Is civil disobedience a Christian duty or a dangerous misreading of faith?

In this episode of Uncommon Sense in Current Times, I continue my discussion with activist and author Shane Claiborne in a thoughtful and at-times tense conversation about Christian civil disobedience, theology and public policy.

Both of us agree on a foundational truth: a Christian's ultimate allegiance is to Jesus Christ—not the state. But from there, the conversation reveals deep and meaningful disagreements about how that allegiance should be lived out in real-world policy decisions involving guns, immigration, welfare, justice and government authority.

Claiborne argues that love for "the least of these" must be the guiding metric for Christian action, even when it leads to nonviolent resistance against unjust laws. I counter that love must be grounded in obedience to God's commands and propose a clear biblical framework for when civil disobedience is truly required.

This episode does not offer easy answers—but it models civil discourse, biblical reasoning and the hard work of thinking clearly in a polarized age.

📘 Get my latest book "Bold Not Belligerent" on Amazon: 👉 https://a.co/d/eGTPSYS

💭 A different way to reflect this week:

• Do I define love primarily by compassion or by obedience to God's truth?
  
  
  
• Where might sincerity be replacing biblical discernment in my convictions?
  
  
  

📌 In this episode, we explore:

✅ When civil disobedience becomes a Christian obligation

✅ Competing biblical frameworks for love, justice and obedience

✅ Matthew 25 vs. Romans 13—how should Christians interpret both?

✅ The dangers of Christian nationalism and state idolatry

✅ Whether compassion alone is a sufficient guide for public policy

✅ Guns, immigration, welfare and the role of government vs. the church

✅ Loving political opponents without excusing error or injustice

✅ Why fear and comfort often silence faithful obedience

📢 TAKE ACTION:

🙏 Ask whether your convictions are shaped more by Scripture or culture

🧠 Examine political beliefs through a biblical—not partisan—lens

🗣 Speak truth with humility, clarity and courage

❤️ Refuse to replace Christ with any cause, party or ideology

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What happens when following Jesus puts you in direct conflict with the laws of the state?

In this episode of Uncommon Sense in Current Times, I speak with activist and author Shane Claiborne to explore one of the most uncomfortable—and misunderstood—questions facing Christians today: When does obedience to God require disobedience to government?

From feeding the homeless in defiance of city ordinances, to protesting war and unjust policies, to confronting Christian nationalism head-on, this conversation challenges easy political categories and forces believers to wrestle with allegiance, authority, and love in public life.

Claiborne reframes "civil disobedience" as divine obedience, arguing that faithfulness to Jesus sometimes demands nonviolent resistance to unjust laws—and that the church's role is not to serve the state or rule it, but to act as its conscience.

📘 Get my latest book "Bold Not Belligerent" on Amazon: 👉 https://a.co/d/eGTPSYS

💭 A different way to reflect this week:

• Where does my primary allegiance actually lie—Christ or comfort?
  
  
  
• Have I confused unity with peace, or silence with faithfulness?
  
  
  

📌 In this episode, we discuss:

✅ What "divine obedience" really means for Christians

✅ Biblical examples of faithful resistance (Daniel, the prophets, the early church)

✅ Why love—not rebellion—is the motive behind Christian civil disobedience

✅ The difference between the church as the conscience of the state vs. its servant

✅ Why Shane Claiborne rejects Christian nationalism

✅ How nonviolent action exposes injustice without abandoning conviction

✅ Whether justice can become an idol—and how to guard against it

✅ Why caring for the vulnerable is not a political issue but a gospel mandate

📢 TAKE ACTION:

🙏 Examine where fear or comfort may be silencing obedience

🧠 Test your political assumptions against Scripture—not party loyalty

🗣 Engage injustice with courage, humility, and love

❤️ Remember: justice is what love looks like in public

🔗 Follow Peter Demos:

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What happens when the United States conducts a high-risk special operations mission to capture a sitting head of state?

In this episode of Uncommon Sense in Current Times, I speak with a military legal expert to break down the reported U.S. operation targeting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro—examining the legal justifications, military strategy and global implications behind one of the most extraordinary actions in modern Western Hemisphere politics.

This is not just a story about drugs or Venezuela. It's about sovereignty, self-defense, foreign adversaries operating in America's backyard, and a dramatic shift in U.S. posture toward cartel states and hostile regimes.

From UN Charter law and historical precedents like Noriega and Eichmann, to oil money funding terror groups, to what this signals for Mexico, Colombia, Iran, Russia and China—this episode connects the dots the headlines won't.

📘 Get my latest book "Bold Not Belligerent" on Amazon: 👉 https://a.co/d/eGTPSYS

💭 A different way to reflect this week:

· When does law enforcement become national self-defense?

· What happens when sovereignty is used as cover for global harm?

📌 In this episode, we unpack:

✅ Why the operation is framed as a capture mission, not a kill mission

✅ The 2020 U.S. narco-terrorism indictment against Maduro

✅ How Article 51 of the UN Charter is being used to justify action

✅ The connection between Venezuelan oil money, Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas

✅ Why this signals a revived Monroe Doctrine / "Trump Doctrine"

✅ What this means for Mexico, Colombia and cartel-controlled states

✅ Lessons learned from Iraq, Panama and past regime removals

✅ Why targeting kingpins rarely stops drugs—but still matters geopolitically

✅ The risks of power vacuums, insurgency and regional instability

📢 TAKE ACTION:

📖 Learn how international law actually works—not how it's portrayed

🧠 Think critically about sovereignty, security and moral responsibility

🙏 Pray for peace, restraint and wisdom among global leaders

🗣 Talk about hard truths without partisan blinders

🔗 Follow Peter Demos:

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#PeterDemos #UncommonSensePodcast #Venezuela #Maduro #USMilitary #Geopolitics #InternationalLaw #WarOnDrugs #MonroeDoctrine #ForeignPolicy #NationalSecurity #FaithAndCulture