Podcast, 2022
Craig Harguess
51. Jesus the Anarchist with Alexandre ...
,

27. The Pacifist Case for Gun Rights with Abby Cleckner

,
br26 (4).png
 

Most people wouldn’t include the ideas of pacifism in the same thought as contemplating gun rights, except possibly to concur that those things are opposing ideas on the spectrum of peace. Abby Cleckner does an excellent job of explaining how the two can naturally coexist in the same paradigm.

In this episode, Craig tackles this topic, as well as digging into what defines a human right. The term “right” is tossed around a lot in today’s society, but what truly is a human right? And how can someone who advocates for peace and complete pacifism also advocate for the right to own a gun? Can the same Jesus who says “blessed are the peacemakers”, and commands us to turn the other cheek and to love our neighbor, be the same God who created us with the right to own a weapon that has the ability to bring to fruition the opposite of all those things? Abby addresses this along with other related topics in this episode. 

Timestamps and starting points:

1:18 Is pacifism inaction? 

  • blessed are the peacemakers 

  • using violence to fight violence, creates more violence

  • “peacemaker” is a term of action

  • planning for peace: consider peaceful ways to defend your family and yourself

  • civil rights activist: trouble makers for peace

  • if we believe that we are a part of God’s kingdom then we have to use His methods. 

7:11 Civil Rights Movement: troublemakers for peace 

11:42 Les Miserables

19:07 Using Legislation to Correct Behavior

  • Why it doesn’t work

  • causes collateral damage

  • Henry Hazlitt: seen and unseen consequences 

  • how does a society get to the point of Nazi Germany

23:30 The Pacifist Case for Gun Rights

  • gun control

  • Advocating the government to use violence on your behalf is not pacifism

  • increases violence

  • you become the judge of others motives

  • gun control is essentially a “thought crime”

  • legality becomes synonymous with morality: war on drugs, prohibition   

37:00 Human Rights are Property Rights

  • What defines a human right? 

  • Property rights start with self-ownership

  • taking our rights seriously is an act of love for others

  • respect for others is essential for establishing the kingdom of heaven on earth 

42:02 Stop using political violence against your enemies

,

26. How to be a Bad Roman with Scott Goldman

,
EP26 Copy.png
 

What does it mean to be a Bad Roman, why is it a good thing for Christians? Craig talks to Scott Goldman about his article “Come Be a Bad Roman”. They discuss the Christian’s entanglement with the state and address the issue of whether or not it is possible to simultaneously engage with the state and follow Christ. Nations, such as the United States, make claims of freedom for all and give mouth to ideals held by Christianity, but does a State really behave in such a manner?

When we misconstrue a nation to be based on Christian values - when that State's involvement at home and abroad proves to be in stark contradiction to its claimed values we must turn away. As Christians we must decide: do we believe in the goal of peace at all cost, peace by might makes right, that the government justifies being their objective, or do we truly adhere to the teachings and challenge of Christ to love our neighbors and enemies?

Join us as Craig and Scott take on these questions head-on and address reasons why Christians seem too ready to follow a man-made government whose functioning is in direct opposition to Christ’s Kingdom.

Timestamps and starting points:

2:37 Intro to Scott’s article: Come Be a Bad Roman

  • We(Christians) are not called to be involved with the state.

  • Is it possible to engage with the state and follow Christ?

  • Pax Romana or the way of Christ?

  • Jesus did not come as a war hero

7:20 How can we expect the rest of the world to perceive the United States as a “Christian” nation when we are actively killing them?

9:30 A new kingdom emerging

13:07 The desire of control by both the left and the right side of the political spectrum. 

21:52 Why are Christians so ready to follow a man made government? 

  • Fear

  • Laziness and scapegoating 

26:10 American Christianity’s shirking of their responsibility

  • Christians support for Trump 

  • Is there a difference between the Democrats and Republicans?

  • How would we behave if the bombs were being dropped in the USA? 

30:24 Christ’s story through a different lens 

  • Pacifism explained

  • Christ was a pacifist, but also a man of action 

36:36 Our kingdom is not of this world 

  • fall of the Roman Empire 

  • Christ’s command to not worry 

  • The Mind of Christ 

  • Uprooting From the Poverty Mindset

46:00 No King But Christ

,

25. Romans 13 & Stateless Civil Governance with Gregory Baus

,
BR25SQ.jpg
 

Is an elected official’s authority automatically ordained by God? What is Jesus referring to when he says “render unto Caesar what is Caesar's”? In the episode, Gregory Baus delves into Romans 13 and stateless civil governance. 

Are Christians required by God to submit to the governing authorities, even when they are tyrannical or immoral? Are all elected officials ordained by God? Is “render to Caesar” referring to a Biblical requirement for Christians to pay taxes? All of the questions and more are answered in this episode. Craig and Gregory also discuss their transition into anarchism and Gregory’s nomadic lifestyle, along with touching on reformed theology and how that affects an anarchist interpretation of Romans 13. 

