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 Christianity gets pulled into national politics. Gratitude for a country is good; loyalty belongs to Jesus. Gerri also names a pre-Advent practice from her church’s calendar that helps her community rehearse that loyalty (Christ the King). Not every church observes it, but the posture fits anywhere.

Try this week: serve one neighbor, tell the truth with kindness, pray for an enemy by name, choose presence over outrage. If you want a public faith that looks like Jesus, start here.

Their conversation digs into:

📖 For Full Show Notes: https://www.thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-151

Key Moments with Gerri:

(00:00) Farmers market hello: How they met

(02:00) Memphis roots & call to serve: Gerri’s context

(05:49) Scripture & strong women: Big story, not proof texts

(06:50) A changed mind: Book + sermon

(08:10) Easter’s first witnesses: Why this matters

(12:30) “Follower of Jesus:”  Language that lowers walls

(13:59) Loyalty & the Sermon on the Mount: Allegiance check

(14:29) Taking Scripture seriously: How to read

(18:45) Christ the King (her church calendar): A yearly reset

(22:11) The big story: Creation to new creation

(24:31) Nations vs. countries: Words matter

(38:47) No new kings: Craig’s practice

(39:56) Sermon preview: How Gerri will name it

(46:56) Borders, ICE, neighbor love: Dignity in action

(48:00) Stay in touch: What’s next

💕 Want more episodes that keep loyalty with Jesus, not politics?💕Donate to the project at thebadroman.com/donate. Anything helps, and everything past production costs goes to local charities in Memphis, TN.

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Listen first. Love well. No King but Christ.

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-Christians perceive Christians, and is our politics-first posture helping or hurting the gospel? They dig into hypocrisy, homelessness, prisons, and why the church must find a way to look like Jesus, not the state. 

They dig into:

📖For Full Show Notes: https://www.thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-150

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Listen first. Love well. No King but Christ.

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 free?”, and what happens when your faith starts sounding more like a campaign ad than the Sermon on the Mount. 

In the end, this isn’t a call to find a better party; it’s an invitation to step out of the culture war and into small, local communities where people quietly learn to look, and love, more like Jesus.

What’s Inside this Episode:

🤝Connect with Misty Hubbard:

📖 For Full Show Notes: thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-149

Key Episode Moments:

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If this conversation with Misty Hubbard about “vote harder” Christianity, civic religion, and untangling patriotism from following Jesus helped you see your own loyalties differently, please consider supporting The Bad Roman Project at thebadroman.com/donate. Your support keeps stories like Misty’s in the feed, calling out flag-wrapped faith, online Christian rage, and party-first discipleship, and keeps pointing people back to No King but Christ. As always, 100% of donations above production costs go to local Memphis charities.

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Let the questions do the work. Then listen, don’t just lecture.

🔗 Stay Plugged into the Project 🔗

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 rescue story that needed no papers, and reminds us that Jesus walked through Samaria, not around it. If Mary and Joseph fled Herod today, would we demand their passports?

They dig into:

🤝 Connect with Chris Polk:

📖 For Full Show Notes: thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-148

Key Episode Moments:

(01:00) Framing the Question: Christ vs. Caesar

(04:00) The Machine Called “Do Something”

(10:30) Fear Cycles & Border Theater

(18:00) Borders as Cages (Keeping You In)

(23:00) The Cuban VW & Neighbor Love

(27:00) Jesus Through Samaria

(35:00) The Worst Tyranny: Blocking Movement

(44:00) When “Our Guys” Get Power

(50:00) Cop-aganda & Qualified Immunity

(57:00) Would Jesus “Follow the Law”?

(1:02:00) Sowing Violence, Reaping Blowback

(1:08:00) Repentance, Friendship, & “No King but Christ”

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Are we viewing immigration through the eyes of Christ or Caesar?

Do borders keep “them” out, or keep us in?

What would it look like to love the traveler first and let the paperwork be second?

 🔗 Stay Plugged into the Movement:

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

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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:

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 adult reality of war-making, political idolatry, the allure of power, we ask: what happens to our witness when we outsource sin to Caesar?

