In this episode of the Bad Roman Podcast, Marine Corps veteran and former atheist, John Dangelo joins Craig for a conversation on the disconnect between what the state does and its compatibility with living the way a faith in Christ challenges us to live. They explore themes of war, contemporary progressivism, and how Christians on the right and left have forgotten how to separate political and religious faith.
As Christian Voluntaryist/Anarchist, we put our faith in Christ, not the authority of man made states. When we take a step back, most of our life, from who’s going to fold the laundry, to where we should go on vacation, or to whose turn it is to pick the kids up from soccer practice is done without government intervention, it is voluntary, it is the true definition of voluntaryism/anarchism. So why did Christians cry out at a man kneeling before a flag rather than kneel before that same flag for the sake of Christ? The realities of this entanglement is what we explore in episode 19 and the cornerstone of what the Bad Roman Project seeks to explore.
Timestamps and resources for further exploration:
00:51 John’s background
Nursing & time in military
Being an atheist
Anti War propaganda (antiwar.com)
01:47 Clinging to faith in political parties instead of in Christ
03:59 Does it benefit politicians on the right to ban abortion
05:24 “Where else would they go”
the state, the Christian, and Trump’s lasting impressions on the Republican party
06:38 Theatrics in place of debate - contemporary progressivism
Social process v. political change
09:13 Evangelical left
Pew data on evangelicals and protestants political bends
13:06 Push back from other veterans on John’s writings
13:57 Talking with other Christians
Being a Sunday school teacher
Thrive Church
15:04 Where is the disconnect for Christians when it comes to war?
How 9/11 was used to rationalize US federal power expanse
18:58 What is the hold up for Christians?
Losing site of faith when talking politics
22:23 The failures of the two-party system & the path to anarchy
Is a third party possible?
Malice and technology reshaping the political landscapes
Voter turnout in the 2016 US presidential election
25:56 Colin Kapernick kneeling and the response from the right
26:37 Overtly political symbols in Church
You cannot be a servant to two masters
Peaceful protest
Anarchist are supposed to be peaceful
29:50 We are anarchist in 99% of our lives
Reject rules, chose it voluntarily
32:10 Collapse of the Soviet Union
Was relatively peaceful, things did not go up in flames
35:40 Government as Mad Max analogy
38:16 John’s plugs
Website: antiwar.com
Personal site: antiwarwarvet.com
Instagram @antiwarwarvet
God Weeps for His Church, article on the Bad Roman website