Truce - History of the Christian Church

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**Truce – History of the Christian Church**

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.
The current season follows the rise of the Religious Right, examining the link between evangelicals and the Republican Party. Featuring special guests like Rick Perlstein, Frances Fitzgerald, Jesse Eisinger, Daniel K. Williams, and more.

Latest Episodes:

$12,400 Jul 28, 2020

Show notes

Would you like to help support the Truce Podcast? You can learn how at www.trucepodcast.com/donate

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Spiritual Life and Leadership Jul 21, 2020

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Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes!

Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast

Is the United States a Christian Nation? How has communism impacted the American Christian Church? In this bonus episode, we're playing an episode from the Spiritual Life and Leadership podcast from Markus Watson. Markus is the author of "Beyond Thingification: Helping Your Church Engage in God’s Mission".

We'll be back in two weeks with a normal, fully produced episode.

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The Case Against the Pledge Jul 14, 2020

Show notes

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes!

Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast

In 1940 the Supreme Court of the United States made a historic decision: that all schoolchildren should stand during the Pledge of Allegiance. Minersville School District v. Gobitis set precedent for three years. Walter Gobitas, a Jehovah's Witness, did not want his children saluting the flag.

In this bonus episode, we discuss the Gobitas case and questions surrounding patriotism and religion.

Our guest in this episode is Professor Charles Dorn of Bowdoin College. His books are Patriotic Education in a Global Age and For the Common Good: A New History of Higher Education in America.

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Your Youth Group Trip Was Cancelled - Now What? Jul 07, 2020

Show notes

Your youth group trip to South America was cancelled... now what? There are still important ministries that need your help. Truce is raising $25,000 to make this show my full time job. This mission reaches anywhere there is an Internet connection. And we're asking really big questions that will protect our Christian witness.

You can give using a credit card at: www.trucepodcast.com/donate

or send a check to:

Chris Staron

PO Box 3434

Jackson, WY 83001

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The Pledge of Allegiance (Featuring Charles Dorn) Jul 03, 2020

Show notes

Donate to help keep Truce going!

Who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance for the United States? On this episode of Truce, we examine the conditions under which the Pledge was written and Francis Bellamy, the man responsible for our famous creed.

Along the way we learn about Bellamy's belief in Christian Socialism, the Social Gospel, and Charles Sheldon's book "In His Steps". Even though it is one of the most popular works of fiction in history, it's filled with controversial stuff.

Our guest this episode is Professor Charles Dorn of Bowdoin College. His books are Patriotic Education in a Global Age and For the Common Good: A New History of Higher Education in America.

Helpful Links:

Additional voice over work done by Cale Nelson and his family. He's the host of the Modern Christian Men Podcast
Helpful article by Charles Dorn
Complete text of "In His Steps" by Charles Sheldon
Britannica article about Social Gospel
Gospel Coalition critique of "In His Steps"

Subjects covered:

Is patriotic education okay in public schools?
When did US flags first appear in schools?
Who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance?
When was the Pledge of Allegiance written?
When did they add "under God" into the Pledge of Allegiance?
What is Christian socialism?
Where does the phrase WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) come from?

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Truce Needs Your Support Jul 01, 2020

Show notes

Do you love the Truce Podcast? Be a part of supporting the show by giving to keep the show going.

You can send a traditional check (made out to Chris Staron) to:

Chris Staron

PO Box 3434

Jackson, WY 83001

Or donate online using a credit card at: https://trucepodcast.com/donate/

Please note that Truce is not a non-profit and money given to us cannot be deducted on your tax returns. We did this on purpose. 90% of Americans do not benefit from write offs like those given to non-profits because the standard deduction is so high. Non-profits only benefit the wealthy. We want to try to finance this show through normal people.

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Empire: The Game! Jun 23, 2020

Show notes

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes!

Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast

We've spent the last several weeks asking the question: "Is the United States an empire?" Now we want to go even deeper: "Is empire always a bad thing?"

So we invented a game that will explore that question. It's Capture the Flag... with resources.

Topics discussed:

Is empire always a bad thing?
How can the US use resources to build alliances?
Is the US a Christian nation?
How should Christians treat resources?
The US has over 800 military bases. Would we want a foreign military base in or near our land?
Should Christian resist burglars?
Would we want a Chinese military base in the US?
How do we treat countries with less important resources?

Truce is listener supported. Find out how to help at www.trucepodcast.com/donate

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Home of the Forgotten Jun 09, 2020

Show notes

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes!

Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast

The United States, a "Christian" nation, has a bad habit of forgetting its own people. Really. We'll prove it to you! We forget that the territories are a part of our country. Why does that matter? It impacts if/when they can vote and allows us to withhold federal aid. That matters! What happens when a "Christian nation" ignores its own people?

Our guest this episode is Daniel Immerwahr, author of the book "How to Hide an Empire" and an associate history professor at Northwestern University. In his book, he argues that the United States has been an empire since it's inception.

Special thanks to:

Stand up comedian Nick Staron

Helpful Links:

FDR's "Day of Infamy" speech

Topics Covered:

Is the United States an Empire?
Can Puerto Rico vote in congress?
Can Puerto Rico vote for president?
Can American Samoa vote for president?
Who was bombed on December 7, 1941?

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Teddy Roosevelt and the Guano Islands May 26, 2020

Show notes

Donate a little to help the show on either Patreon or Paypal

Remember to post #nowherenearcuba this week!

When we were done conquering the west, done warring with Mexico, done fighting Native Americans, we looked out across the Pacific Ocean and said... "huh... I wonder what's over there?" The truth is that the United States is an empire. We accomplished that by fighting wars and by seeking out resources.

In the 1800's the United States faced a very real problem: we were running out of nitrogen. Not in the air. There is plenty in the air. We were losing it in our soil. Plants need nitrogen. Where were we going to get it?

The answer we came up with was: bird poop. It's rich in nitrogen and makes a great fertilizer. The trouble is that we didn't have any way to get large quantities of it. Until American businesses took over islands off the coast of our country.

This is the story of greed, a different kind of slavery, a Supreme Court battle, and the worst job in the 1800's.

Special thanks to:

Stand up comedian Nick Staron
Paul Hastings of the Compelled Podcast
Angel McCoy of Angel Reads the Bible

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How to Hide an Empire (featuring Daniel Immerwahr) May 12, 2020

Show notes

Donate a little to help the show on either Patreon or Paypal

Please fill out our listener survey here: https://forms.gle/G5euVtM3JistChuz7

What do you think of when you hear the word "empire"? Maybe Great Britain? The Soviet Union? The Mongols? Sure. But what if I told you that the United States is also an empire. And always has been.

Our guest this episode is Daniel Immerwahr, author of the book "How to Hide an Empire" and an associate history professor at Northwestern University. In his book he argues that the United States has been an empire since it's inception. We claimed lands owned by native peoples, and then expanded into places like the Philippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Alaska, and more. This is the story of war, greed, resources, and tragedy.

Helpful Links:

We recorded some the games in this episode at the Spark Christian Podcast Conference
A lecture from Daniel regarding his book
We received help from these artists:
Stand up comedian Nick Staron (Napoleon)
Holland Webb of the Afterword Podcast
Angel McCoy from Angel Reads the Bible
Colleen and Danny from Fitness at Houston's First

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