Timestamps & starting points for further exploration:

1:50 Gregory’s background 

  • Baltimore

  • Munich

  • Covenant College

  • Redeemer University

  • teaching English overseas

7:30 Christian Philosophy 

11:15 Transition to anarchism

28:45 Proper understanding of individualism within anarchism

31:45 Romans 13  and Stateless Civil Governance: A Reformed View by Gregory’s Baus

45:25 Nomadic Lifestyle 

  • overseas during middle school 

  • Japan

  • California 

  • Canada

  • Netherlands

  • Cambodia 

  • Beijing 

  • Budapest 

49:00 Dave Ramsey

49:45 Gregory’s plugs 


,

24. Mike Gaddy - Revisionist History - The US Constitution & Secession

,
My Post copy copy (2).png
 

In the episode, Craig talks with his mentor and dear friend, Mike Gaddy, about secession. For many people, when they hear the word “secession,” slavery is the first thing that comes to mind. But is that a correct representation of secession throughout American history?

Mike has spent over 30 years searching for answers and information to map out a true and accurate representation of US history. His discovery? Oftentimes what we were taught in history class was a filtered down version of a multitude of complex events. This historical filter contributes to a false narrative regarding our understanding of the Constitution and our rights therein. According to Mike secession is peppered throughout true US history, and this fact has just been suppressed and removed from its historical context. Tune in to hear about the historical precedents for secession pre-Civil War, why the South wanted out of the Union, and if secession may be feasible in a modern context. 


Timestamps for further exploration:

1:20 Mike’s background

  • Born and raised in Appalachian Mountains

  • American Foundation for Accountability for POW and MIA    

2:40 Frustration over false historical information

  • United States’s laziness for information

  • People are comfortable in their ignorance 

  • Blatant lies keep the masses comfortable

11:33 Secession: Is it constitutional? 

14:55 Election of 1800

17:00 Election of 1860

21:20 Is the Supreme Court, the biggest racist in American History? 

27:09 Southern States Seceding 

40:05 Current active secession in the US

44:00 Is there a peaceful path to secession in the US? 

Catch Mike at rebelmadman.com and Addicted to Your Own Destruction 


,

23. Scott Horton - The United States Empire - Genocide in Yemen and Beyond

,
Attachment-1 (10).png
 

In this episode, Craig digs deep with Scott Horton about the US government’s direct involvement with the war of genocide occurring in Yemen and the general stirring of the pot by the US in the Middle East. In addition to being the editorial director at antiwar.com, Scott, a self-proclaimed Ron Paul libertarian, is also the founder of The Libertarian Institute and author of the book, Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan. Scott shares his insights regarding the culture war aspect in partisan politics and how every president since George H. W. Bush has been the same product with a different brand name. 

Is the war in Yemen designed to create famine? And if so, how did we get there, why, and what should a Christian’s response be to their government’s involvement in such heinous atrocities? 

Timestamps for further exploration: 

1:22 Scott Horton’s background 

6:20 The Culture War Aspect 

11:45 Craig’s transition, beginning in 2000 

13:00 Bill Clinton’s role in the hate for the US found in the Middle East 

  • Are we required to defend Clinton because of patriotism? 

  • Bush’s blue blood 

  • Carole Quigly 

23:00 Trump’s relationship with Wall Street 

25:45 Exploring the problems US involvement causes  in the Middle East 

  • the effect of sanctions 

27:30 What would it take for a libertarian to become president?

32:20 Biden: Zionist agent of a foreign power 

36:50 Yemen: Why are we there? 

  • the effects of US involvement 

Do people have to decide where their priorities lie? God? Or the state? 

Additional links:

The Great Ron Paul, Interview Transcripts 


,

22. Brian Zahnd, Kathi Peters, & David Peters - Postcards From Babylon

,
 

For our first podcast of the New Year we sat down with pastor, author, and Comino walker Brian Zahnd and Kathi and David Peters, the founders of Global Stories Films, to discuss their joint project, Postcards From Babylon. Postcards From Babylon is a long-form documentary featuring Brian, as he investigates possibly the most important question for the church in North America today: How does the church stay faithful to the beautiful way of Jesus while situated in one of the most divisive political climates in our nation's history?

