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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, they trace how disciples drift when we ask Jesus to fit the system instead of following Him out of it.
Domenic explains why anti-Christ means impostor (not merely opponent) and how post-Constantine Christianity flipped from persecution to privilege, and why coercion never appears in Jesus’ toolkit for discipling nations. From Caesar to modern politics Domenic and Craig trace how compromise creeps in when disciples trade the cross for influence,and faithfulness for respectability. Constantine’s empire did to the Church’s soul, and how grace keeps the Gospel alive even when the Church gets it wrong.
“Judas didn’t hate Jesus…he just wanted Him to be more compatible with the government.”
If you’ve ever wondered what it means to follow Jesus in a world addicted to power, this conversation will challenge and comfort you. The Kingdom of God still runs on love, not control.
We cover:
🤝 Connect with Domenic Scarcella:
📖 For Full Show Notes: thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-147
🌶️ SALSA THE LOVE 🌶️
FREE ACTION: Share the Episode, Start a Conversation with a Fellow Christian
Key Episode Moments:
(0:22) Judas: the OG Christian nationalist?
Previous episode with Domenic: Christianity Unpacked in "Good Neighbor, Bad Citizen" with Domenic Scarcella
(1:05) “Good Neighbor, Bad Citizen”
(1:58) What Domenic’s been building
(4:02) Five years of The Bad Roman
(7:26) Judas as “the normal guy”
(11:42) “Judas 8:2” and the mercy of Jesus
(13:55) Setting the Holy Week scene
(20:16) Modern parallels
(21:35) The deal that wasn’t
(26:05) Antichrist vs. Contra Christ
(30:10) Coercion and the Kingdom
(34:03) Constantine’s inflection point
(38:16) Three models of church–state fusion
(47:50) The remnant remains
(53:25) Imperfect messengers, perfect Gospel
(56:42) Where to find Domenic
🔗 Plug into the Movement:
By Craig Harguess4.9
2727 ratings
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, they trace how disciples drift when we ask Jesus to fit the system instead of following Him out of it.
Domenic explains why anti-Christ means impostor (not merely opponent) and how post-Constantine Christianity flipped from persecution to privilege, and why coercion never appears in Jesus’ toolkit for discipling nations. From Caesar to modern politics Domenic and Craig trace how compromise creeps in when disciples trade the cross for influence,and faithfulness for respectability. Constantine’s empire did to the Church’s soul, and how grace keeps the Gospel alive even when the Church gets it wrong.
“Judas didn’t hate Jesus…he just wanted Him to be more compatible with the government.”
If you’ve ever wondered what it means to follow Jesus in a world addicted to power, this conversation will challenge and comfort you. The Kingdom of God still runs on love, not control.
We cover:
🤝 Connect with Domenic Scarcella:
📖 For Full Show Notes: thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-147
🌶️ SALSA THE LOVE 🌶️
FREE ACTION: Share the Episode, Start a Conversation with a Fellow Christian
Key Episode Moments:
(0:22) Judas: the OG Christian nationalist?
Previous episode with Domenic: Christianity Unpacked in "Good Neighbor, Bad Citizen" with Domenic Scarcella
(1:05) “Good Neighbor, Bad Citizen”
(1:58) What Domenic’s been building
(4:02) Five years of The Bad Roman
(7:26) Judas as “the normal guy”
(11:42) “Judas 8:2” and the mercy of Jesus
(13:55) Setting the Holy Week scene
(20:16) Modern parallels
(21:35) The deal that wasn’t
(26:05) Antichrist vs. Contra Christ
(30:10) Coercion and the Kingdom
(34:03) Constantine’s inflection point
(38:16) Three models of church–state fusion
(47:50) The remnant remains
(53:25) Imperfect messengers, perfect Gospel
(56:42) Where to find Domenic
🔗 Plug into the Movement:

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