The Bad Roman: Christian Politics for Modern Times

The Bad Roman: Christian Politics for Modern Times

Are you a Christian who feels disillusioned by politics? Do you see political systems—whether democratic, authoritarian, or otherwise—promising change but often leaving you unfulfilled? As followers of Christ, our calling isn’t tied to any earthly power; it’s to live like Jesus, no matter the political landscape. On this podcast, we explore what it means to set aside man-made allegiances—be they national, partisan, or ideological—and instead take up the Cross. Host Craig Harguess, a former neoconservative Southern Baptist Republican turned pacifist and Christian Voluntaryist, delves into the complex relationship between faith and political power. Through conversations with everyday Christians, church leaders, and even non-Christians, we challenge the ways politics can distract us from God’s work. True change starts where we are—because when we live like Christ, the world around us shifts, regardless of who holds power. New episodes release bi-weekly. Learn more at www.thebadroman.com.

Episodes

June 4, 2026 69 mins

What does it mean to follow Jesus when governments demand your allegiance, your silence, or your fear?

In this episode of The Bad Roman Project, Craig sits down with Ara Torosian, an Iranian-born Armenian pastor who grew up under the Islamic Republic of Iran, served in the underground church, and now pastors Iranian Christians in Los Angeles.

Ara shares his journey from reading the Bible in Farsi as a teenager to smuggling Bibles, ...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Should Christians care about privacy? The surveillance state does not need your worship; it just needs your fear.

In this episode, Craig talks with Jon Padfield of Business Reform about Flock cameras, license plate readers, data brokers, and why Christians should question any system that treats neighbors like suspects and calls it safety.

Jon brings experience as an engineer, former Indiana state representative, professor, and Chri...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

What happens when Christians stop looking to government to do what only Christ can do? Brandon Kroll returns to explore Christian anarchism, Revelation 18, Ephesians 6, the love of money, and the spiritual powers at work behind the systems we trust too easily.

What begins with the merchants of Babylon becomes a deeper reflection on empire, deception, money, and whether followers of Jesus should keep trying to fix the world through ...

What if the gospel is not just about being declared right, but about being rescued from a world that keeps trying to enslave us? Cody Cook returns to the show for a conversation about Galatians, law, union with Christ, the present evil age, and the spiritual powers Jesus came to defeat.

What begins as a discussion of Cody’s book Delivered from the Evil Age of the Present becomes something deeper: a reflection on how we read Paul, w...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Jordan Grant joins Craig for a conversation about conservative Christianity, political deconstruction, Christian nationalism, and the long process of questioning power. What begins as a story about talk radio, Republican politics, and growing up inside a conservative Christian world becomes something deeper: a reflection on authority, coercion, medical culture, and what happens when the teachings of Jesus start pulling us a...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Not everything that competes with Jesus looks dark at first. Sometimes it looks polished, powerful, and close enough to the truth that people stop asking questions. In this episode, Craig and Scipio Eruditus explore Freemasonry, Christianity, and government, tracing both the bigger history and Scipio’s personal path from Afghanistan war veteran to active critic of the powers he once believed were worth defending. What unfolds is a ...

What if the freedom we defend is really just control in disguise? In this episode, Craig and Cal Robbins dig into rightful liberty, the idea that true freedom comes from God and must honor the equal rights of others.

From Thomas Jefferson to Galatians 5, they explore the difference between liberty and license, why legal does not always mean moral, and what it means to say No King but Christ in a world shaped by fear, borders, votin...

Listen
Watch
Mark as Played

Is Trump Barabbas? In this episode, Craig sits down with Paul Lazzaroni (Crossing Cornerstone / No King but Christ Network) to talk about the Barabbas mindset, our craving for a strongman savior, political control, and “winning,” even when it contradicts Jesus’ way.

We explore modern Babylon, the wilderness formation of God’s people, and why “Jesus is Lord” can’t be a slogan that still needs Caesar’s power to do the work.

Topics co...

  • Listen
    Watch
    Mark as Played

    Christians often say “Jesus is King,” but live as if someone else has to keep order. Every system promises order. Few ever ask what that order costs. Craig sits down with economist Bob Murphy, author of Chaos Theory, to explore a disruptive question many Christians have never been invited to ask out loud: What if law, safety, and social order didn’t require rulers at all?

    This conversation isn’t about voting, parties, or political ...

    Listen
    Watch
    Mark as Played

    Are we wrapping the cross in a flag? How far can party and country go before our Christianity must say “stop”? Craig sits down with April Ajoy, author of Star-Spangled Jesus and co-host of The Tim and April Show, to talk about growing up inside Christian nationalism and learning to follow Jesus instead of the party line. The point is not to chase outrage, but to measure all power by the words of Jesus. God first, always.

    They cover...