If are able and would like to contribute to our Postcard From Babylon Premiere Fundraiser to fund seven tickets, please visit: www.thebadroman.com/fundraiser

Timestamps & staring points for further exploration:

01:07 Kathi’s Background

4:13 David’s Background

  • Media Pastor

  • Independent Filmmaker

  • Making Postcards Documentary

10:19 Christian Nationalism - Trump Worship

10:42  Biran’s Story

12:30 America as a Biblical Babylon 

  • The shift needed in the evangelical church

  • Manifest Destiny Fallacy of Empires

  • Churches and flags

19:10 The film and challenges in production during corona

21:23 Early church and government

  • Constantinian Shift

  • The American Context may be getting worse, but this is not a new phenomena

  • Baptism made early Church strangers in their own worlds

  • World Wars and Nationalism between Christians

  • Trump will be hard to recover from

27:55 Motivation for making the documentary

31:02 Ambassadors for Jesus

  • Limited ability in sharing the gospel, requires consistent messaging as representatives of Christ

  • Calling the church to account

33:15 Political Rhetoric and compromising hope in Christ as King

  • Exiles by baptism

  • Live in the political reality, but don’t belong to it

  • Call to a counterculture of Christ

37:55 Bearing witness for Christ and those who do not yet know Him

  • The Republican party can not be the Christians future

  • Conservative push back: if we are Democrats, the Democrats are in trouble

  • Can like Trump’s policies, but cannot defend his behavior/character

  • Speaking truth to power   

43:22 Staying Faithful to Jesus in a divisive political culture

  • Can it be done through politics?

  • Is the church an alternative politics

    • Perhaps, but this does not mean directly

  • Politics of Sermon on the Mount

53:25 Brian’s plugs

Learn more about Kathi and David’s work on their website or Facebook page.

, ,

21. Year End Round Table - All Things 2020

, ,
adobe-spark-post (9).png
 

In the final episode of 2020, we look at the year in review. From sports and celebrity deaths to Coronavirus and lockdowns, tune in to hear nine Christian Anarchists/Voluntaryist make sense of this year and what we can learn from it, both as Christians and Anarchist, moving into the New Year.

If you are interested in donating please click here.

[please check back for show notes*]




**if you need any questions answered sooner, please send us an email) thank you for your patience!

20. Mark Kreslins - Loving God with Your Mind

 

In this episode, Mark Kreslins takes us through his pursuit of loving God with his mind and how this path leads us to see anarchism/voluntaryism as our fundamental state. What does this entail? Understanding the Gospel through God's words rather than the allure of experientialism. Mark invites us to rediscover the importance of exegesis and hermeneutics in bringing God's word to life for 21st-century minds. 

Mark is the principle writer for Love God with your Mind and considers himself but a humble sinner saved by the grace of God. He has an extensive background in politics having previously worked for two “conservative” GOP Members of Congress. He had an insider's view of the evil and corruption in Washington D.C. and understands the solution to the mess there. (Bio Lifted from Mark’s site)

Timestamps and starting points for further exploration:

02:00 Marks background & story

10:19 Being Patriotic in Church

13:37 Allure of experientialism

18:52 Constitution is misunderstood

23:00 Political pragmatism and moral relativism among Christians

  • God gives us binary Choices - steal or don’t steal, murder or don’t murder 

28:13 Living the Gospel on Social Media

29:29 Is there a grey area for God?

40:12 Avoiding heated debates online

44:09 The Whiskey Rebellion and talking to people who don’t know the Constitution

50:30 How Mark became an anarchist

 58:00 Mark’s Article - Who is Right, God or Thomas Hobbes?

,

19. John Dangelo - The Battle of Two Faiths - Politics & Christ

,
 

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

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”

06:38 Theatrics in place of debate - contemporary progressivism

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?

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

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

,

18. TJ's Story

,
adobe-spark-post (2).png
 

In this special episode of the Bad Roman Podcast, John Dangelo, Scott Goldman, and Nicholas Harrelson join Craig to help us understand more about addiction. This episode is dedicated to TJ, Craig’s brother who recently passed away and we hope by sharing his story will help at least one person find some light in a dark place. Addiction and mental illness touch everyone’s family in some shape or form. If you or someone you love is struggling we encourage you to seek help. Below is a list of resources, which of course are only starting points.

  1. Suicide Hotline: 800-273-8255

  2. Substance Abuse Hotline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

  3. Hub site of resources

  4. Find an AA meeting 

Timestamps & resources for further exploration:

2:01 John’s Experience with addiction

  • poly-substance addiction

  • importance of the disease model


3:15 Nicholas’s Experience with addiction

  • Opiates & heroin stats

 5:05 Scott’s experience with addiction

6:30 CRAIG Background on TJ and why this episode exist

  • alcoholism

  • addiction

  • depression

  • coronavirus and mental health

  • suicide rate since corona

  • alcohol sales since corona

13:20 Dangers of quitting alcohol “cold turkey”

15:03 God loves the addict

  • millennial suicide rate during quarantine (1 in 4) 

20:23  What is a “moment of clarity” for an addict?

21:34 Nicholas describes his moment of clarity

25:11 Scott’s moment of clarity 

28:28 How do we reach someone who does not want to be reached, l can you induce clarity?

38:10 How can we better understand addiction and support those affected by it? Is the system set up for failure?

  • C Car in Connecticut

  • No clear guidelines for addicts to recover

  • Chasing the Scream book

53:37 Do addicts not care?

55:43 Addiction changes the brain

57:44 How Portugal successfully decriminalized drugs, reallocated resources to recovery efforts, and changed its addiction rate

58:44 The importance of rediscovering the spiritual realm as an addict