Truce - History of the Christian Church

Latest Episodes:

We Want a King Oct 27, 2020

Show notes

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What do American Christians really want in the Trump era? I think that we just want representation. We want someone to stand for us, to fight out battles. But that gets tricky. There is a story in the Old Testament that gives us some clues about how that temptation can hurt us in the end.

Discussion Questions:

Have you ever received a gospel tract? What was your reaction?
What kind of information do you think is essential on a tract?
Have you ever received a tract for a different religion?
How did that make you feel?
How did you know it was from a different religion?
Is it okay for corporations to evangelize?
What are the risks of that?
The benefits?
Are capitalism and Christianity the same thing?
If so, where does it say that in the Bible?
Does it feel threatening to question the connection between capitalism and Christianity? Why?

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Rebrodcast: Why Does Donald Trump Appeal to Evangelicals? Oct 20, 2020

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This was one of our first ever episodes! We're rebroadcasting it today because the 2020 US Presidential election is upon us. One of the questions that keeps coming up is: why does Donald Trump appeal to white evangelical Christians? This episode was produced three years ago, so it may sound a little different, but the information is still relevant to today. President Trump has made it pretty clear that he does not know the basic tenants of Christianity. So why do we say that he is one?

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The Ad Council, CIA, and Christian America (feat. Wendy Melillo) Oct 13, 2020

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The CIA, big business, and the Ad Council worked together to create the America that we know and love today. Together, they bonded our ideas of patriotism, capitalism, and religion. But not many of us know who the Ad Council is. Sure they created Smokey Bear, the Crash Test Dummies, and the Crying Indian ads... but who are they?

Wendy Melillo, author of "How McGruff and the Crying Indian Changed America: A History of Iconic Ad Council Campaigns" and professor at American University, joins us to discuss her research into the Ad Council.

Helpful Links:

Religion in American Life Video Ad
Wendy Melillo's fascinating lecture on her book
The creepy "Why?" ad we referenced in the episode
Ad Council's own history website

Discussion Questions:

Have you ever been impacted by advertising? How did it make you feel?
Does it matter where our ads come from? Even public service announcements?
How do you feel about the CIA paying for ads to impact Americans?
Should responsibility for big problems like plastic waste fall on individuals, big corporations, or both?
Do you think the Bible says anything about one economic model over another?

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Rebroadcast: Fatty Arbuckle and the MPAA Oct 06, 2020

Show notes

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Did Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle murder Virginia Rappe? That questions defined the film industry for thirty years. Upset with Hollywood's moral failures, Christians demanded changes. We took over, fighting until the studios decided to censor themselves.

This special episode of Truce ties into our last episode with Abby Johnson of the Unplanned movie.

This episode explores:

* Who was Fatty Arbuckle?

* Who was Virginia Rappe?

* Did Fatty Arbuckle murder Virginia Rappe?

* What is the MPAA?

* What started the Motional Picture Association of America?

* Did Christians really censor the golden age of films?

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Marketing Christian Libertarianism Sep 29, 2020

Show notes

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James Fifield was a pastor, radio personality, publisher, and outspoken libertarian. He hated the New Deal and its restrictions. His organization, Spiritual Mobilization, created a marketing campaign that would bond Christianity to capitalism and the United States for decades to come.

Also... you know those Ten Commandments monuments all over the country? Well, it turns out that many of them were built to advertise for one of the highest grossing movies of all time: Cecil B. Demille's "The Ten Commandments".

Helpful links:

List of Ten Commandments monuments placed by the Eagles
Ten Commandments trailer featuring Cecil B. Demille
One Nation Under God by Kevin Kruse
The Evangelicals by Frances Fitzgerald

Discussion Questions:

Is it creepy when corporations tell people how to behave?
Do you like it when companies tie religion to business?
Is Christianity an individualistic religion? A collectivist one? Neither? Both?
Does Leviticus 25:10 mean that we have a right to liberty? Or does it mean something else?
Should monuments to the 10 Commandments be allowed on public land?

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The National Prayer Breakfast and The Family Sep 15, 2020

Show notes

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When strikes broke out in the 1930's, some wealthy members of the US elite got together... to pray. One of the organizers of prayer groups across the country was Abraham Vereide. In this episode of Truce we tell the story of how Vereide became one of the most influential non-elected men of his time... and how his movement took a dark turn as revealed in Netflix's The Family.

