Transforming America

Transforming America

By students of Lehigh UniversityEducation
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Transforming America episodes

  • Evolution of Sex Education of the Christian Right

    How far has the Christian Right come on the topic of Sex Education? What started the controversy? How did this topic become a topic of discussion? What about the shifts, or potential shifts, in today’s time on the topic of sex education and the Christian Right? 

    Show Notes:

    • https://onlineacademiccommunity.uvic.ca/sociologyofreligion/2018/12/02/religions-role-in-sexual-education-in-the-u-s/
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0jQz6jqQS0&list=LLf2xijMKhtwSesauFGZoPBQ&index=484
    • Burke Christians Under Covers
    • Deckman School Board Battles


      • 10 min
    • The Christian Right vs LGBTQ Activism

      The Christian Right have very strong opinions regarding the LGBTQ community and denounce their lifestyle in a public fashion. But has it been effective in the past? In this episode, I describe various anti-gay activists and how their activism didn't exactly provide them with the results they wanted. 

      Show Notes:

      • Coley, Jonathan S. 2018. Gay on God’s Campus: Mobilizing for LGBT Equality at Christian Colleges and Universities. Chapel Hill: UNC Press.
      • Fetner, Tina. 2008. How the Religious Right Shaped Lesbian and Gay Activism.  Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.


        • 8 min
      • The Century of the Evangelical

        According to one study, from 1920-1960 about 70% of high schools omitted evolution from their textbooks. While ultimately unsuccessful, Christian Fundamentalists of the early 20th century led the crusade against evolution, and after public disgrace and a name change, the evangelicals in America have leveraged their influence to change the course of our country and the world. In this episode we track the Christian Right’s impact on education policy and norms in America.

        Show Notes:

        • Throughline’s Apocalypse Now NPR Podcast
        • Moyers Moment (1980): Jerry Falwell on The Equal Rights Amendment https://vimeo.com/48621151
        • Deckman, Melissa Marie. School Board Battles: the Christian Right in Local Politics. Georgetown University Press, 2004.
        • "The Real Origins of the Religious Right" Randall Balmer


          • 9 min
        • Reagan Vs. Trump: Exploring the Similarities and Differences

          Is Trump the second coming of Reagan? What are the similarities between Reagan and Trump? What are the differences? In order to attempt to answer this question we will look into the policies, support, reputation, communication styles amongst these two presidents.

          Show Notes: 

          • Strangers in Their Own Land (Hochschild)
          •  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_lY_XD6aVA
          • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBP2gvZTnwM 
          •  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-white-evangelical-support-policies/ 
          • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwsj99e-qvc&feature=emb_title
          • https://time.com/4473972/donald-trump-mexico-meeting-insult/
          • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcSm-KAEFFA 
            • 8 min
          • QAnon & the Christian Right

            To most, QAnon is a mostly absurd and unreasonable conspiracy theory. But to those who subscribe to it, it represents a battle between good and evil. Especially for many in the Christian Right.

            Show Notes:

            • https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/03/politics/donald-trump-qanon/index.html
            • https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-is-qanon-what-we-know-about-the-conspiracy-theory-11597694801
            • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizzagate_conspiracy_theory
            • https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/09/us/evangelicals-trump-christianity.html
            • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxBchA7mrLE&t=537s&ab_channel=ABCNews
            • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okkwHr9nrNQ&t=23s&ab_channel=APArchive
            • School Board Battles, Melissa Deckman 


              • 7 min
            • Community & The Christian Right

              This episode discovers the different ways community has played a role in the formation and maintaining of the Christian Right. Humans have a natural desire to feel like they are a part of something bigger, and members of the Christian Right are no different.

              Show Notes:

              • Suburban Warriors (McGirr)
              • Strangers in Their Own Land (Hochschild)
              • Christians Under Covers: Evangelicals and Sexual Pleasure on the Internet (Burke)


                • 7 min
              • Going to Battle

                The Christian Right is largely built with the goal to restore fundamental, traditional values into what once was a Christian nation. By strapping on their armor and preparing their weapons, the Christian Right has fought, and is still fighting, to reclaim America for Christ and win the culture war. 

                Show Notes: 

                • Strangers in Their Own Land (Hochschild)
                • The Politics of Evangelical Identity (Lydia Bean)
                • Jesus Camp Documentary 
                • Red State, Blue State (Gelman)


                  • 8 min
                • Reconciling Christian Belief and Trumpism: An Interview with Christian Conservative Quinton Ritchie

                  Many Christians hold strong beliefs around the sanctity of marriage, the wrongfulness of theft, and the dignity of the human life. So, how can almost 80% of Evangelical Christians so enthusiastically support President Trump? Plagued by curiosity unresolved by academic literature on the subject, I decided to find out for myself.

                  Show Notes: 

                  Research drawn from: 

                  • Becoming Right: How Campuses Shape Young Conservatives (Binder)
                  • “False Idol-Why The Christian Right Worships Donald Trump (Morris)
                  • The Politics of Evangelical Identity (Lydia Bean)


                    • 12 min
                  • Prohibition and Same-Sex Marriage: Two Failed Movements a Century Apart

                    The Christian Right is a powerful political force that for decades had but two focuses: marriage protection and abortion. I take a bit of time to explore what happened to the marriage protection movement and if it bears any similarities to the other large-scale, failed Christian movement of the 20th century—prohibition.

                    Show Notes: 

                    • https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/04/how-america-got-past-the-anti-gay-politics-of-the-90s/266976/
                    • https://hoover.blogs.archives.gov/2016/04/06/law-of-the-land/
                    • https://guides.ll.georgetown.edu/c.php?g=592919&p=4182201
                    • https://www.advocate.com/news/2009/06/20/great-undoing
                    • https://www.britannica.com/event/Prohibition-United-States-history-1920-1933
                    • https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/28/us/religion-politics-evangelicals.html
                    • Johnathan Coley's Gay on God's Campus


                      • 8 min

                    About Transforming America

                    From the publisher's feed

                    Have you ever wondered how we got to the present moment in American politics and society? The Christian Right has played an enormous, and unappreciated, role. Explore the history, causes, and impact of the religious right in the U.S., as shared by students at Lehigh University.