Jake shares his journey from Republican Club president to his tug of war between faith and politics, highlighting the compromises often required in politics and presenting a firsthand look at how politics pulls Christians away from the teachings of Jesus.

Craig and Jake dive deep into the inconsistencies that arise when Christians prioritize political allegiances over Jesus' teachings, particularly in hot-button issues like the Israel-Palestine conflict. Together they revisit 1 Samuel 8, Psalm 146, the Sermon on the Mount, and why Romans 12 must shape any reading of Romans 13. The heartbeat: No King but Christ is a reminder that Scripture consistently warns us against putting our trust in rulers and systems that thrive on coercion.

Through it all, Craig and Jake call the church back to consistency, repentance, and allegiance to a Kingdom that doesn’t run on violence or votes. Jake explains the mission behind his podcast, emphasizing the importance of addressing modern idols (including politics and Christian nationalism) that often distract from true faith.

If you’ve ever wondered whether Christians can follow Jesus without compromise in a world obsessed with power, this episode will challenge you to rethink how you live out your loyalties. Because at the end of the day, there’s only one political statement that matters:

No King but Christ.

Highlights & Takeaways

📖For Full Show Notes: https://www.thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-146

🤝Connect with Jake Doberenz:

Key Moments:

(0:22) Introducing guest Jake Doberins

(1:00) From “Smashing Idols” to “Christianity Without Compromise”

(2:26) Standing firm on the words of Jesus

(4:07) Jake’s background and calling

(8:00) Early political experience

(15:22) Wrestling with faith and politics

(19:52) The cost of Christian political involvement

(24:12) Consistency as Christian witness

(28:51) 1 Samuel 8 and Israel’s demand for a king

(32:00) Reading Romans 13 through Romans 12

(35:35) The corrupting nature of power

(40:17) Psalm 146 — trusting God, not princes

(45:39) The mission behind Christianity Without Compromise

(50:28) Encouragement for Christian creators

💕Support the Project💕

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Donations are cool, but salsa is spicy (or mild if you like)? Every jar eaten helps keep us in your ears. Join the craze and get a jar at badromansalsa.com

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🔗For more on The Bad Roman Project

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 planting churches across the country, and how he learned that following Jesus means laying down every other flag. Together, he and Craig talk about what happens when believers confuse the Kingdom of God with the kingdoms of this world.

They dig into:

Brian also shares how he’s helping others recognize political idolatry and live out the words, “No King but Christ.”

Take a listen and ask yourself: where does your allegiance really lie…the flag or the cross?

📖For Full Show Notes: https://www.thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-145

🤝Connect with Brian Drinkwine:

💕 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT THE PROJECT: TASTE IT BAD ROMAN SALSA, ADD TO THE BAG thebadroman.com/donate, and share with a friend (it's free!)🌶️

Key Moments:

(0:22) Discussing reactions to Charlie Kirk's death

(0:48) Brian Drinkwine's background

(4:09) The viral post about Charlie Kirk

(10:45) Addressing the church's response

(23:52) Reflections on the memorial service

(29:19) The danger of political allegiance

(35:32) Early church perspective on empire

(41:34) The malaise in modern Christianity

(54:46) Christian nationalism and its impact

(1:06:56) Tools for self-reflection

(1:17:34) Conclusion and future discussions

🔗For more on The Bad Roman Project

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 crisis in Ephesus? And what does “headship” actually mean when Paul calls Christ the head of the church?

Many of us were taught to see “male headship” as God’s design. But what if that’s really just the fallout of the Fall? And what if Jesus’ Kingdom has already undone that curse?  

Spoiler: the resurrection was first preached by women, and that wasn’t an accident.

📖For Full Show Notes: https://www.thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-144

💕 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT THE PROJECT: TASTE IT BAD ROMAN SALSA, ADD TO THE BAG thebadroman.com/donate, and share with a friend (it's free!)🌶️

🤝Connect with Matt Mouzakis:

Key Moments:

(1:35) Complementarian vs. Egalitarian

(6:00) Craig’s Journey

(14:00) Genesis Re-Read: Not a Rib, but a Side

(19:00) “Helper Suitable”: God as Ally

(24:00) Genesis 3 and the Fall

(26:24) 1 Timothy 2 in Context

(31:00) Students, Not Silenced

(38:00) 1 Corinthians 14 and the “Silence” Verses

(41:00) Headship: What Does “Head” Mean?

(47:00) Husbands & Wives in Ephesians 5

(57:00) Women Leaders in Scripture

(1:09:00) Why This Matters to Matt

🔗For more on The Bad Roman Project

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” principles. And for Christians, the stakes are even higher. Jesus never told us to hand power over our neighbors to Caesar. He called us to serve, not to rule.

The conversation digs into how politics twists even kind and gentle people into something unrecognizable, why voting legitimizes a corrupt system built on coercion, and how stepping away from political participation might actually free us to love our neighbors better.

As Jeb puts it, “Since I stopped voting, I get along with people much better, even those with completely different political opinions.”

This isn’t just another debate about left vs. right. It’s a challenge to reimagine what it means to follow Christ in a world obsessed with power.

Tune in, and ask yourself honestly: are you serving Christ when you pull that lever, or are you just baptizing Caesar’s game with Christian language?

📖For Full Show Notes: https://www.thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-143

Jeb's Books:

Fanmail and Hate mail via email: [email protected]

💕 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT THE PROJECT: TASTE IT BAD ROMAN SALSA, ADD TO THE BAG thebadroman.com/donate, and share with a friend (it's free!)🌶️

Key Moments:

(0:41) Libertarianism and Voting Consistency

(1:51) Guest Update: Jeb Smith’s Recent Work

(2:50) Libertarian Voting Paradox

(4:04) Historical Voting Patterns and Motivations

(5:43) Libertarian Electoral Success and Philosophical Consistency

(7:34) Voting as Legitimizing Corrupt Systems

(9:40) The Nature of Political Power and Authority

(12:07) Fear and Coercion in State Power

(14:37) Christian and Libertarian Approaches to Governance

(19:06) Democracy and Bullying

(22:23) Political Involvement and Dehumanization

(27:01) Disengagement from Politics

(30:28) Voting as Participation in War

(34:10) Secularization of Christianity through Politics

(36:16) The Corrupting Nature of Political Power

(40:08) Psychopathy in Politics and Business

(42:29) The Golden Rule and Political Non-Participation

(47:54) Additional Resources and Contact Information

🔗For more on The Bad Roman Project

What happens when a Christian stops voting and starts questioning everything?

Craig sits down with musician Ancap Tim to trace his journey from a Republican poster child (yes, he really had George W. Bush on his birthday cake) to a Christian challenging empire through music, faith, and bold conversation. 

Tim shares how his journey through politics, theology, and touring Christian musician led him to a deeper understanding of what it means to follow Christ alone: no party, no empire, no king but The King.

They talk about:

This conversation moves from heavy to hopeful, with honest reflections on war, government, discipleship, and how modern politics often feels more like pro wrestling than public service.

Whether you're deep into Christian anarchism or just starting to question what you've always believed, this episode offers a refreshing mix of conviction, creativity, and clarity.

🎧 Listen now to hear how Tim’s latest album—and his life—makes the case for putting Christ above every other power.

📖For Full Show Notes: https://www.thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-142

💕 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT THE PROJECT: TASTE IT BAD ROMAN SALSA, ADD TO THE BAG thebadroman.com/donate, and share with a friend (it's free!)🌶️

Key Moments:

(0:22) Guest Introduction: Musician Ancap Tim

(2:06) Tim's Background and Journey

(5:02) Evolution of Political Views

(7:50) Reconciling Christianity and Anarchism

(10:27) Conversation with a Baptist Pastor

(12:52) Tim's Musical Journey

(15:15) Critique of Modern Christianity

(20:37) Universal Restoration and Doctrinal Differences

(23:56) Tim's New Album: "The State's Just a Mafia"

(36:35) Album Cover Design

(47:55) Tim's Music Style and Future Plans

(49:34) Where to Find Tim's Music

(52:38) Conclusion and Support

🔗For more on The Bad Roman Project