Truce - History of the Christian Church

By Chris StaronReligion & Spirituality Christianity History Religion

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Truce - History of the Christian Church episodes

August 12, 2025Republicans and Evangelicals I Segregation Academies (part 2)
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In 2 Samuel 24 David is told that he must buy a certain piece of land in an act of repentance for his sins. The man who owns the land says that he'd like to give David the land and the animals to sacrifice. But David turns him down, insisting that he won't give to God something that cost him nothing.
This story demonstrates something that may be missing from the Christian world today. Sacrifice should cost us something. Sacrifice should be a sacrifice. In the 1970s, school districts in the North and South were told that they had to integrate schools. This move was opposed by people of all sorts, including some Christians who worried that if segregation academies lost their tax-exempt status then Christian schools would too.
This is the sad story of how some evangelicals with large followings came to oppose school integration. Our special guest is Daniel K. Williams, author of the excellent book God's Own Party. I also feature a clip from Angie Maxwell author of The Long Southern Strategy.
Sources
In Search of Another Country by Joseph Crespino
Boston Against Busing by Ronald Formisano
Reaganland by Rick Perlstein
The Evangelicals by Frances Fitzgerald
2 Samuel 24
Article on NPR
God's Own Party by Daniel K. Williams
Discussion Questions
Sacrifice requires sacrifice. What are your thoughts on that statement?
Do you believe in school integration? How should it have happened in the 1970s?
Would you have wanted your kids to be bused to a different town if it meant a more multicultural experience?
Why did some evangelicals with large followings think they needed to tie themselves to the GOP?
How do we reconcile with the history of religious segregation academies?

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47 min
July 29, 2025Republicans and Evangelicals I Segregation Academies (part 1)
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Update: I would like to apologize for an error I made in the original version of this story. I stated that tuition payments to private schools are tax-exempt on the federal level. They are not. They sometimes are on the state level. The episode has been edited to reflect the correct information.
When Brown v. Board of Education passed the Supreme Court in 1954, segregationists stepped up their efforts to keep black children out of their schools. If they couldn't use public schools, they'd establish their own private academies.
In the 60's the Supreme Court struck down mandatory Bible reading and prayer in schools, causing some Christians to establish private Christian schools. This movement had unfortunate timing in that it lined up with the segregation academy movement. To our shame, many Protestant schools were segregation academies.
But this story isn't so easy. In this episode and the next, we'll explore the strange twists and turns of the private school movements of the 1960s and 70s. They illustrate just how tangled evangelicals are with schools, taxes, and racism.
Sources:
In Search of Another Country by Joseph Crespino

Reaganland by Rick Perlstein

The Evangelicals by Frances Fitzgerald

Article on Jeffersonian Ideology

The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro (especially books 1 and 2)

Oyez.org article about the McCullum Case

Interview with Austin Steelman, professor at Clemson University

Oyez.org article about the Plessy case

Oyez.org article about Brown v. Board

Department of Labor article about the 1964 Civil Rights Act

Oyez.org article about the Green case

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33 min
July 18, 2025Scopes Monkey Trial - 100 Year Anniversay
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I made these episodes a few years ago, but since it is the 100th anniversary of the Scopes "Monkey" trial, I thought we should revisit them!
Tennessee was the first state in the United States to crack down hard
on the teaching of evolution in public schools. Others had dabbled, but
Tennessee went all the way. The ACLU wanted to challenge the validity
of the case in the courts. In order to do that they needed an educator
to teach it, get busted, and be brought to trial.
At the same time, the town of Dayton, TN, needed a boost. After the
biggest employer closed down, it faced serious economic trouble. What if
the men of Dayon could manufacture a court case to draw the attention of
the nation? They found a young teacher named John Scopes and convinced
him to participate in their scheme. They booked Scopes, even though he
probably never taught evolution. The ACLU had its case.
Soon, William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow hopped on board, and
it went from a publicity stunt to something for the history books. This
is the event that some historians (wrongly) point to as the death of
Christian fundamentalism in the United States until it was revived by
the Moral Majority. One man fighting for the biblical idea of creation
and another for godless atheism. But the real history is far more
complex.
Edward Larson, professor at Pepperdine University, joins us to
discuss the trial and his Pulitzer Prize-winning book “Summer for the
Gods”.
Helpful Sources:
“Summer for the Gods” by Edward Larson

Rhea County Heritage and Scopes Trial Museum Worth a visit!

Court Transcript of the Scopes Trial (easy to find online)

“A Godly Hero” by Michael Kazin
Discussion Questions:
What events led to the Scopes trial?

Why did the ACLU feel they had to try the Tennessee Law?

Who should decide what is taught in schools? Teachers? Parents? Lawmakers? Or some combination?

What were William Jennings Bryan’s motives for joining the prosecution?

What were Clarence Darrow’s motives for joining the defense?

Should prayer be allowed before a trial about religion?

Should Christians get involved in what is taught in schools? To what degree?
Dayton, Tennessee’s plan to boost tourism William Jennings Bryan’s crusade against Darwin

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1 hr 14 min
July 15, 2025Republicans and Evangelicals I The Late Great Planet Earth
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Hal Lindsey published The Late Great Planet Earth in 1970. It was a HUGE hit, selling over 35 million copies by 1999. It was also produced into a film narrated by Orson Welles. That film was shown in movie theaters and church basements and made a splash.
The movie is a repackaging of premillennial dispensationalism, which I covered last season. It presents a particular vision of end-times theology, which wrongly predicted that the world would end around 1988.
We're going to discuss the book and movie because they have had a real impact on the way that some evangelicals see the world. I'm joined on this episode by Ray McDaniel, pastor of First Baptist Church in Jackson, WY, and Melvin Benson of the Cinematic Doctrine podcast.

Chris on the Cinematic Doctrine Podcast
Hamilton
Ernest Scared Stupid
Ernest Saves Christmas
Gremlins
Sources:
National Endowment for the Humanities article
The Late Great Planet Earth book and movie
Cortney Basham's Master's Thesis
The Day of the Dolphin trailer
Imdb.com
Questions:
Have you ever seen The Late Great Planet Earth? What did you think of it?
The book and movie echo the Bible in that a false prophet can be identified when their prophecies don't come true. Hal Lindsey's predictions have been wrong for decades. Does that make him a false prophet?
What impact do books and movies like this have on the Christian culture?
If a book or movie like this does some good (like bringing some people to Christ), but also makes false prophesies, is it still valuable?

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51 min
July 01, 2025The Camino del Norte part 2
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In the last episode, Chris and his brother Nick started their journey along the Camino del Norte, part of the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. Now, join Chris as he looks at some of the forces on pilgrims hiking the trail. From the Twelve Tribes religious group and their Yellow Deli restaurants to a spiritual guru in Guemes, people are trying to leverage hikers. Despite this being a Catholic pilgrimage, most of the people we've met on three hikes have not been people of faith. Why is that?

In this bonus episode, Chris hopes to restore your faith in humanity and encourage you to listen to those around you. Jesus died for our sins, but if we're not out there telling people, how will they know? Get out there and be the Church!

Sources:
The Twelve Tribe's document on the Confederate South

Interesting article about the Yellow Deli

Guemes albergue's official website about Ernesto

Discussion Questions:
Why are there so many forces trying to reach pilgrims?

Are you open to reaching spiritual pilgrims around you?

If you were on the hike, what would you say to people who think all religions are the same?

What are some simple graces that you've seen in your life?

How can you be the Church to your community?

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56 min
June 17, 2025The Camino del Norte part 1
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On this bonus episode, Chris takes you along with him as he hiked 250 miles on an old Catholic pilgrimage route called the Camino de Santiago.
The Camino has a complex history and is actually comprised of more than one trail. The Norte, the oldest (if you take the Primativo), is along the northern coast, the Frances runs east-west through the middle, and the Portuguese routes are north-south from Lisbon to Santiago. You can walk from Turkey following a Camino, or from France. There are webs of them all across Europe. Many lead to the bustling city of Santiago de Compostela in the west of Spain. With lots of tourist traffic, ice cream shops, restaurants, and lodging that caters to pilgrims. The trails converge on a large square and a giant cathedral. This cathedral, started in 1078, as legend has it, is the resting place for the bones of Saint James, one of Jesus' apostles. If you approach the altar, you'll find a door to the right down a set of stairs. Inside, you can see a silver box containing the relics.
Pilgrims have travelled there for over a thousand years. Some for religious purposes, others as criminals who were forced to walk as part of their sentence, a journey that could take years, and claimed the lives of many. Others hiked to absolve their sins, something Pope Calixtus II declared could happen if they did it in a year where St. James' Day fell on a Sunday. In the 12th and 13th centuries, as many as a quarter of a million pilgrims made one of these journeys. Today, these routes are experiencing a renaissance. As hundreds of thousands more walk for their own reasons. To the chagrin of seasoned hikers who think the routes are too crowded.
In this two-part series, you'll hear Chris and his brother Nick as they talk with people about the Camino, as they share Jesus with people, and find their way on this ancient route.
Any packing list is going to be incomplete, because everyone likes their own things! But you REALLY should consider keeping it light. You will have more fun and fewer injuries if your pack stays light.
Rain poncho

2 x hiking shirts

1 x hiking pants

1 x hiking shorts

mini toiletries

shoes (already broken in)

hiking poles

a broad-brimmed hat

app with maps and GPS (we like Camino Ways)

sun glasses

journal and pens

plastic bags for dry stuff

light jacket

2 x hiking socks (I like the dual-layered kind)

a small bottle of sunscreen

cash (at least 3--400 euros) because not all albergues take cards

medicines

water bottles

a tennis ball (to massage your tired feet!)

and more!
Sources:
https://caminoways.com/the-history-of-the-camino-de-santiago

Whaling museum

Discussion Questions:
What leads people to hike a long trail?

Would you ever hike a pilgrimage route?

Why do so many people have difficulty with the Christian Church that they would go on a pilgrimage route without being religious?

How do you interact with strangers? Are you ever in places where you can meet them?

Could you share the gospel with a stranger if you had the opportunity?
What to pack for the Camino de Santiago

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52 min
June 03, 2025Republicans and Evangelicals I Boardroom Jacobins
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In November of 1965, a young lawyer published a book called Unsafe at Any Speed about the dangers of driving a Chevy Corvair. The car could become unstable and possibly flip if driven in poor conditions or without proper training. The lawyer? Ralph Nader.
It took a while for the book to find its audience, but soon it was on bookshelves across the US and made a celebrity our of Nader. Soon he and his "Nader's Raiders" were on a spree, advocating for consumer safety.
This movement was met with skepticism and fear in the industrial community. Who did this guy think he was? Americans didn't need "big government" looking over their shoulders! Well, that's what big corporate leaders thought. They set out to dismantle the consumer safety movement and to convince conservative religious people that safety was actually creeping government interference.
My special guest for this episode is Rick Perlstein, author of The Invisible Bridge and Reaganland.
Sources:
Chevy Corvair ad
Reaganland by Rick Perlstein
Road and Track article about the Corvair
Washington Post article about the UAW strike
One Nation Under God by Kevin Kruse
Article with fun pictures from the Ad Council campaigns
Christian Reconstruction by Michael McVicar
Reagan's "I'm From the Government and I'm Here to Help"
Listen, America! by Jerry Falwell p73, paperback, Bantam edition, August 1980
Discussion Questions:
What do you think about the government involvement in the Chevy Corvair?
How has product safety impacted your life?
Is the government small, big, or somewhere in between?
Do you remember Ralph Nader?
Is it okay for big business to use advertising to change American minds about the government and economics?

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31 min
May 20, 2025Republicans and Evangelicals I The Failure of Supply-Side Economics
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Gerald Ford's administration was in trouble. The country was experiencing stagflation, where prices were going up but employment was going down. What could he do? He announced his desire to lower taxes. This proposal was met with opposition by... Ronald Reagan. Reagan was worried that these cuts would increase the national debt. Then, just a few years later, Reagan changed his mind.
Two major things happened. One was the invention of supply-side economics (also called trickle-down economics) and the other was the tax revolt of the 1970s.
Supply-side economics was invented by an economist named Arthur Laffer. His ideas were based on an old concept but with a new twist. Laffer and his friends published their ideas in The Wall Street Journal and shared them with people like Dick Cheney.
Author and historian Rick Perlstein joins us for this episode. His books are The Invisible Bridge and Reaganland.
Sources:
The Invisible Bridge and Reaganland by Rick Perlstein
NPR story about Laffer's napkin legend
International Inequalities Institute study of supply-side economics
Investopedia article comparing inflation rates
Reagan's "Restore America" speech
Ford Library's documents about Reagan's inaccuracies in his speech
Federal Reserve article about inflation. Here's another
History of COVID stimulus payments
Investopedia article on Keynes
Zombie Economics by John Quiggin
Historical tax bracket rates
Proposition 13 article
Discussion Questions:
What is supply-side economics?
How does it compare to Keynes' ideas?
Does the Bible specify a tax policy?
Where did you first hear about trickle-down economics? Who benefits from it the most?
Rick Perlstein, former President George HW Bush, John Quiggin, and many others say that supply-side economics is bogus. What do you think?
Why might supply-side economics appeal to some evangelicals? To people of the 1970s?

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32 min
May 06, 2025Republicans and Evangelicals I The New Right
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A small group of men calling themselves The New Right had a major role to play in bonding some evangelicals to the Republican Party. Yet many Christians don't know who these guys were or how they used money and influence to accomplish their goal.
Let's meet the fellas. One was named Paul Weyrich. Weyrich's contribution to the movement is that he knew how to organize people, a skill he learned from watching liberal protests. He was a former radio newsman from Wisconsin, member of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church when he thought the Roman Catholic Church became too liberal. He saw how liberals were organizing in the US and decided to do something similar with conservatives. The goal was to bring together politicians, activists, money, and the press to have a unified front. Organizational skills were his secret weapon.
Howard Phillips was a follower of RJ Rushdoony's Christian Reconstruction plan. He gutted the Office of Economic Opportunity for Richard Nixon and then founded a think tank called The Conservative Caucus. He said "we organize discontent" meaning that the New Right used emotional issues to rile up their base.
Then there was Richard Viguerie. He was the king of bulk mail. The New Right used his services to advocate for their kind of politicians, for Anita Bryant, and to raise money. His company RAVCO was investigated for fraud.
These men and more were vital in bringing some evangelicals into the Republican Party.
Our guest today is Rick Perlstein, author of amazing history books like Reaganland and The Invisible Bridge.

Sources:
Reaganland and The Invisible Bridge by Rick Perlstein
Mobilizing the Moral Majority: Paul Weyrich and the Creation of a Conservative Coalition, 1968-1988 by Tyler J. Poff pages 22-23
The Evangelicals by Frances Fitzgerald
Weyrich, Memorandum, April 16, 1973, Paul M. Weyrich Scrapbooks. But accessed through Mobilizing the Moral Majority: Paul Weyrich and the Creation of a Conservative Coalition, 1968-1988 by Tyler J. Poff page 18
Christian Reconstruction: RJ Rushdoony and American Religious Conservatism - by Michael McVicar
Memo from Gerald Ford Library
The 1974 Campaign Finance Reform Act
James Robison at the Religious Roundtable
Discussion Questions:
What was meant by "we organize discontent"? Is this a statement Jesus would have made?
Have you ever heard of the New Right guys before?
Google Paul Weyrich and watch videos of him talking. How does he use language to stir fear in others?
Are there issues that politicians can use to push your buttons? What are they? Why?
Why are some evangelicals driven by these push button issues?
How was the New Right able to use issues of sex to steer some evangelicals?

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45 min
April 22, 2025 Bonus: Compelled: A New Song
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The Compelled podcast is hosted by my friend Paul Hastings. It's a testimony show that walks listeners through people's lives so that we can hear how God continues to set people free through faith in Jesus.

This episode is part of an ad-swap that Chris did with Paul to get the word out about Truce, but it also serves as a reminder to us that God is still working in the lives of His people.

You can learn more about the Compelled podcast at https://compelledpodcast.com/

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54 min

About Truce - History of the Christian Church

From the publisher's feed

Truce explores the history of the evangelical church in America, from fundamentalism to pyramid schemes to political campaigns. Host Chris Staron uses journalistic tools to investigate how the church got here and how it can do better.