Podcast, 2022
Craig Harguess
51. Jesus the Anarchist with Alexandre ...
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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. 

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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! 



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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. 

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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:

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27. The Pacifist Case for Gun Rights with Abby Cleckner

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Most people wouldn’t include the ideas of pacifism in the same thought as contemplating gun rights, except possibly to concur that those things are opposing ideas on the spectrum of peace. Abby Cleckner does an excellent job of explaining how the two can naturally coexist in the same paradigm.

In this episode, Craig tackles this topic, as well as digging into what defines a human right. The term “right” is tossed around a lot in today’s society, but what truly is a human right? And how can someone who advocates for peace and complete pacifism also advocate for the right to own a gun? Can the same Jesus who says “blessed are the peacemakers”, and commands us to turn the other cheek and to love our neighbor, be the same God who created us with the right to own a weapon that has the ability to bring to fruition the opposite of all those things? Abby addresses this along with other related topics in this episode. 

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Timestamps and starting points:

1:18 Is pacifism inaction? 

  • blessed are the peacemakers 

  • using violence to fight violence, creates more violence

  • “peacemaker” is a term of action

  • planning for peace: consider peaceful ways to defend your family and yourself

  • civil rights activist: trouble makers for peace

  • if we believe that we are a part of God’s kingdom then we have to use His methods. 

7:11 Civil Rights Movement: troublemakers for peace 

11:42 Les Miserables

19:07 Using Legislation to Correct Behavior

  • Why it doesn’t work

  • causes collateral damage

  • Henry Hazlitt: seen and unseen consequences 

  • how does a society get to the point of Nazi Germany

23:30 The Pacifist Case for Gun Rights

  • gun control

  • Advocating the government to use violence on your behalf is not pacifism

  • increases violence

  • you become the judge of others motives

  • gun control is essentially a “thought crime”

  • legality becomes synonymous with morality: war on drugs, prohibition   

37:00 Human Rights are Property Rights

  • What defines a human right? 

  • Property rights start with self-ownership

  • taking our rights seriously is an act of love for others

  • respect for others is essential for establishing the kingdom of heaven on earth 

42:02 Stop using political violence against your enemies

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26. How to be a Bad Roman with Scott Goldman

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What does it mean to be a Bad Roman, why is it a good thing for Christians? Craig talks to Scott Goldman about his article “Come Be a Bad Roman”. They discuss the Christian’s entanglement with the state and address the issue of whether or not it is possible to simultaneously engage with the state and follow Christ. Nations, such as the United States, make claims of freedom for all and give mouth to ideals held by Christianity, but does a State really behave in such a manner?

When we misconstrue a nation to be based on Christian values - when that State's involvement at home and abroad proves to be in stark contradiction to its claimed values we must turn away. As Christians we must decide: do we believe in the goal of peace at all cost, peace by might makes right, that the government justifies being their objective, or do we truly adhere to the teachings and challenge of Christ to love our neighbors and enemies?

Join us as Craig and Scott take on these questions head-on and address reasons why Christians seem too ready to follow a man-made government whose functioning is in direct opposition to Christ’s Kingdom.

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Timestamps and starting points:

2:37 Intro to Scott’s article: Come Be a Bad Roman

  • We(Christians) are not called to be involved with the state.

  • Is it possible to engage with the state and follow Christ?

  • Pax Romana or the way of Christ?

  • Jesus did not come as a war hero

7:20 How can we expect the rest of the world to perceive the United States as a “Christian” nation when we are actively killing them?

9:30 A new kingdom emerging

13:07 The desire of control by both the left and the right side of the political spectrum. 

21:52 Why are Christians so ready to follow a man made government? 

  • Fear

  • Laziness and scapegoating 

26:10 American Christianity’s shirking of their responsibility

  • Christians support for Trump 

  • Is there a difference between the Democrats and Republicans?

  • How would we behave if the bombs were being dropped in the USA? 