    Listen
    Watch
    Mark as Played

    Was the shooting of Renee Nicole Good murder or self-defense? We use this case as a clear, real-world test of state power. Craig and Larken Rose ask how far a badge can go before our Christianity must say “stop.” The point is not to chase outrage, but to measure authority by the words of Jesus. God first, always.

    You’ll hear a step-by-step look at the key moments on video, why the second and third shots matter most, what “watch his...

    Listen
    Watch
    Mark as Played

    Judge faith by the neighbor who gets help, not the hype of our politics. Episcopal deacon Gerri Endicott shows how preaching turns into rides, meals, and quiet care. She explains why she leads with “I follow Jesus,” a simple line that lowers walls and points to a Person, not a brand. Judge faith by the neighbor who gets help, not the volume of our politics. 

    Craig and Gerri test faith by its fruit. They sort out what happens when C...

    Listen
    Watch
    Mark as Played

    Do non-Christians see Jesus, or politics, when they look at us? Tasha Heath doesn’t identify as a Christian but has been around the church her whole life. She also worked inside party politics and saw enough behind-the-scenes behavior to step back. From the outside, her read is simple: basic kindness and steady presence change more than ballots and online fights ever will.

    Craig and Tasha ask the hard question: how do non-Christian...

    Listen
    Watch
    Mark as Played

    Craig and Arkansas friend Misty Hubbard trace their journey from “vote harder” conservatism to No King but Christ. They talk about propaganda, “paid patriotism,” online Christian rage, compassion that crosses borders, and why the solution isn’t a better party but a deeper allegiance to Jesus and His Kingdom.

    How Mike Gaddy shattered Misty’s sense of civic religion, with the haunting question “When have you ever voted yourself more ...

    Listen
    Watch
    Mark as Played

    Are borders tyrannical or necessary? Returning guest Chris Polk helps us dismantle the political theater around immigration and ask what allegiance to Jesus looks like when the state shows up with masks and rifles. From truck-stop stories to John 4, they explore why restricting movement may be the worst tyranny and how ordinary neighbor love beats team-red/blue fear.

    Chris argues both parties fed the ICE machine, shares a Cuban car...

    What if Judas wasn’t just a betrayer, but the first to politicize Jesus? Judas’s story exposes a much older problem: the temptation to make Jesus “fit” the system. Domenic Scarcella (author of the book and Substack Good Neighbor, Bad Citizen) returns to argue that Judas tried to make the Messiah more respectable to rulers, trading costly faithfulness for public influence. From the temple clashes of Holy Week to today’s culture wars...

    Listen
    Watch
    Mark as Played

    When Christians step into politics, how much compromise comes with the territory? Can we preach about loving enemies on Sunday while voting to bomb them on Tuesday? Jake Doberenz, host of Christianity Without Compromise and author of the Smashing Idols newsletter, joins us to explore what happens when believers trade the cross for a ballot, and call it discipleship.

    From a high school election that may have been rigged to the very ...

    Listen
    Watch
    Mark as Played

    Is political loyalty pulling our hearts away from Jesus? 

    Craig speaks with Brian Drinkwine, a pastor and church planter who’s seen both the beauty and the brokenness of the American church. After one of Brian’s posts about Charlie Kirk’s death went viral, he found himself in the middle of a national conversation about faith, politics, and misplaced allegiance.

    Brian shares his story, from growing up in a strict Baptist home to pla...

    Listen
    Watch
    Mark as Played

    Matt Mouzakis returns to the podcast to wrestle with one of the most debated questions in the church: What does Scripture really say about women in ministry? From Genesis to Paul’s letters, we unpack how mistranslations, cultural assumptions, and bad theology have sidelined half the Body of Christ for centuries.

    Was Eve really just Adam’s “rib”? Did Paul command women to stay silent in church forever…or was he correcting a local cr...

    Listen
    Watch
    Mark as Played

    What if stepping into a voting booth is less about freedom and more about forcing your will on your neighbor?

    Craig sits down with writer Jeb Smith to wrestle with a question many Christians and libertarians rarely stop to ask: Is voting consistent with the values we claim to hold?

    Jeb, author of Is Libertarianism Consistent with Voting?, argues that casting a ballot contradicts the very heart of libertarian “live and let live” pri...

    Listen
    Watch
    Mark as Played

    Popular Podcasts

      Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.

      Stuff You Should Know

      If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

      Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

      Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

      Dateline NBC

      Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

      Humor Me with Robert Smigel and Friends

      A weekly podcast where host, Robert Smigel, and a rotating panel, his friends, assist callers seeking help in making something in their real life funnier. Anything. A best man speech, a eulogy, a breakup letter, a cover letter, an apology, a Tinder profile - Robert, with a panel of professional comedy writers and comedians, will punch it up and get results. Want help with your writing assignment? Submit it to: speakpipe.com/humorme

    Advertise With Us
    Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

    Connect

    © 2026 iHeartMedia, Inc.

    • Help
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • AdChoicesAd Choices