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:

Is the US a Christian Nation? Apr 28, 2020

Show notes

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Is the USA a Christian nation?

There are a lot of people who argue that it is. And a lot of others who say that it is not. Which is it? What do we gain by calling it a Christian nation?

Our guest this episode is Dr. Gregg L Frazer, author of The Religious Beliefs of America's Founders: Reason, Revelation, and Revolution and God Against the Revolution: The Loyalist Clergy's Case Against the American Revolution.

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Our "Would You Rather Questions":

Would you rather make a hundred thousand dollars a year working for the mob, or be married to the best looking person on earth who cheats on you?
Would you rather sell something benign like corn to Iran or be Vladimir Putin's personal barber?
Would you rather go to a church where the senior pastor is always getting into Twitter fights, or one where the youth pastor is always starting gossip?

Helpful links:

Roy Browning's videos about being a dad on Youtube
Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptist Association
The Pencils and Lipstick Podcast
Revived Thoughts
The Grace Over 40 Podcast

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Is Revolution Biblical? Apr 14, 2020

Show notes

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Was the American Revolution biblical?

There are lots of people who argue that the United States is a Christian nation. But our nation is founded on revolution. The Bible is clear that we are to obey our leaders. How do we reconcile the fact the Revolution was not a Christian act with the assumption of a Christian nation?

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Special thanks to those who contributed their voices to this episode including: Paul Hastings of the Compelled Podcast, Eric Nevins of Halfway There, Angel McCoy of Angel Reads the Bible, and Bonnie Burns from Sex Chat for Christian Wives.

Helpful Links:

Live Free or Die image
Jonathan Mayhew sermon
Library of Congress article about the importance of religion to the American Revolution
Romans 13
1 Peter 2:13-14
Galatians 5

Topics:

Who was Jonathan Mayhew?
Were the Founding Fathers Christians?
Is the US a Christian nation?
What does the Bible mean when it says we are supposed to obey our leaders?
Does God back the US?
What makes a nation Christian?
The Roman emperor Nero
King George

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Faith of the Founding Fathers (featuring Dr. Gregg L. Frazer) Mar 30, 2020

Show notes

Were the founding fathers of the United States Christians or Deists? That question has been at the heart of a debate that comes up all the time in the Church: is the United States a Christian nation?

Our guest for this episode is Dr. Gregg L Frazer. He's the author of The Religious Beliefs of America's Founders and God Against the Revolution.

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Helpful links:

Topics discussed:

Were the founding fathers Deists or Christians?
Was George Washington a Christian?
Was John Adams a Christian?
Was Alexander Hamilton a Christian?
Was Thomas Jefferson a Christian?
What does the Constitution say about God?
What did Christians believe in the 1700's?
Did Benjamin Franklin build churches?

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Why Are We Covering This? A Conversation with Eric Nevins Mar 27, 2020

Show notes

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Are you curious about why Truce is covering the topics that it is? Wondering where this thing is going? We've heard you! In response to the confusion of our audience, we've put together this special interview episode to answer some of your questions.

Chris is joined by Eric Nevins, host of the Halfway There podcast.

Would you like to see Eric's review of Truce in Podcast Magazine? Click here to learn more. The review will come out March 30, 2020.

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Godless Utopia (featuring Roland Elliott Brown) Mar 17, 2020

Show notes

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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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Pioneer 1 Mar 03, 2020

Show notes

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How strong was the soviet mythology? Strong enough to make a young boy turn in his own parents. At least... that's what the communist government of Russia wanted their people to believe. They created a myth around a boy named Pavlik Morozov who they deemed Pioneer 1.

Select Sources:

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Vladimir Prokhnevskiy: Christian Refugee from Ukraine Feb 25, 2020

Show notes

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Vladimir Prokhnevskiy moved to the United States as a Christian refugee from Ukraine. He and his family left that country after enduring oppression from their governments. He spoke with Chris about what it was like to live in such poverty, how his father was threatened with work in Chernobyl, and how a shoebox from Operation Christmas Child impacted his life.

Vladimir and his twin brother own Ukramedia, a company that teaches people to make motion graphics. You can watch this video about their lives and work.

It was a thrill to talk with Vladimir. Please consider supporting this show so that we can continue to make these episodes.

You can donate via our Patreon or Paypal pages or at trucepodcast.com.

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Religious Persecution Under the Soviet Union Feb 18, 2020

Show notes

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After the fall of the Romanov dynasty, Russia fell into the hands of the Bolshevik political party. They led the country into one of the darkest chapters in world history when religious people and dissidents were targeted, imprisoned, and murdered. This history is hard to hear but important for us to know.

Our special guest this episode is Felix Corley of www.forum18.org.

In this episode, we discuss why Vladimir Lenin persecuted Christians and how Joseph Stalin instituted a policy of fear in the Soviet Union.

Helpful Links:

Forum 18
Article about the poem "First They Came"
The Gulag Archipelago by Alexandr Solzhenitsyn
An interesting article about former Soviet countries

Topics discussed:

Why did Vladimir Lenin hate Christians?
Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
Persecution of Muslims in Russia
How many people did Joseph Stalin kill?
Nikita Khrushchev

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The Rise of Lenin and Stalin Feb 04, 2020

Show notes

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When the Russian tsars fell, they left a power vacuum. Who would rule Russia after the Romanov dynasty? The Bolshevik's rose to power, led by Vladimir Lenin. Lenin immediately began persecuting anybody he didn't like.

In this episode, we'll examine the dark realities behind the Russian revolution: how it started with good intentions but ended with the death of millions. We'll also see how a culture of fear and suspicion held the nation captive.

Our guests today are Professor Barbara Engel (author of "Russia in World History"), and Roland Elliott Brown (author of "Godless Utopia").

This is part of our series examining how the rise of communism in Russia impacted the Christian church. Check out the rest of season three for more information. We're working hard to make Truce the best Christian podcast on the market. Please rate and review the show!

FACT CHECK NOTICE:

Genghis Khan, who I did not mention in the episode, is in the running for having murdered the most people in history. I discovered this fact after the episode had been completed. Sorry!

Topics covered:

How did Vladimir Lenin come to power?
How did Stalin come to power?
How many people did Stalin kill? (20-25 million)
Is communism bad?
What was the Soviet Union?
How did the Soviet Union begin?
Who were the Bolsheviks?
Why do some people like Stalin?

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What is the Difference Between Communism and Socialism? Jan 21, 2020

Show notes

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What is the difference between communism and socialism? They get used interchangeably in our culture, but do they really mean the same thing?

In this episode, we'll give a textbook definition of each and then see how those ideas change in the wild. Our guests today are my friend Brian Faehnrich, Professor Barbara Engel (author of "Russia in World History"), and Roland Elliott Brown (author of "Godless Utopia").

The basic difference between communism and socialism is where the profit goes: