{"podcast":{"title":"The Bad Roman: Christian Politics for Modern Times","slug":"the-bad-roman-christian-politics-for-modern-times-1217940","podcast_index_feed_id":1217940,"rss_url":"https://feed.podbean.com/thebadroman/feed.xml","website_url":"https://www.thebadroman.com","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/7566994/BR_podcast_logo.jpg","author":"Craig Harguess","episode_count":166,"summary":"Feeling caught in the crossfire of your Christian beliefs and the political turmoil around you? If the clash between your faith and the pressures of national loyalty has left you questioning where you stand, The Bad Roman is here to explore these very issues with you. Craig Harguess, once a neoconservative, now leads this engaging series, drawing from his own journey to understanding that being true to Christ often means challenging the expectations of the state. At the heart of ”The Bad Roman Project” is the provocative idea that ”sometimes to be a good Christian means to be a bad Roman.” This concept isn’t about defiance for its own sake (the mol tov cocktail version of anarchy) but emphasizes that our primary allegiance is to Christ’s teachings, which can sometimes put us at odds with worldly powers. It’s a call to prioritize our heavenly citizenship over earthly political ties, embodying the principle of ”No King but Christ.” This phrase underlines the choice to follow Jesus’s example of love, service, and justice, rather than aligning with the ambitions of worldly leaders within a state-bound system. This podcast offers a platform for those who feel the tension between their…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-09T20:22:21.694180+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bad-roman-christian-politics-for-modern-times-1217940"},"episode":{"title":"Can a Voluntary Society Reflect Jesus? with Bob Murphy","slug":"can-a-voluntary-society-reflect-jesus-with-bob-murphy","published_at":"2026-02-12T19:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bad-roman-christian-politics-for-modern-times-1217940/can-a-voluntary-society-reflect-jesus-with-bob-murphy","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bad-roman-christian-politics-for-modern-times-1217940","url":"https://thebadroman.podbean.com/e/kingdom-politics-vs-chaos-can-a-voluntary-society-reflect-jesus/","audio_url":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/9rdagxd8bfpzkdgz/BR154.mp3","summary":"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 strategy. It’s about discipleship. Craig and Bob wrestle with fear, control, Christian politics, and the quiet assumption that force is necessary to hold a society together. They examine what a voluntary society might look like in real life—how cooperation could replace coercion, why consent matters more than compliance, and what changes when no one gets a special pass to use force “for the greater good.” Along the way, Craig keeps circling back to Jesus. If we wouldn’t threaten our neighbor to make things right, why do we trust systems built on threats? And what does it say about our faith when Christian nationalism feels more practical than the Sermon on the Mount? This episode gives listeners language for naming fear, tools for thinking beyond power, and space to ask a deeper question beneath the politics: Do we actually trust the way of Jesus to hold a people together? Their conversation digs into: Why “law and order” feels safe—and what it costs What a voluntary society actually means (and what it doesn’t) Contracts, incentives, insurance, and reputation as alternatives to force Why voting isn’t the same as consent Fear as a driving force behind Christian politics Christian nationalism as a discipleship problem, not just a political one A simple test: would this be okay if my neighbor did it? 🤝Connect with Bob Murphy: Read the Book: Chao…","meta_description":"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. Crai…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3937,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-bad-roman-christian-politics-for-modern-times-1217940/episodes/can-a-voluntary-society-reflect-jesus-with-bob-murphy/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-bad-roman-christian-politics-for-modern-times-1217940/can-a-voluntary-society-reflect-jesus-with-bob-murphy.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}