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:

Judas was the “normal” disciple, and that’s what makes him dangerous
The difference between Antichrist and Contra Christ (imposter vs. opponent)
Why Jesus never used coercion or political force
How Constantine flipped Christianity from persecution to privilege
Hope for the remnant: good neighbors, bad citizens under “No King but Christ”

🤝 Connect with Domenic Scarcella:

Book: Good Neighbor, Bad Citizen
Audio Content: Sunday Buffet Podcast & The Friday Meditation Radio
Substack: Good Neighbor, Bad Citizen
Twitter (X) @GoodNeighBadCit

📖 For Full Show Notes: thebadroman.com/show-notes/episode-147

💕 Support the Project 💕
If this conversation with Domenic on Judas as the OG Christian nationalist helped you refocus on Jesus, not party, not power, please consider supporting The Bad Roman Project at thebadroman.com/donate. Your gift keeps “No King but Christ” in the feed and pushes back against the impulse to baptize coercion. As always, 100% of donations above production costs go to local Memphis charities.

🌶️ SALSA THE LOVE 🌶️
Donations are cool, but salsa is spicy (or mild, Judas 👀). Every jar fuels episodes that challenge Christian entanglement and call us back to Jesus’ way. Join the craze at badromansalsa.com and snack your way to more Kingdom conversations.

FREE ACTION: Share the Episode, Start a Conversation with a Fellow Christian
Know a friend who thinks “Christian nation” is the point? Send them this episode with Domenic Scarcella and spark a better conversation: Are we following Jesus, or asking Him to bless our politics? If Judas tried to make Jesus respectable to rulers, are we doing the same?

Key Episode Moments:

(0:22) Judas: the OG Christian nationalist?

Previous episode with Domenic: Christianity Unpacked in "Good Neighbor, Bad Citizen" with Domenic Scarcella
Domenic’s Judas Article

(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:

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!!)
No King but Christ Network: nokingbutchristnetwork.com