Muslims Breaking Bread with Peace Catalyst

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LISTEN NOW

 

On this episode, Craig and Abby Cleckner talk with Keith Giles and Becca from the Peace Catalyst Podcast. The Peace Catalyst is an organization that is committed to fostering understanding, reconciliation, and peace between Christians and Muslims. Jesus was the Prince of Peace, and as Christians we should be constantly striving to live a life of peace and love towards others, especially those with differing beliefs or culture than ours. Because of the political narrative, driven by the media, American Christians have been misled and taught to hate and fear those who we don’t understand. The Peace Catalyst helps to foster conversation and relationship, which in turn, help to bring an understanding of the humanity and dignity of others we may currently see as different. 

LINKS & STARTING POINTS:

2:45 Becca’s background 

  • working with Peace Catalyst for 2 years

  • was looking for a faith based peacebuilding avenue 

6:10 Keith’s history with Peace Catalyst

  • got involved in Peace Catalyst about 1 ½ ago

  • first involvement was a Peace Feast

  • Martin Brooks: Director of Peace Catalyst 

10:09 Becca: burdened to help facilitate peace between Christians and Muslims

  • Israel/Palestine

  • while in college developed a deeper understanding of the Middle East and the conflict between Israel and Palestine 

  • grew up in a pro Israel environment 

  • while in Jordan developed a deeper understanding of the Middle East 

  • connected with others who have a heart for peace 

  • wanted to participate in restoring Shalom 

  • push back from people who don’t have a holistic view of the situation and don’t understand the many factors at play 

15:38 Peace Catalyst 

  • proponent of loving everyone, regardless of race or religious affiliation 

  • facilitate reconciliation 

  • remind and educate Christians about their ministry of reconciliation

18:01 American Christians have bought into a false ideas 

  • “they hate us for our freedoms” 

  • the truth is not the story as it has been told and presented to us by media and those with political interest in the narrative

  • the way to break down barriers is by sitting down and talking to the “other side”

  • listen to their story to build empathy 

  • “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Mahatma Gandhi 

  • Christian Tribalism 

  • it is not black and white, good guys vs. bad guys

25:40 Three Stages of Peace 

  • Stage One - Understanding 

  • Stage Two - Connecting

  • Stage Three - Collaborating

  • American Christians don’t realize that most Muslims condemn 9/11 and violent extremist/terrorist (just like they do) 

32:05 Are people afraid to be wrong? 

  • politics and media are used to instil fear and misconception 

  • we don’t have to believe the same thing in order to respect each other’s dignity as fellow human beings

  • it’s ok to disagree 

  • fear is heretics 

  • we act as if Christianity had all the correct information about God 

  • the Gospel is not about information, it is about transformation 

  • if you are going to follow Christ you are called to love your neighbor 

  • move away from the need for certainty 

  • move away from fear, move towards love

  • Romans 12, transformed by the renewing of your mind 

  • you are closer to God when you are asking questions, than when you have it all figured out 

44:20 Peace Catalyst started by Rick Love

  • he also started Evengelicals for Peace 

  • the goal is fostering peace between Muslims and Christians and bringing peace to our communities 

  • how can we work together as a community 

  • why and how Christians should engage in peace building 

48:42 Plugs 

30. Anarchy in Action - A Look at Agorism with Joshua of Our Foundations Podcast

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Is Agorism an ideal that meshes with the teachings of Christ? Are agorism and anarchism similar or are they distinct ideals?

In this episode, Craig talks with Joshua, founder of Our Foundations, a podcast focused on agorism and how it overlaps with Anarchism and true Christianity. Joshua explains how agorism looks in everyday life and how we might implement these principles within society. Joshua draws out the stark contrast in how the first Church, the Church of Jesus, functioned in comparison to how the Church, as a whole, functions today. What is a Freedom Cell and how might you utilize one in your everyday life? Not only does Joshua give us a lot to think about, here provides real-world examples of how he has overcome the challenges of living out Agorism...one of which is the Freedom Cell. 


