Episode Details

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: adam.joseph.stump@gmail.com
• Western Pennsylvania UMC Profile: https://www.wpaumc.org/clergydetail/479051
• Central Highlands UMC: https://www.wpaumc.org/churchdetail/218250

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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:
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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.

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