30:24 Christ’s story through a different lens 

  • Pacifism explained

  • Christ was a pacifist, but also a man of action 

36:36 Our kingdom is not of this world 

  • fall of the Roman Empire 

  • Christ’s command to not worry 

  • The Mind of Christ 

  • Uprooting From the Poverty Mindset

46:00 No King But Christ

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25. Romans 13 & Stateless Civil Governance with Gregory Baus

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Is an elected official’s authority automatically ordained by God? What is Jesus referring to when he says “render unto Caesar what is Caesar's”? In the episode, Gregory Baus delves into Romans 13 and stateless civil governance. 

Are Christians required by God to submit to the governing authorities, even when they are tyrannical or immoral? Are all elected officials ordained by God? Is “render to Caesar” referring to a Biblical requirement for Christians to pay taxes? All of the questions and more are answered in this episode. Craig and Gregory also discuss their transition into anarchism and Gregory’s nomadic lifestyle, along with touching on reformed theology and how that affects an anarchist interpretation of Romans 13. 

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Timestamps & starting points for further exploration:

1:50 Gregory’s background 

  • Baltimore

  • Munich

  • Covenant College

  • Redeemer University

  • teaching English overseas

7:30 Christian Philosophy 

11:15 Transition to anarchism

28:45 Proper understanding of individualism within anarchism

31:45 Romans 13  and Stateless Civil Governance: A Reformed View by Gregory’s Baus

45:25 Nomadic Lifestyle 

  • overseas during middle school 

  • Japan

  • California 

  • Canada

  • Netherlands

  • Cambodia 

  • Beijing 

  • Budapest 

49:00 Dave Ramsey

49:45 Gregory’s plugs 




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24. Mike Gaddy - Revisionist History - The US Constitution & Secession

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In the episode, Craig talks with his mentor and dear friend, Mike Gaddy, about secession. For many people, when they hear the word “secession,” slavery is the first thing that comes to mind. But is that a correct representation of secession throughout American history?

Mike has spent over 30 years searching for answers and information to map out a true and accurate representation of US history. His discovery? Oftentimes what we were taught in history class was a filtered down version of a multitude of complex events. This historical filter contributes to a false narrative regarding our understanding of the Constitution and our rights therein. According to Mike secession is peppered throughout true US history, and this fact has just been suppressed and removed from its historical context. Tune in to hear about the historical precedents for secession pre-Civil War, why the South wanted out of the Union, and if secession may be feasible in a modern context. 

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Timestamps for further exploration:

1:20 Mike’s background

  • Born and raised in Appalachian Mountains

  • American Foundation for Accountability for POW and MIA    

2:40 Frustration over false historical information

  • United States’s laziness for information

  • People are comfortable in their ignorance 

  • Blatant lies keep the masses comfortable

11:33 Secession: Is it constitutional? 

14:55 Election of 1800

17:00 Election of 1860

21:20 Is the Supreme Court, the biggest racist in American History? 

27:09 Southern States Seceding 

40:05 Current active secession in the US

44:00 Is there a peaceful path to secession in the US? 

Catch Mike at rebelmadman.com and Addicted to Your Own Destruction 



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23. Scott Horton - The United States Empire - Genocide in Yemen and Beyond

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In this episode, Craig digs deep with Scott Horton about the US government’s direct involvement with the war of genocide occurring in Yemen and the general stirring of the pot by the US in the Middle East. In addition to being the editorial director at antiwar.com, Scott, a self-proclaimed Ron Paul libertarian, is also the founder of The Libertarian Institute and author of the book, Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan. Scott shares his insights regarding the culture war aspect in partisan politics and how every president since George H. W. Bush has been the same product with a different brand name. 

Is the war in Yemen designed to create famine? And if so, how did we get there, why, and what should a Christian’s response be to their government’s involvement in such heinous atrocities? 

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Timestamps for further exploration: 

1:22 Scott Horton’s background 

6:20 The Culture War Aspect 

11:45 Craig’s transition, beginning in 2000 

13:00 Bill Clinton’s role in the hate for the US found in the Middle East 

  • Are we required to defend Clinton because of patriotism? 

  • Bush’s blue blood 

  • Carole Quigly 

23:00 Trump’s relationship with Wall Street 

25:45 Exploring the problems US involvement causes  in the Middle East 

  • the effect of sanctions 

27:30 What would it take for a libertarian to become president?

32:20 Biden: Zionist agent of a foreign power 

36:50 Yemen: Why are we there? 

  • the effects of US involvement 

Do people have to decide where their priorities lie? God? Or the state? 

Additional links:

The Great Ron Paul, Interview Transcripts 



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22. Brian Zahnd, Kathi Peters, & David Peters - Postcards From Babylon

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For our first podcast of the New Year we sat down with pastor, author, and Comino walker Brian Zahnd and Kathi and David Peters, the founders of Global Stories Films, to discuss their joint project, Postcards From Babylon. Postcards From Babylon is a long-form documentary featuring Brian, as he investigates possibly the most important question for the church in North America today: How does the church stay faithful to the beautiful way of Jesus while situated in one of the most divisive political climates in our nation's history?

If are able and would like to contribute to our Postcard From Babylon Premiere Fundraiser to fund seven tickets, please visit: www.thebadroman.com/fundraiser (please note this has ended)


Timestamps & starting points for further exploration:

01:07 Kathi’s Background

4:13 David’s Background

  • Media Pastor

  • Independent Filmmaker

  • Making Postcards Documentary

10:19 Christian Nationalism - Trump Worship

10:42  Biran’s Story

12:30 America as a Biblical Babylon 

  • The shift needed in the evangelical church

  • Manifest Destiny Fallacy of Empires

  • Churches and flags

19:10 The film and challenges in production during corona

21:23 Early church and government

  • Constantinian Shift

  • The American Context may be getting worse, but this is not a new phenomena

  • Baptism made early Church strangers in their own worlds

  • World Wars and Nationalism between Christians

  • Trump will be hard to recover from

27:55 Motivation for making the documentary

31:02 Ambassadors for Jesus

  • Limited ability in sharing the gospel, requires consistent messaging as representatives of Christ

  • Calling the church to account

33:15 Political Rhetoric and compromising hope in Christ as King

  • Exiles by baptism

  • Live in the political reality, but don’t belong to it

  • Call to a counterculture of Christ

37:55 Bearing witness for Christ and those who do not yet know Him

  • The Republican party can not be the Christians future

  • Conservative push back: if we are Democrats, the Democrats are in trouble

  • Can like Trump’s policies, but cannot defend his behavior/character

  • Speaking truth to power   

43:22 Staying Faithful to Jesus in a divisive political culture

  • Can it be done through politics?

  • Is the church an alternative politics

    • Perhaps, but this does not mean directly

  • Politics of Sermon on the Mount

53:25 Brian’s plugs

Learn more about Kathi and David’s work on their website or Facebook page.

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21. Year End Round Table - All Things 2020

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In the final episode of 2020, we look at the year in review. From sports and celebrity deaths to Coronavirus and lockdowns, tune in to hear nine Christian Anarchists/Voluntaryist make sense of this year and what we can learn from it, both as Christians and Anarchist, moving into the New Year.

If you are interested in donating please click here.

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[please check back for show notes*]







**if you need any questions answered sooner, please send us an email) thank you for your patience!

20. Mark Kreslins - Loving God with Your Mind

In this episode, Mark Kreslins takes us through his pursuit of loving God with his mind and how this path leads us to see anarchism/voluntaryism as our fundamental state. What does this entail? Understanding the Gospel through God's words rather than the allure of experientialism. Mark invites us to rediscover the importance of exegesis and hermeneutics in bringing God's word to life for 21st-century minds. 

Mark is the principle writer for Love God with your Mind and considers himself but a humble sinner saved by the grace of God. He has an extensive background in politics having previously worked for two “conservative” GOP Members of Congress. He had an insider's view of the evil and corruption in Washington D.C. and understands the solution to the mess there. (Bio Lifted from Mark’s site)

Timestamps and starting points for further exploration:

02:00 Marks background & story

10:19 Being Patriotic in Church

13:37 Allure of experientialism

18:52 Constitution is misunderstood

23:00 Political pragmatism and moral relativism among Christians

  • God gives us binary Choices - steal or don’t steal, murder or don’t murder 

28:13 Living the Gospel on Social Media

29:29 Is there a grey area for God?

40:12 Avoiding heated debates online

44:09 The Whiskey Rebellion and talking to people who don’t know the Constitution

50:30 How Mark became an anarchist

 58:00 Mark’s Article - Who is Right, God or Thomas Hobbes?

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19. John Dangelo - The Battle of Two Faiths - Politics & Christ

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In this episode of the Bad Roman Podcast, Marine Corps veteran and former atheist, John Dangelo joins Craig for a conversation on the disconnect between what the state does and its compatibility with living the way a faith in Christ challenges us to live. They explore themes of war, contemporary progressivism, and how Christians on the right and left have forgotten how to separate political and religious faith.

As Christian Voluntaryist/Anarchist, we put our faith in Christ, not the authority of man made states. When we take a step back, most of our life, from who’s going to fold the laundry, to where we should go on vacation, or to whose turn it is to pick the kids up from soccer practice is done without government intervention, it is voluntary, it is the true definition of voluntaryism/anarchism. So why did Christians cry out at a man kneeling before a flag rather than kneel before that same flag for the sake of Christ? The realities of this entanglement is what we explore in episode 19 and the cornerstone of what the Bad Roman Project seeks to explore.


Timestamps and resources for further exploration:

00:51 John’s background

01:47 Clinging to faith in political parties instead of in Christ

03:59 Does it benefit politicians on the right to ban abortion

05:24 “Where else would they go”

06:38 Theatrics in place of debate - contemporary progressivism

09:13 Evangelical left

  • Pew data on evangelicals and protestants political bends

13:06 Push back from other veterans on John’s writings

13:57 Talking with other Christians

  • Being a Sunday school teacher

  • Thrive Church

15:04 Where is the disconnect for Christians when it comes to war?

18:58 What is the hold up for Christians?

  • Losing site of faith when talking politics

 22:23 The failures of the two-party system & the path to anarchy

25:56 Colin Kapernick kneeling and the response from the right

26:37 Overtly political symbols in Church

  • You cannot be a servant to two masters

  • Peaceful protest

  • Anarchist are supposed to be peaceful

29:50 We are anarchist in 99% of our lives

  • Reject rules, chose it voluntarily 

32:10 Collapse of the Soviet Union

  • Was relatively peaceful, things did not go up in flames

35:40  Government as Mad Max analogy 

38:16 John’s plugs

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18. TJ's Story

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In this special episode of the Bad Roman Podcast, John Dangelo, Scott Goldman, and Nicholas Harrelson join Craig to help us understand more about addiction. This episode is dedicated to TJ, Craig’s brother who recently passed away and we hope by sharing his story will help at least one person find some light in a dark place. Addiction and mental illness touch everyone’s family in some shape or form. If you or someone you love is struggling we encourage you to seek help. Below is a list of resources, which of course are only starting points.

  1. Suicide Hotline: 800-273-8255

  2. Substance Abuse Hotline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

  3. Hub site of resources

  4. Find an AA meeting 

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Timestamps & resources for further exploration:

2:01 John’s Experience with addiction

  • poly-substance addiction

  • importance of the disease model


3:15 Nicholas’s Experience with addiction

  • Opiates & heroin stats

 5:05 Scott’s experience with addiction

6:30 CRAIG Background on TJ and why this episode exist

  • alcoholism

  • addiction

  • depression

  • coronavirus and mental health

  • suicide rate since corona

  • alcohol sales since corona

13:20 Dangers of quitting alcohol “cold turkey”

15:03 God loves the addict

  • millennial suicide rate during quarantine (1 in 4) 

20:23  What is a “moment of clarity” for an addict?

21:34 Nicholas describes his moment of clarity

25:11 Scott’s moment of clarity 

28:28 How do we reach someone who does not want to be reached, l can you induce clarity?

38:10 How can we better understand addiction and support those affected by it? Is the system set up for failure?

  • C Car in Connecticut

  • No clear guidelines for addicts to recover

  • Chasing the Scream book

53:37 Do addicts not care?

55:43 Addiction changes the brain

57:44 How Portugal successfully decriminalized drugs, reallocated resources to recovery efforts, and changed its addiction rate

58:44 The importance of rediscovering the spiritual realm as an addict



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17. Kerry Baldwin - Asking Better Questions

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In this episode, Kerry Baldwin is back to talk about her new courses designed to help people of all ages become critical, reflective, thinkers and why this lost skill is becoming more and more crucial. Craig and Kerry begin their conversation by taking a look at how both the public’s and the government's responses to COVID-19 have shifted since April.

They next dive into Kerry’s course where we are invited to reconsider how we think about thinking, learning, and what actually is wisdom? This episode is not about answers, rather it is a beacon to the importance of crafting the question to precede any answer.

Timestamps and resources to start learning more:

1:17 Who is Kerry Baldwin

5:51 Shifts in public attitudes toward COVID-19

11:16 Are coronavirus measures removing our humanity?

13:35 Kerry’s Socratic Seminars

21:36 Materials Kerry uses in her course and why

26:53 Social media contrasted with the Socratic method

28:41 Importance of participation in the Socratic method...aka why you can’t skip the Zoom call

  • Benefits of a coach in facilitating an open learning environment

  • Starting with asking questions and feeling safe asking them

  • Answering questions you weren't’ prepared for

33:58 How does this method teach critical thinking?

  • Different skill levels in thinking - 6 Stages

  • Socrates definition of wisdom - the more knowledge you have about the world the more you realize how much you don’t know 

  • Those with less knowledge believe they know more than actually do - Dunning-Kruger Effect 

  • Socratic method as a way to learn about the world and self

  • How can these skills help us with social media?

40:09 Understanding how true statistics can be framed to manipulate us

43:04 Kerry’s Socratic seminars vs. lecture-style classes  

  • What does learning look like to you?

  • Permission to fail and be wrong

  • Teacher pouring knowledge into student vs. engaged learning

  •  Forced vs. voluntary engagement/participation

50:00 Why we need more people involved in asking good questions and productive methods of conversation

  • It’s ok not to agree, in fact, we don’t want everyone to agree with us

  • It’s not about “putting someone in their place”

  • Social media and the desire to be right, even without understanding why you may be right (or wrong)

53:16 Learning more from being right than being wrong

  • The “gut punch” of being wrong

  • Getting comfortable with not knowing

  • Bruised egos

55:37 What skills do students develop?

  • Compare and contrast, clarifying issues conclusions and beliefs, understanding the difference between over-simplification and generalization

  • “Feelings care about facts”

  • Intellectual humility, courage, and integrity

  • Independent thinking, self-awareness, fair-mindedness

  • Perseverance, confidence, and reason

  • And more!

57: 41 Feedback: What people have said of Kerry’s Socratic Seminars 

  • Don’t underestimate kids!

  • Giving kids a safe environment to make mistakes and what they will reveal they know

1:01:00 What we can learn from younger generations

  • Why “old people” may be stuck in their ways - what’s going on in a child’s brain?

  • Neuroplasticity

1:04:25 Kerry’s plugs

 
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16. Patrick Carroll - If You Vote You Can’t Complain

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In this episode, Craig speaks with Patrick Carroll about his article If You Vote You Can’t Complain. Their discussion explores topics on suffrage in Canada and the United States and possible answers to why voters seem to be growing more and more apathetic to participating in the democratic system. 

They explore the problem with “defensive voting” and how it may not be disrespectful to the past to refrain from casting your ballot every 2-4 years. In the midst of a Presidential Election in the US, this episode is an offering to listeners to consider what a vote is, who gives you that right, and who’s Kingdom you may be endorsing by participating in a system that upholds its power through force. 

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Timestamps and links to start learning more:

01:10 Who is Patrick Carroll

04:05 What prompted Patrick to write his article “You Can’t Complain if You Vote”

  • Response to you can’t complain if you don’t vote

  • Voting as complicity in system you are complaining about

06:26 Explaining low voter turnout

11:29 Let’s (anarchist/voluntaryist) talk to the nonvoters

15:54 Speaking to individuals vs. groups

19:45 Relationship between individualism/collectivism and fallacy of representation

23:38 Justin explains Canada’s political systems and issues he has seen in elections

26:10 Popular vote vs. who actually wins in US politics 

27:55 Response to “why you should vote” i.e. people have died for the vote, disrespect to suffrage movements, ect.   

  • Is it disrespectful to ask politicians to rule over your neighbors?

  • Is voting important?

  • Positive rights vs. negative rights

    • Positive rights means someone else has a corresponding responsibility (similar to entitlement)

    • Negative implies someone has to not do something e.g. Freedom of Speech means others have to not interfere with your speech

  • The “right” to vote only exist in context of the state

    • Is right to have say in how you are ruled

  • Misnomer to call voting a right

    • The “right” to vote only exist in context of the state

      • Can be seen as right to have say in how you are ruled

  • Respecting people starts by not ruling over people, which, on the contrary, voting supports

33:11 Is America following the constitution? 

37:07 Voting and Slavery

  • Larken Rose video 

  • “Asking your master implies it is their choice...legitimizing their role as master”

  • Being principled is most pragmatic approach, “defensive voting” compromise principles

  • Abolitionist movement was uncompromising

    • Anything less than total abolition of slavery was not sufficient

  • Being ruthlessly principled is the way of Jesus

    • Example: He could have gone on military conquest and overthrown the Romans

  • Lysander Spooner on defensive voting 

41:27 We need to stop pretending

  • Can a broken system fix itself?

    • Does it have an interest to?

  • What message does showing up at the poles send?

 44:30 Patrick’s Plugs

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15. Benje Graves - Misplaced Hope: Political Idealization among American Christians

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In this episode, Craig speaks with Pastor Benje Graves of Vision Community Church  Marsing, Idaho about the strong adherence to the Republican Party among Christians and what that says about where those Christian’s hope may lie. Graves shares stories of his experience in working to get his congregation to see the same entanglement in government affairs that this show seeks to explore and expose. 

We hope this episode is an invitation for conservatives to explore how showing up as a Christian does not mean showing up to endorse any political party, a modern-day call for a King, but rather Jesus’s life and teachings challenge us to remain on the margins of society in order to live out the Gospel. When we understand what it means to be a part of the Kingdom of God, we can begin to release the fear that too often draws us away from our divine calling. We must not forget that, if we call ourselves Christians, our allegiance is not to a finite and man-made nation but to the infinite Kingdom of Heaven. #NoKingbutChrist is a call to faith, a call away from the broken systems of the world that too often pull us away from living a life in the image of Christ.

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Timestamps and starting points for further exploration:


00:22 Episode Intro - Scott Horton Show

01:02 Who is Benje Graves?

01:22 Benje’s connection to Scott Horton 


02:23 Will Grigg, the John Birch Society, The New American magazine, “taking the red pill” 

03:17 The red pill tweet Elon Musk(Fox news report) & why Texas; Fox News disclamier

04:19 Charles Stanley

04:41 Individualism, Group-think & importance of getting people to ask the right questions

08:05 Jesus turning tables, what to do with a sword(don’t be Peter), Jesus before Piloit, Christian youth before Trump

09:25 Franklin Graham, the individual on social media, and the idealization of Trump vs. Obama

11:40 Misplaced Hope: Christians saying “it’s all about the next election”, what does it mean to be a part of the Kingdom of God?

13:33 Benje’s experience with Christians turning away from politics

18:29 Anarchist Push Back: Have we always had a government?

  • Godly/Scriptural governance

  • Was the early Church anarchist?

  • Tertullian

  • Constantinian Shift

  • What should we follow, benefits of understanding the early church and the same way we can come to rediscover the original intent of the constitution (via the arguments of those that were there) 

  • Works Based Salvation: “How in the world do you think you can work your way into heaven” (is registering as republican enough?)

25:02 What can the Temptation of Jesus teach us today - work from the outside in

31:20 Controlling the masses - the government is a fear machine, Christians stay away

39:51  Benje on push back from and to his congregation

  • Quick to forgetters

  • Planting seeds: thoughts, principles & concepts 

  • Looking at what Jesus actually did vs. what we may assume

43:54 Planting seed - taking a long-view of time

  • We are still saying give us a King - Israel and now the Lord’s message is the same

  • America (or any country) being great should not be the criteria for God’s people 

  • A vote is an endorsement

  • “Lesser of two evils”

  • Trying to change the mafia from the inside out

50:45  COVID-19 lockdowns and mental health

53:43 Citizens policing citizens on masks 

58:43 Benje’s plugs

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14. Keith Giles & Jason Porterfield - Fight Like a Christian

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14. Keith Giles & Jason Porterfield - Fight Like a Christian

This episode invites us to ask questions of allegiance, based on the premise that following Christ was, and should remain, a radical act, a difficult call to answer. If we are truly citizens in the Kingdom of God, what place does any modern government have in our lives? With Jesus as our compass, we can build the beloved community; our fight is nonviolent and the weapons are spiritual which is why we invite you to be radical, to be a Bad Roman, to show the world what it means to love your enemies, to help the world experience the love of Christ.

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13. (Christian) Anarchist Round Table #3 - Put Your Mask On & Be a Good Roman

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For our third round table, Jason Mock, Scott Goldman, Nathan Chavoya, and Nicholas Harrelson join Craig to share their opinions on two main ideas. The first question comes from a Facebook fan message and is on where our obedience to Christ lays, he asks if “sometimes to be Christian, it meant you had had to be a good Roman”? Secondly, the Round Table takes a look at mandating masks in addition to exploring where identity is derived when we come to understand the Gospel.

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Timestamps of Topics discussed:

0:53 Introductions

05:30 Opinions on what is entailed by “Sometimes to be Christian, it meant you had to be a good Roman”

07:35 Romans 13

13:13 “Render unto Caesar”

30:35 Major General Smedley Butler

35:16 Recap of Original Statement

36:17 Opinions on Mandating Masks

1:04:30 Definition of a Coronavirus

You can explore Nathan and Jason’s memes in our Meme Gallery and on our Facebook feed!

Visit Live ReligiousTee to see Jason’s designs.

Visit Nicholas’s meme page Anglo-Catholic Memes for Christian Teens and connect with him on Facebook!

Interested in participating in the next round table? Leave us a voice message with your question or comment, and your question could be included in the next Bad Roman Round Table. 

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11. Stephen founder of AnarchoChristian - Planting the Seeds for a Voluntary Society & Consistency in Pursuing Christ

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This week Craig speaks with Stephen, the founder of AnarchoChristain, about his journey to Christian Anarchism. They discuss Stephen talks about the roots of entanglement with the state Stephen's life, if the youth may be more capable of #NoKingButChrist thinking, and the false Messiah syndrome that, as we move closer to the 2020 US election, seems to be plaguing American minds in the midst of a pandemic.

This episode reminds us that the work of building the Kingdom is generational—it’s on God’s time. The efforts of the State are often finite—small or large grabs at power— they can only last, at most, a human life. A voluntary society is not a nation, but, as Craig and Stephen explore in the episode, it is not without rules or order either. Often people turn a blind eye to what we are seeking to bring into the world, not because they disagree with the principle, but rather they can not begin to imagine what a voluntary society would actually function, feel like, or look like on a day to day basis. That’s why we’re here. 

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Time Stamps & Starting Points for Further Exploration:

07:36 “To say we don’t need a government rejects the Biblical truth of a fallen world. I don’t want to imagine a world with pacifist Christians and godless tyrants”

10:19 1 Samuel 8

11:30 Nero, Romans 12 NIV, Romans 13 NIV

19:35 Stephen is Stoned to Death

29:10 How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie
33:33 “Would you be okay with a draft in the military? If not, how would you defend a voluntary society without enough people enlisted in the military?”

36:35 Battle of the Alamo, Libyan Civil War

43:39 2016–2020 Yemen cholera outbreak

51:13 Military-Industrial Complex

Have a question about this episode or any previous episodes? Leave us a voice message or send us an email of your question or comment and your question could be on the next Bad Roman Round Table. 

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10. (Christian) Anarchist Round Table #2 - Grow the Good & Let God Take Care of the Evil

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Do we need a government? Does Anarchy reject the biblical understanding of a fallen world? For our second round table, Craig, Abby Cleckner, Scott Goldman, and Jason Mock, discuss the misunderstanding of pacifism as a form of inaction. The conversation explores how the fallen nature of man is exactly what calls us to follow the eternal Kingdom of God versus the rise and fall of empires and governments of men.