Links & Starting Points:

1:29 Joshua’s Background 

  • Started digging into economics, political theory, and Bible studies 

  • learned about agorism and related it to political philosophy 

  • started podcast

  • anarchism: political philosophy 

  • agorism: a way of life or applied radical libertarianism 

  • Samuel Edward Konkin 3rd, SEK3

  • grey and black markets

  • red markets: anything involving violence, theft, war

11:00 In the kingdom of God this is our system within the system 

  • impacting the state starts on a personal level 

  • personal responsibility is both anarchism and Christianity 

  • applying these principles in our own life so it can have a personal impact 

12:50. Examples from the early church

  • settle disputes outside of court 

  • Bible gives guidelines for settling disputes outside of the state 

  • welfare is a personal and church responsibility 

  • if modern Christians viewed the church the way they view the state things would be completely different 

  • the church, as a whole, doesn’t exist the way Jesus intended 

20:20 Christians want to outsource responsibility to the state 

  • it is a church on individual responsibility 

  • society has been taught to obey and respect and authority without question: teacher, textbooks, experts 

31:20 Historical Patterns/Cycles 

  • Vin Armani and the Dim Age 

  • leaving material age, entering mystical age 

  • spiritual focus 

  • disregards fact of Bible or science 

  • technology: cell phones, artificial intelligence, genetic therapy, MRNA vaccine 

  • The Church is awakening a new religion. 

  • going against it will and you will be ridiculed, fired, blacklisted 

  • people are searching for spirituality 

  • true Christianity is something that will fill the void

51:43 Agorism group and Freedom Cells

  • online platform for like-minded people to organize 

  • a way to develop real local connections 

58:05 Joshua’s Plugs

29. Bringing Jesus to the Secular World - Meeting the Youth Where They Are with Luke Greenwood

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For many people around the globe today, religion is viewed as a dead tradition of the past with no current relevance. How is it possible to bring Jesus to those who have a distaste for organized religion and Christian values? Craig talks with Luke Greenwood of Steiger International about how Steiger approaches their target mission field. Steiger focuses on sharing the good news of Jesus in a manner that crosses secular cultural boundaries and preconceived prejudices. They have teams in major cities all around the globe, engaging and building relationships as they immerse themselves with the youth of the world. 

They present the gospel in a relevant, yet bold, manner that works to break through the apathetic demeanor of the culture and bring the living God to life for them. 

TIMESTAMPS AND STARTING POINTS:

4:20 Luke’s background 

  • born in UK to missionaries

  • grew up in Brazil as a missionary kid

  • call from God to go on missions

  • call to cross secular cultural boundaries

  • now serves in world wide missions

  • uses music as a tool to share the gospel

11:18 Experience at Polish Woodstock 

  • secular youth culture views religion as a dead tradition of the past 

  • there is a distaste towards Christian values 

  • “illegal” concert 

  • invited back the next year to perform on the Hare Krishna’s main stage 

25:00 More about Steiger International 

  • Steiger’s primary purpose: bridge the gap between the church and the global youth community 

  • Steiger teams in major cities around the world 

  • proclaiming the gospel in the secular culture 

  • discipleship 

29:30  How to get involved 

33:30 Provoke and Inspire Podcast 

36:40 Luke’s Book

  • Global Youth Culture: the Spiritual Hunger of the Largest Unreached Culture Today

  • find it on Amazon

  • What is the world’s view today? 

  • secular humanism 

  • how can we bring the good news of Jesus into that scene?

Luke’s Plugs: Steiger.org, his book, the podcast

Get involved in a city near you! 


28. The American Church’s Political Obsession with Scott Arnold

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Many Christians in the United States are outspoken about their desires for Christian men and women to obtain political power and influence. The stance is that religious freedoms need to be protected, but is forcing morality on the people through legislation an effective way to spread the gospel?  Could Christians be doing more harm than good in their efforts?

Scott Arnold is the author of the article Winning the Battle, But Losing the War: The American Church’s Political Obsession.  In this episode, Craig talks with Scott about his transition from a world of conservative, Christian, and redline Republican upbringing into one of Christain Anarchy. They explore how the gospel message can be destroyed or damaged by using politics to force a Christian agenda. Scott also explains his involvement with Steiger International, whose mission is to impact the global youth culture and make the gospel relevant. This is a thought-provoking episode for any Christian who has been of the mindset that Christians need to use politics to further their agenda or force their morality on others. 


Timestamps and starting points:

1:27 Scott’s Background

  • Grew up in the conservative Christian republican culture 

  • majored in pastoral ministries 

  • currently lives in northeast Georgia 

4:04 How Scott found The Bad Roman

8:04 Learning about anarchy 

11:35 Discussing Scott’s article: Winning the Battle, but Losing the War: The American Church’s Political Obsession

  • Christians equate increased political power with increased influence

  • When bringing the gospel into the political realm pieces are lost 

  • Abortion and the messy art of law making

  • using politics to force Christian values on others

  • using the government to control morals 

  • outsource morality to the state

  • the state is not, and cannot be, Christian

  • Myth of Christain Nation

26:25 What is the endgame in winning this war?

  • Best case: Christian religious freedom and comfortability 

  • worst case: suppression of all other philosophies 

  • is it really religious freedom Christians are fighting for?

  • prayer in school 

43:05 Polish Woodstock

Scott’s Plugs: