The Bad Roman: Christian Politics for Modern Times

The State of Arkansas told Brenda “Granny” Smith to stop attending births.
She wadded up the cease-and-desist letter and threw it away.
Brenda had already spent years helping mothers when she found herself facing state scrutiny, an arrest warrant, legal bills, and what she says were eight years of Facebook screenshots collected as evidence.
Why keep going?
Because Brenda believed God had called her to stand beside women who needed help, and she was not willing to let fear of the state become more important than obedience to Christ.
That lived experience eventually helped her recognize something about herself: the Christian faith she already practiced fit naturally with anarchy built on consent and non-aggression.
Her challenge is simple: “If your faith doesn’t require something difficult of you, why are you even doing it?”
In this episode, Craig and Brenda dig into:
👶 Home birth, midwifery, and informed choice⚖️ State regulation and voluntary relationships📱 Arrest warrants, surveillance, and Facebook screenshots✝️ Obeying God rather than men🕊️ Consent, non-aggression, and Christian anarchy👑 “Who is your master?”🏛️ Government as a “perpetual parent”❤️ Loving enemies instead of simply rejecting rulers🌅 Becoming an “apocaloptimist” when the world looks like it is falling apart
 
📖 For Full Show Notes: https://thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-169
 
🤝 Connect with Brenda 'Granny' Smith 🤝
Facebook: Catching Freedom
 
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Send this episode to someone and ask: When does obedience become compliance? What should a Christian do when the state commands something that conflicts with conscience? If faith never costs us anything, how much does it actually shape us?
 
🔗 Get Involved with the Project 🔗
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Explore the No King but Christ Network: nokingbutchristnetwork.com
 

Adam Stump asked two congregations if they knew Christians lived in Iran. Not one hand went up.
We hear plenty about Iran as an enemy, a government, or a military target. But how often do American Christians think about the people living beneath those labels, including fellow Christians?
Adam joins Craig to talk about Christians in the Middle East, Iranian converts worshiping in underground churches, and what happens when nationalism teaches us who our enemies are before Jesus teaches us how to love them.
Adam puts it simply: “We have tried bombs and bullets and it doesn’t work. Why don’t we try love?”
So Craig asks the question hanging over the whole conversation: Have we actually tried Jesus?
They dig into:
Christians in Iran and the Middle East
Iranian converts and underground house churches
Armenian and Assyrian Christian communities
war, American power, and Christian witness
Christian nationalism and political party loyalty
Constantine, Christendom, and the pursuit of political power
loving people our governments call enemies
relationships as an alternative to fear and coercion
📖 For Full Show Notes:https://www.thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-168
🤝 Connect with Adam Stump:
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/Pastor.Adam.Stump
Substack: https://pastoradamstump.substack.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pastor_adam_stump/
TikTok: @pastor.adam.stump
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Pastor-Adam-Stump-100095132295636/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PastorAdamStump
Email: adam.joseph.stump@gmail.com
Western Pennsylvania UMC Profile: https://www.wpaumc.org/clergydetail/479051
Central Highlands UMC: https://www.wpaumc.org/churchdetail/218250
💕 Support the Project 💕
If this conversation with Adam helped you see the people behind the politics, and question whether bombs, borders, and nationalism belong in the way of Jesus, help us keep conversations like this going.
Support The Bad Roman Project at:https://thebadroman.com/donate
100% of donations above production costs go to local Memphis charities.
🌶️ SALSA THE LOVE 🌶️
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FREE: Share & Start a Conversation
Send this episode to a friend and ask: Do we know any of the people we call our enemies? Can Christians be Kingdom people first if national loyalty tells us who to fear? If bombs and political power keep failing us, have we actually tried Jesus?
Meet people. Listen well. Love the person behind the label.
No King but Christ.
🔗 How to Get Involved with the Project 🔗
Blog submissions: thebadroman.com/contribute-to-the-blog
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Want to dig deeper? Request to join the private discussion group on Facebook (Bad Romans Only!!)
Explore the No King but Christ Network: nokingbutchristnetwork.com

Does questioning your theology mean you're losing your faith, or could it mean you're finally taking faith seriously?
Craig sits down with Jon Kinder of The Geeky Preacher to talk about Christian deconstruction, church hurt, political allegiance, Christian nationalism, pacifism, hell, the rapture, and what happens when inherited beliefs stop looking like Jesus.
Jon's deconstruction began in two places: politics and a hospital bed.
Growing up in rural Christian culture, Republican politics and Christianity seemed almost inseparable. Then books like Greg Boyd's The Myth of a Christian Nation challenged Jon to judge political power by the teachings of Christ rather than by party loyalty.
A few years later, Jon was hospitalized with stage-three lymphoma. While lying in bed, he heard a television preacher claim that sick people were sick because they did not have enough faith. 
That hit differently when Jon was the person with cancer.
Instead of abandoning Christianity, he began taking his theology apart one question at a time.
His picture of deconstruction is not a wrecking ball. It is a home renovation:
Christ stays as the foundation. The rooms get examined.
Craig and Jon explore:
Christian deconstruction without abandoning Jesus
Dungeons & Dragons, horror movies, and the Satanic Panic
Universal restoration and the fear of hell
Christian pacifism and alternatives to violence
Greg Boyd, Brian Zahnd, and Christian anarchism
The Pledge of Allegiance and loyalty to the state
Why honest questions threaten some church cultures
Progressive revelation and reading Scripture through Jesus
Finding Christ outside a brick-and-mortar church
The Ship of Theseus as a picture of changing faith
The Geeky Preacher and finding God in movies, games, anime, and culture
One line may sum up the whole conversation:
“If anything is true, it's gonna survive scrutiny, it's gonna survive questions.”
Maybe deconstruction is not about destroying faith.
Maybe it is about finding out what was actually built on Jesus.
🤝Connect with Jon Kinder / The Geeky Preacher🤝
Linktree: The Geeky Preacher
Substack
No King But Christ Network
📖 Full Show Notes: https://thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-167
🔗 How to Get Involved with the Project 🔗
Blog submissions: thebadroman.com/contribute-to-the-blog
Connect with us on social: thebadroman.com/social-links
Want to dig deeper? Request to join the private discussion group on Facebook (Bad Romans Only!!)
Explore the No King but Christ Network: nokingbutchristnetwork.com

When the U.S. wages war in the Middle East that American Christians support, do we remember that some of the people beneath those bombs are fellow Christians? And even when they are not Christians, how can we forget that Jesus calls us to love our neighbor and enemy alike?
Mennonite pastor, writer, screenwriter, and activist Nathan Perrin joins Craig for a conversation about the people Western headlines often leave out. Nathan has spent nearly a decade working alongside Assyrians, Kurds, Palestinians, and other Middle Eastern communities through local organizing and visits to northern Iraq.
He recounts visiting an Assyrian church that had been rebuilt again and again after attempts to destroy it. A cross in its courtyard covered in bullet holes. Yet when new bombardments began, Christian and Muslim neighbors exchanged keys to their homes so each family would have a place of safety.
That act of neighbor-love stands in sharp contrast to the fear often preached in American churches.
Craig and Nathan explore why the word evangelical carries painful baggage in parts of the Middle East. Ancient Christian communities have sometimes been treated as mission targets, while humanitarian aid has been tied to conversion. Nathan challenges us to consider whether people abroad encounter Jesus through Western Christianity, or the pressure of empire.
The conversation also covers:
Christian communities in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine
How US military action creates blowback against local Christians and Muslims
Dispensationalism and unquestioning Christian support for the State of Israel
The difference between loving Jewish neighbors and defending a government
Craig’s Ramadan meal with a Muslim neighbor
Assyrians, Yazidis, Mandaeans, and other overlooked communities
Christian nationalism, political personality cults, and closed media silos
Books, sermons, documentaries, and films for deeper learning
Nathan reminds listeners that ordinary Muslims he has met often describe Christians in simple terms: “Christians are our neighbors.”
What would change if the Western church began there?
🤝 Connect with Nathan Perrin
Website: https://nathanperrinwriter.com
Mennonite Action (Chicago chapter): https://mennoniteaction.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/mennoniteaction/
Community Peacemaker Teams: https://cpt.org(peace and human-rights work in Iraq, Kurdistan, Palestine, and beyond)
📚 Resources Mentioned
Munther Isaac: Christ in the RubbleChrist in the Rubble (InterVarsity Press)
Mitri Raheb: Palestinian Christian writing and teachingMitri Raheb Official Site
Naim Ateek: Justice and Only JusticeJustice and Only Justice (Orbis Books)
Israelism (2023 documentary)Israelism Film Official Site
1948: Creation & Catastrophe (2017 documentary)1948: Creation & Catastrophe Official Site
Munich (2005 film by Steven Spielberg)Munich (IMDb)
Waltz with Bashir (2008 film)Waltz with Bashir (IMDb)
Lebanon (2009 film by Samuel Maoz)Lebanon (IMDb)
📚Full show notes: https://www.thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-166
Support the project by visiting Spot Fund or grabbing a jar of salsa at https://badromansalsa.com/. All funds received above production costs support charities in Memphis, Tennessee.
Read the Gospels. Meet your neighbors. Refuse to whitewash war.
Key Moments:
(00:00) The Christians missing from our maps
(04:20) A bullet-marked cross and shared house keys
(08:15) Why “evangelical” carries painful baggage
(12:40) Middle Eastern Christians and the cost of intervention
(19:45) Dispensationalism, Zionism, and prophecy politics
(24:45) A Ramadan meal breaks through fear
(32:06) “Christians are our neighbors”
(36:36) Assyrians, Yazidis, and Mandaeans
(41:30) A political issue and a theological issue
(46:23) What remains after Trump
(50:55) Learning to see the people behind the war
(54:18) Nathan’s writing and peace work
 
🔗 How to Get Involved with the Project 🔗
Blog submissions: thebadroman.com/contribute-to-the-blog
Connect with us on social: thebadroman.com/social-links
Want to dig deeper? Request to join the private discussion group on Facebook (Bad Romans Only!!)
Explore the No King but Christ Network: nokingbutchristnetwork.com

Ancap Tim returns to discuss his new album, It’s Not Left vs. Right, and the story behind the song inspired by the phrase, “Sometimes being a good Christian means being a bad Roman.”
Drawing from his life as a musician, homesteader, homeschooling father, and Christian anarchist, Tim explains why allegiance to Jesus must come before allegiance to government, party, or nation.
This is not a call to become more anti-government. It is a call to become more like Christ.
 
They dig into:
The story behind “Sometimes Being a Good Christian Means Being a Bad Roman”
Why Matthew 20:25–28 challenges domination and political power
How love offers an alternative to coercion
Why Christian discipleship must remain voluntary
The difference between the Kingdom of God and the kingdoms of this world
How music, humor, homesteading, and ordinary faithfulness can become acts of resistance
Can Christians seek power over their neighbors while following a King who knelt to wash feet? Can love be commanded, enforced, or legislated? What does “Not so with you” mean in a church shaped by political fear and tribal loyalty? Let’s talk about it.
🤝Connect with Ancap Tim🤝
Website: ancaptim.crd.co
Apple Music: music.apple.com/us/artist/ancap-tim
Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0V00pFy29YAmmaKqSRKTRC
YouTube: youtube.com/@AncapTim
Instagram: instagram.com/ancaptim
X: x.com/ancaptim
Facebook: facebook.com/p/Ancap-Tim-61571241265825
Playing the Midwest Peace & Liberty Fest, Aug 6–9, Laingsburg, MI: mplfest.org
Previous episode: “Stateless Psalms: Songs for Liberty with Ancap Tim,” Episode 142
Starting Points and Key Moments:
(00:00) Ancap Tim returns with a new album
(11:42) The salsa table and the song that started it all
(17:18) The law of love versus the logic of coercion
(27:41) When party loyalty overrides Jesus
(35:33) “But I'm Extreme” — who decided what counts as extreme?
(40:16) An AI choir, Rothbard, and Scott Horton
(52:51) The Iran war, Hormuz, and a tragedy neither side can spin away
(1:02:19) The new album, the road, and where to find Tim
 
📖 For Full Show Notes: thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-165
 
Support the Show
💕 Feed the Feed 💕
You can donate to the project at thebadroman.com/donate. Every sized donation helps, and anything beyond production costs is given to charities in Memphis, Tennessee.
🌶️ SALSA THE LOVE 🌶️ Want to an edible way to support the project? Try the Bad Roman Salsa at badromansalsa.com. Every jar helps fund more No King but Christ conversations and keeps this work independent.
Want to support the project another way? Share this episode with someone untangling faith from politics!
 
🔗 How to Get Involved with the Project 🔗
Blog submissions: thebadroman.com/contribute-to-the-blog
Connect with us on social: thebadroman.com/social-links
Want to dig deeper? Request to join the private discussion group on Facebook (Bad Romans Only!!)
Explore the No King but Christ Network: nokingbutchristnetwork.com

When did we start believing that someone has to be in charge?
Maybe it's one of the oldest stories we tell ourselves. If the right people hold power, everything will be okay. If the wrong people do, everything falls apart.
But what if Jesus was inviting us into a completely different way of living?
In this special bonus episode, Craig catches up with longtime friends of the show Larken Rose and Amanda Rose ahead of Approaching Humanity, an upcoming gathering in Sedona. What begins as a conversation about an event quickly becomes something much deeper. Together they explore why people from very different backgrounds keep arriving at the same uncomfortable questions about authority, conscience, and what it means to love our neighbors without trying to rule them.
This isn't a debate about politics. It's a conversation about becoming more fully human, and whether the Kingdom Jesus announced has been offering another way all along.
They dig into:
Why Jesus refused the crown everyone expected Him to take
A fresh look at "Render unto Caesar"
How political identities quietly shape our discipleship
Why people with different worldviews keep asking the same questions
What hope looks like when we stop trying to control one another
📖 For full show notes: https://thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-bonus
Connect with Larken & Amanda
The Rose Channel: therosechannel.com
Larken Rose's personal site: larkenrose.com
Candles in the Dark seminar: attendcandles.com
Larken on X: x.com/larken_rose
Larken on YouTube: youtube.com/user/LarkenRose
Approaching Humanity event tickets: therosechannel.com/humanity
Approaching Humanity pre-order the book: therosechannel.com/humanitybook
Also Mentioned in This Episode (Approaching Humanity Speakers)
Sheriff David Hathaway: Sheriff of Santa Cruz County, Arizona; previously featured on The Bad Roman Podcast, Episode 53, “Love at the Border with Sheriff David Hathaway”
Jason Bassler: co-founder of The Free Thought Project and founder of Police the Police
Patrick Smith: host of Disenthrall
Mark Maresca: host of The White Pillbox
Carey Wedler: voluntaryist content creator; former editor-in-chief of Anti-Media
Derrick Broze:  journalist, author, and founder of The Conscious Resistance Network
James Corbett: independent journalist, The Corbett Report, joining remotely from Japan
Rebecca Anzini: speaker on the hidden dangers inside “freedom-minded” intentional communities
Brittany: homeschooling mother, comedian, and past cast member of The Jones Plantation
Key Moments:
(00:00) Announcing Approaching Humanity
(02:02) Who Actually Shows Up
(05:27) Faith, Atheism, and Getting Shut Out
(09:24) The Core Challenge
(13:10) Renaming the Book
(15:30) Rereading “Give Unto Caesar”
(18:52) The God Nobody Names
(23:06) Candles in the Dark
(25:55) Why Approaching Humanity Brings Together So Many Beliefs
(33:22) Meet More of the Speakers
(36:30) Even More Speakers
(41:04) Why the Event Won't Hand the Ring Back
(48:45) Getting to Sedona
 
3 Ways You Can Support the Show
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Or simply share the show for free!It helps people find us and starts more conversations.
 
🔗 How to Get Involved with the Project 🔗
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Explore the No King but Christ Network: nokingbutchristnetwork.com
Jesus over empire. Mercy over shame. No King but Christ.

What if the biggest political threat facing the church is not opposition, but formation?
Brian Drinkwine returns to The Bad Roman Podcast to discuss his new book, Kingdom Over Empire: Recovering the Gospel from Political Captivity.
Drawing from his own journey through conservative evangelical politics, Brian explains how empire shapes what Christians fear, whom they treat as enemies, and where they place their hope.
This is not a call to switch parties. It is a call to recover undivided allegiance to Jesus.
They dig into:
The six ways empire disciples us
Why enemy-love leaves no room for political loopholes
The social cost of leaving partisan identity
Constantine and the transformation of the cross into a symbol of conquest
Seven Mountains teaching, the Cyrus narrative, and the slow assimilation of the church into political power
Can Christians defend cruelty because their side gets results? Can the Kingdom of a crucified King be advanced through domination, fear, and coercion? Let's talk about it.
 
📖 For Full Show Notes: thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-164
 
🤝Connect with Brian🤝
Kingdom Over Empire: Recovering the Gospel from Political Captivity
Also available through Amazon and other book retailers
Email: brian@briandrinkwine.com
Website: https://briandrinkwine.com/
Linkedin
X
Facebook
Instagram 
Ministry at Breakthrough Church
Key Moments:
(00:00) Introducing Kingdom Over Empire
(05:30) A Crisis of Hope and Identity
(09:30) How Empire Disciples Us
(18:50) Enemy-Love and the Way of the Cross
(24:30) Winning, Certainty, and Control
(28:45) When Party Loyalty Overrides Jesus
(36:30) Remembering the Poor and the Marginalized
(43:49) The Cost of Leaving Political Identity
(49:30) Image-Bearers Over Political Categories
(53:25) Constantine and the Co-opted Cross
(57:45) When the Church Gains Power
(1:01:10) Seven Mountains, Cyrus, and Political Power
(1:05:25) Nebuchadnezzar and Assimilation into Babylon
(1:07:45) Assimilation and the Subtle Loss of Identity
(1:09:40) Finding and Sharing the Book
 
Support the Show
💕 Feed the Feed 💕
You can donate to the project at thebadroman.com/donate. Every sized donation helps, and anything beyond production costs is sent to charities in Memphis, Tennessee.
🌶️ SALSA THE LOVE 🌶️ Want to an edible way to support the project? Try the Bad Roman Salsa at badromansalsa.com. Every jar helps fund more No King but Christ conversations and keeps this work independent.
Want to support the project another way? Share this episode with someone untangling faith from politics or or pick up Brian’s book and start your own conversation.
 
🔗 How to Get Involved with the Project 🔗
Blog submissions: thebadroman.com/contribute-to-the-blog
Connect with us on social: thebadroman.com/social-links
Want to dig deeper? Request to join the private discussion group on Facebook (Bad Romans Only!!)
Explore the No King but Christ Network: nokingbutchristnetwork.com
Jesus over empire. Mercy over shame. No King but Christ.
 

What happens when the faith you inherited no longer looks like Jesus?
Josif Wright joins Craig to talk about leaving Christian nationalism, questioning the flag-and-cross mixture, and learning to trust Christ instead of political power. Josif is a teacher, coach, hospice chaplain, church speaker, and author of The War Within: My Story.
The conversation later turns toward his son Ryan’s decade-long struggle with addiction. Craig also shares memories of his brother TJ, whose battle with alcohol ended in 2020. Together, they ask what families and churches can do when control fails, shame makes things worse, and love is the only faithful path left.
They dig into:
Why Christians should question “God-and-country” teaching
Flags, pledges, voting, and divided allegiance
Loving people beyond national and political teams
Addiction from a parent’s point of view
Grace, identity, recovery, and harmful church labels
📖 For Full Show Notes: thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-163
 
🤝Connect with Josif🤝
Book: The War Within: My Story at Barnes & Noble, Amazon
Email: thewarwithinmystory@gmail.com
Instagram: @Josifwright 
X: @Josifwright 
Nostr/Damus: @j3
Josif also invites people who cannot afford a copy to email him. His stated goal is not sales, but helping families and people who are struggling.
 
Key Moments:
00:00 Leaving Christian nationalism
04:20 “Don’t trust the government and be kind”
08:30 God is pro-people
21:40 Flags, pastors, legalism, and fear
25:18 Can Christians pledge to two masters?
29:10 Voting and political identity
34:53 The War Within and Craig’s brother TJ
40:00 A family living on emotional life support
44:05 “Step back. Let God be God”
47:10 Recovery, grace, and new identity
53:40 Why people are more than their addiction
 
Support the Show
💕 Feed the Feed 💕
Support the show at thebadroman.com/donate. Every gift helps, and everything beyond production costs goes to local charities in Memphis, Tennessee.
🌶️ SALSA THE LOVE 🌶️ Want to support the project in a tastier way? Grab Bad Roman Salsa at badromansalsa.com. Every jar helps fund more No King but Christ conversations and keeps this work independent.
Want to support the project another way? Share this episode with a friend or make sure you're subscribed wherever you found this episode!
🔗 Stay Connected with the Project 🔗
Blog submissions: thebadroman.com/contribute-to-the-blog
Connect with us on social: thebadroman.com/social-links
Want to get more involved? Request to join the private discussion group on Facebook (Bad Romans Only!!)
Explore the No King but Christ Network: nokingbutchristnetwork.com
Jesus over empire. Mercy over shame. No King but Christ.

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, enduring house arrest, and witnessing the explosive growth of Christianity in Iran. He explains why many Western Christians misunderstand both Iran and the Iranian people, and why the underground church continues to thrive despite decades of persecution.
The conversation also turns to the present. Ara discusses Iranian Christian asylum seekers detained by ICE, the challenges facing refugees fleeing persecution, and the responsibility Christians have to speak for those who have no voice.
Along the way, Craig and Ara wrestle with difficult questions about war, government power, national loyalty, and what it means to follow Jesus when political solutions seem inadequate.
At the heart of the discussion is a reminder that the Christian's ultimate citizenship is not found in America, Iran, or any earthly nation, but in the Kingdom of God.
“I'm proud US citizen, but most important, I'm a heaven citizen.” — Ara Torosian
Whether discussing persecution abroad or immigration policy at home, this episode calls listeners back to a simple but challenging truth:
Jesus is King.
Highlights & Takeaways
The underground church in Iran continues to grow despite severe persecution.
Iranian people should not be confused with the Iranian regime.
Following Jesus often comes with a cost that Western Christians rarely consider.
Christians are called to show mercy before choosing political sides.
The church must resist the temptation to place political leaders above Christ.
Refugees and asylum seekers are people, not political talking points.
The Kingdom of God transcends every earthly nation and political movement.
No King but Christ.
📖 For Full Show Notes: http://thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-162
🤝Connect with Ara Torosian🤝
Instagram: Ara Torosian, @aratorosian (Instagram)
Facebook: Ara Torosian (Facebook)
Church connection: Cornerstone West Los Angeles / Farsi-speaking community; Ara has written publicly for the church about war, immigration struggle, and his congregation’s pain. (cornerstonewla.org)
Related reporting: Christianity Today covered one Iranian Christian connected to Ara’s church being freed after nine months in immigration detention. (Christianity Today)
Related reporting: Religion News Service covered Ara’s hunger strike and advocacy for detained Iranian Christians. (RNS)
Related reporting: Reuters covered immigration arrests of Iranian asylum seekers in Los Angeles and Ara’s response as pastor. (Reuters)
Key Moments:
(00:00) Government oppression and Iranian Christians
(00:37) Meeting Ara
(02:01) Ara’s background
(03:32) Discovering the Bible in Farsi
(04:06) Childhood under government propaganda
(07:00) Pressure on Christians in Iran
(10:17) Following Jesus when it costs
(11:28) Smuggling Bibles into Iran and house arrest
(12:43) The underground church grows
(15:03) People versus regimes
(17:10) War, freedom, and mixed Iranian views
(30:57) Craig presses the Jesus question
(33:32) Ara’s struggle with war and peace
(34:46) Presenting, not protesting
(35:37) Government worship in churches
(37:03) Politics inside the church
(48:38) ICE arrests and asylum seekers
(52:03) Masked agents and trauma
(54:00) Broken immigration system
(55:44) Children praying for their dad
(56:08) Speaking because he can
(58:00) What Christians should show
(59:36) Silence and complicity
(01:01:03) Life belongs to Jesus
(01:03:11) Bad Roman Salsa break
(01:03:54) How many Christians in Iran?
(01:05:30) Where to find Ara
(01:07:14) Lakers, Luka, and closing
 
🔗 Ways to Get Involved in the Project 🔗
Blog submissions:https://www.thebadroman.com/contribute-to-the-blog
Connect with us on social:https://www.thebadroman.com/social-links
Want to get more involved? Request to join the private discussion group on Facebook (Bad Romans Only!!)
Explore the No King but Christ Network:https://www.nokingbutchristnetwork.com/

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 Christian privacy advocate. Together, he and Craig unpack the old line, “If you have nothing to hide, why worry?” and ask the better question: who gave Caesar the right to decide what counts as wrong?
This is not just about cameras on poles. It is about fear, consent, courage, and the way surveillance trains people to obey before anyone even gives an order.
Can Christians simply shrug and say, “I have nothing to hide”? Jesus did not call us to outsource our courage to Caesar or trade neighbor-love for state-managed safety.
They dig into:
Why the “nothing to hide” argument fails
How Flock cameras expand beyond stolen-car searches
Data brokers, insurance companies, and digital profiling
Public records, local pushback, and privacy laws
Christian resistance in a watched world
📖 For Full Show Notes: http://thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-161
🤝Connect with Jon Padfield🤝
YouTube: Business Reform
Patreon
Buy Me Coffee
Tour: Brush Fires of Freedom Tour
Privacy tool mentioned: DeFlock Me
LinkedIn
X: @Dr_Jon_Padfield
TikTok: businessreform
Listen & Reflect:
Listen
Listen for the way Jon connects technology, public policy, business, and faith. Ask yourself where surveillance has already become normal in your own town.
Reflect
Where have you accepted “safety” language without asking who gains power from it? Have you ever used the phrase “nothing to hide” without thinking about who gets to define guilt?
Read
Read Matthew 10:16–31 and Psalm 146. Sit with Jesus’ call to be wise, fearless, and loyal to God above rulers.
Practice
Look up whether your city or county uses Flock cameras. Talk with one neighbor about privacy, consent, and what it means to love people without treating them like suspects.
Key Moments:
(00:00) Should Christians care about privacy?
Flock cameras and public unease
(01:23) Meet Jon Padfield
Business Reform YouTube channel
(03:00) Surveillance changes behavior
You Already Have a Reputation Score
(05:25) The “nothing to hide” fallacy
(06:00) What Flock cameras are
Deflock mapping tool
(09:30) Beyond license plates
(12:00) Daycare camera concerns
Audit logs from Dunwoody daycare
(17:54) Who decides what is wrong?
(20:37) Local, state, and federal use
(22:30) Who owns the data?
Flock’s perpetual license
Data retention concerns
(24:20) “Investigation” as a search reason
(27:08) Pushback and privacy laws
Ring  Superbowl backlash
(28:15) Local wins against Flock
(31:00) Federal privacy law concerns
(34:21) Data brokers and insurance companies
(41:30) How cameras appear without debate
(45:56) Consent and government power
(49:30) The four boxes
(52:32) Christian resistance and voting
(55:00) Jon’s case for engagement
(1:02:54) Brothers, not enemies
(1:04:00) Pragmatic limits on surveillance
(1:07:00) Safety arguments
(1:28:00) Where to find Jon
(1:29:13) Closing and support
 
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