Contributed Voices (not all were used):

Sharon Campbell - All God's Women Podcast
Shea and Michelle Watson - The Pantry Podcast
Annie Quinnell - The Unstoppable Solo Mom Podcast
Tim and JK Winders - Seek Go Create Podcast
Holland Webb - The Afterword Podcast
Markus Watson - Spiritual Life and Leadership Podcast

Discussion Questions:

When is it an appropriate time for a labor strike?
How bad do things have to get before a strike can shut down the economy?
Is there a Christian perspective on labor strikes?
Is there anything wrong or creepy about Christian businessmen praying to end a strike?
Do you think the National Prayer Breakfast is an event focused on piety?
Read Matthew 6 in the Bible. What do you think it means for public prayer? Jesus prayed in public. Is all public prayer wrong, or just some of it? Where is that line?
Vereide's legacy created "The Family", a shadowy organization that tries to create male Christian leaders. Is this good, bad, creepy, or some combination of the three?
"The Family" is focused on male leaders. Why do we struggle as Christians to let women lead?

Helpful Links:

One Nation Under God by Kevin Kruse
Britannica article about The Family
History of the Prayer Breakfast
90% of Everything - book about shipping containers
Crash Course - Great book about unions and the US auto manufacturers
Helpful history of the San Fransisco and Seattle strikes and Bloody Thursday
YouTube video of West Coast during the strikes
"The Family" - the Netflix "documentary".

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An Evaluation Sep 08, 2020

Show notes

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In this bonus episode, host Chris Staron does his best to quiet fears about where Truce is headed. Is this show pushing a political motive? What about an economic system? Nope.

Truce is about exploring our past in order to make us better. The goal is to remain orthodox and a-political.

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The New Deal (feat. Justin Rosolino) Sep 01, 2020

Show notes

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Many Christian leaders came to hate the New Deal, especially libertarians. Their opposition to the New Deal as creeping socialism sparked the National Prayer Breakfast, some of Billy Graham's speeches, and the bonding of capitalism to Christianity and the US. So we should probably know what the New Deal was!

Our guest this episode is Justin Rosolino. He's a high school history teacher and the author of the book "Idiot Sojourning Soul".

You can find pictures of Chris' 50 mile New Deal Bike Tour on the website at www.trucepodcast.com.

Helpful Links:

FDR's Inauguration Speech on C-SPAN
Interesting YouTube video about the causes of the Great Depression

Topics Discussed:

What was the Social Gospel?
Who was Franklin Roosevelt?
What was the New Deal?
The Civilian Conservation Corp
The Works Progress Administration
Jenny Lake - Grand Teton National Park
Unemployment

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Is the Church with Workers? (feat Heath Carter) Aug 18, 2020

Show notes

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Does the church represent working-class people or are we too focused on the wealthy? During the Industrial Revolution many saw churches as clubs for rich people. So working folks formed their own churches, unions, and organizations.

In this episode Heath Carter, professor at Princeton and author of "Union Made" and "The Pew and the Picket Line", talks labor.

Helpful Links:

Rerum Novarum - the decree by the Pope about labor
Interesting video featuring Heath Carter
The Evangelicals by Francis Fitzgerald
One Nation Under God by Kevin Kruse

Topics Covered:

Are labor unions Christian?
What is Christian socialism?
Were the apostles socialists?
Does the book of Acts demonstrate socialism?
What does James 5 say about the wealthy?
What does the Bible say about work?
What does the Bible say about asking for a raise?

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The Pew and the Picket Line (feat. Heath Carter) Aug 04, 2020

Show notes

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The United States and Russia ran along parallel tracks in the late 1800s and 1900s. Both were empires. Both were tangled in war. Both were feeling the weight of the Industrial Revolution. But they divided in how they would deal with labor. That critical difference changed the history of the world.

In this episode, Professor Heath Carter of the Princeton Theological Seminary starts the first of a two-episode conversation about Christianity and labor. Mr. Carter is the author of Union Made and editor of books such as The Pew and the Picket Line.

Helpful Links: