The Gospel vs. Political Christianity: Rediscovering Jesus Beyond Partisan Faith with Brian Drinkwine episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 2, 2026 · 1H 13M

The Gospel vs. Political Christianity: Rediscovering Jesus Beyond Partisan Faith with Brian Drinkwine

from The Bad Roman: Christian Politics for Modern Times · host Craig Harguess

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: [email protected] 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 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: [email protected] 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.

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The Gospel vs. Political Christianity: Rediscovering Jesus Beyond Partisan Faith with Brian Drinkwine

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This episode is 1 hour and 13 minutes long.

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This episode was published on July 2, 2026.

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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...

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