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In Russia during the Soviet era, hundred of posters and magazine covers were printed to encourage people to abandon their faith. They were state-sponsored and designed to be interpreted even by people who could not read. This propaganda clearly tied anti-Christian sentiment to the United States.
In his new book, Godless Utopia, Roland Elliott Brown collected a number of these images and provided commentary on their meaning.
What does it mean that we call the United States a Christian nation? What does it mean when presidents like Ronald Reagan merge their faith with the US? How does that impact our witness? These are questions we'll continue exploring throughout this series.
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Helpful links:

You can view images from the book here. Please note that some of these images may not be appropriate for all eyes.

Watch the whole "evil empire" speech here.


Article about Ruth Snyder, the first woman to be sent to the electric chair

Roland's article about Soviet propaganda (see page 18)

Mobituaries podcast episode about lynching and D.W. Griffith's film "Birth of a Nation"


Topics covered:

What did soviet propaganda look like?

How did Stalin use the Orthodox church to fight in WWII?

What was Ronald Reagan's "evil empire" speech?

Is it okay for US Presidents to speak at Christian events?


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Godless Utopia (featuring Roland Elliott Brown)

Truce explores how we got here and how we can do better. It's a history podcast about the Christian Church, from pyramid schemes to political campaigns. Season six explores the link between some evangelicals and the Republican Party, featuring special guests like Rick Perlstein, Frances Fitzgerald, Jesse Eisinger, and more.
Season five tells the backstory of Christian fundamentalism. Season three follows the rise of communism and socialism in Russia and how it changed the American Christian Church.
Truce is hosted by Chris Staron, writer/ director of the films "Bringing up Bobby" and "Between the Walls", and author of "Cradle Robber".

History

Society & Culture

Religion & Spirituality

Other

Spirituality

Christianity

Buddhism

Hinduism

Judaism

Islam

Religion

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When did Republicans, the party of Abraham Lincoln, start courting the American South? It's a big question! For decades, Republicans were known as the party that helped black people (except, you know, for ending Reconstruction to help gain the White House). Then, with the nomination of Barry Goldwater, the tide turned. Goldwater's team promoted him as a racist when he toured the South. And... he won some ground in the traditionally Democratic region.
So when it came time for Richard Nixon to run in 1968, his team decided to court the South. Not out in public like Goldwater had. Instead, they decided to operate a campaign of "benign neglect" where they would not enforce existing laws meant to protect African-Americans.
Our special guest this week is Angie Maxwell, author of The Long Southern Strategy.

Discussion Questions:

What caused the rift in the Democratic Party that made Strom Thurmond leave (hint: it has to do with Truman)?

What was the Democratic Party like before Truman?

What influence did Strom Thurmond have on Nixon?

Who was Barry Goldwater? How did he change the Republican Party by courting white Southerners?

How might the idea of the South being "benighted" impact them as a people?

Why do so many evangelicals see themselves as "benighted"?


Sources:

"The Long Southern Strategy" by Angie Maxwell and Todd Shields.

"Reaganland" by Rick Perlstein


YouTube clip of Nixon not wanting "Law and Order" to mean "racist"

Nixon talking about "law and order" in a speech


Nixon's campaign ad about protests and tear gas


Article about Nelson Rockefeller

Nixon's civil rights ad


Helpful Time Magazine article


"These Truths" book by Jill Lepore


Bio on Strom Thurmond


Article about Reconstruction

"The Evangelicals" book by Frances Fitzgerald

Truman's speech to the NAACP


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Republicans and Evangelicals I Long Southern Strategy (featuring Angie Maxwell)

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Billy Graham, the famous evangelist, was good friends with Richard Nixon. The two played golf and gave each other advice. Graham was the person who encouraged Nixon to run for president a second time. He also encouraged Nixon to regularly attend church, so Nixon started the first regular church service in the White House, only to make it another "it" place to be seen. But when Nixon's crimes were made public, Graham continued to support him, commenting only on the strong language used by the president.
What does it mean for Christian leaders to stand behind a corrupt president? In this episode, Chris interviews David Bruce, a historian at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
NOTE: I thought it was especially important to outline the many crimes of the Nixon administration. Today these crimes are downplayed by bad actors wishing to rewrite history. It is important to emphasize that not only were there immoral acts of shenanigans, there were real crimes perpetrated against individuals, organizations, and the American people.
Sources

"The Surprising Work of God" by Garth M. Rosell

An article from The Atlantic about the Pope and Mussolini

"The Popes Against the Protestants" by Kevin Madigan

NPR interview with Kevin Madigan

"A Prophet With Honor" book by William Martin

"The Invisible Bridge" by Rick Perlstein

"The Evangelicals" by Frances Fitzgerald

"The Failure and the Hope: Essays of Southern Churchmen" book of essays accessed on Google Books

New York Times article about how the Watergate break-in was financed

Pat Buchanan hearings during the Watergate investigation

Frost/Nixon transcript



Discussion Questions:

Was Billy Graham being a good friend by supporting Nixon after Watergate?

Should religious leaders maintain a certain amount of distance between themselves and people of power?

Why do we like to see our governmental leaders as religious people?

Was Nixon's church service in the Whitehouse wrong to be a gathering place of the rich and famous?

How bad was the Watergate break-in? How does it change your mind about Nixon to know about the other criminal activity?


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Republicans and Evangelicals I Billy Graham and Nixon

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Harold Ockenga was a famous fundamentalist(ish) pastor from Boston. And he had a problem. Liberal Christians had the ear of the government. That meant that military chaplain positions and free radio time were going to liberals, not conservatives. Why shouldn't conservatives have access to the radio waves like theologically liberal Christians? But that would take unity among evangelicals, or, what he called neo-evangelicals.
Neo-evangelicals were evangelicals who didn't separate from the world. In Ockenga's case, this meant maybe going to the movies or an opera. So he, along with other preachers like Billy Graham, founded the National Association of Evangelicals with the hope of uniting neo-evangelicals under one banner.
It didn't work.
The real story, though, sometimes gets lost. The was a big boom in evangelism in the 1940s as WWII wrapped up. Evangelists targeted the youth with organizations like Campus Crusade for Christ springing up left and right. This boom meant that churches swelled in the 1950s, only to begin their long slide a few decades later.
In this episode, Chris speaks with Joel Carpenter, a senior research fellow at Calvin College and author of "Revive Us Again".

Resources Used:

"Revive Us Again" by Joel Carpenter

"The Evangelicals" by Frances Fitzgerald

"The Surprising Work of God" by Garth Rosell

"Reaganland" by Rick Perlstein

NPS article about the Bonus Army

“After the Ivory Tower Falls” book by Will Bunch

Billy Graham audio


National Association of Evangelicals "The New Treason"



Interviews from Harold Ockenga at Wheaton College


Discussion Questions:

What spurred the revivals of the 1940s?

How has youth evangelism shaped American society?

Why is it important to understand the role that cheap higher education played in shaping the 1960s?

Why did neo-evangelicals feel that they needed access to the radio waves?

Is unity important to the Christian walk?


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Republicans and Evangelicals I Harold Ockenga - Can Christians Unite? (featuring Joel Carpenter)

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Thomas McIntyre stood before the US Congress to deliver a moving speech. The man was being hounded by a fringe movement known as the New Right. The movement came from the work of men like Paul Weyrich, Howard Phillips, and Richard Viguerie. Their goal was to disrupt the Republican Party. They wanted to do away with much of the federal government and program to help the poor while simultaneously cutting taxes and increasing the military. They hoped to accomplish this by controlling direct mail. Direct mail! It sounds silly, but by inundating voters and congressional offices with bulk mail they could control the story.
Men like McIntyre and Senator Mark Hatfield didn't know what to do with this influx of petty politics. Someone had even gone so far as to question Hatfield's Christian salvation just because of how we was going to vote on the Panama Canal treaty. What does giving the Panama Canal back to Panama have to do with salvation? Almost nothing.
Today, we're going to explore this wacky phenomenon where we call something "Christian" or "biblical" if it fits out politics not if it is addressed in the Bible. How are we being manipulated by propaganda like this? And what can we do about it?

Discussion Questions:

Was the United States responsible in its claiming the Panama Canal as a territory?

Are there things in your life that you mix with Christianity?

How have your politics gotten confused with your faith?

Does the Bible have anything to say on the Panama Canal treaty?


Sources:

"Reaganland" book by Rick Perlstein

Handy article on the history of the Panama Canal


Congressional record including the speeches


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Republicans and Evangelicals I Prologue: What Is Biblical?

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In this special bonus episode, Truce host Chris Staron walks you through a day in the life of a podcast host. He works about 11 hours per day between this show and his full-time job driving a school bus. Imagine what he could do if he were doing this show full-time!!!!

Chris has worked on Truce for 6 1/2 years and is ready to make the show his main focus. We could make that happen if every listener gave $15 per year!
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Godless Utopia (featuring Roland Elliott Brown)

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