Truce

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast So many Christians are angry at the Church. Not just the Church but their local churches as well. Producer Chris Staron decided to take a look inside one small congregation to see how Black Lives Matter, COVID, the 2020 Presidential Election, and more have impacted one community. How are people in Jackson, Wyoming responding in a time of dissension and deconstruction in the body of Christ? Special thanks to Ray McDaniel and Karl Klemmer for talking with Chris for this interview. Helpful Links: Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Steps First Baptist Church Discussion Questions: How have the last few years changed your ideas about the global Church? How have they changed your ideas of your local church? How would you respond if you were the pastor of a local church today and your congregation wanted you to pick a political side? Should pastors speak about politics from the pulpit? Why do we put s

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast Truce usually uses research, music, sound effects, and expert interviews to tell complicated stories about the Christian Church. We've made something like 100 episodes! Our listeners recommended that we celebrate by asking Chris questions submitted by audience members. Special thanks to Melvin Benson of the Cinematic Doctrine podcast for asking the questions! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast Jackson, Wyoming is a small tourist town in the middle of nowhere. It is just a few miles south of Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone. Millions of people pass through each year as tourists. It's a vacation hotspot. But for those who choose to stay in this region, Teton County is anything but a vacation. Rising income inequality and housing costs have created a hostile environment for working people. The median home price in Jackson went up 47% in 2020 alone, rising to $2.2 million while wages remain stagnant. We've been talking for the last few episodes about myths of the American West, how cowboy myths about a lone rugged individual have shaped the US. Now it's time to understand how cowboy myths have impacted American Christianity. Our guest today is Justin Farrell. He's a sociologist and professor at Yale. His book is Billionaire Wilderness. In it, Farrell recounts his studies o

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast Some of the wealthiest people in the world live (or pretend to live) in Jackson, Wyoming. That includes some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Digging into the property tax records, we discovered that one of the most successful actors in film history pays less in property tax than a single mom living on less land. What gives? Why are rich people paying less in property tax than working people? The answer has to do with a thing called a conservation easement. A conservation easement is essentially an agreement between a landowner and the government that says, "I promise I'll keep my property from certain kinds of building projects". In return, the government gives the landowner massive tax benefits on the federal and local levels. In this episode, Chris digs into the history of these instruments to understand what they are and how they are impacting rural Wyoming and the rest of the country.

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast The myth of the American cowboy features a lone man who makes his fortune on the open plains. He doesn't need the government, and he doesn't need some big corporation telling him what to do. But that myth is far from the reality in the west. Many cowboys worked for large corporate cattle operations. And when those operations were in danger, he relied on the government for help. The Johnson County War started when the Homestead Act of 1862 brought new people to central Wyoming. The area just west of the Big Horn Mountains had been free-range grassland where anyone could let their cattle run free. The large cattle operations loved this setup because it saved them an immense amount of money and infrastructure. The new homesteads threatened their empires because they divided up the land and restricted their access. So the Wyoming Stock Growers Association banded together to send a message: get o

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast What do you think of when you picture a cowboy? A rugged, handsome individual? A lover? Someone who doesn't need the government's help? Evangelicalism has long pushed this as the ideal model for the Christian man. What is the impact of that set of ideas? John Wayne and Ronald Reagan have both become popular figures in American men's ministries. Their names come up often, they both played cowboys in Hollywood. But they are unlikely heroes. Both men were divorced. Wayne wasn't an evangelical, and Reagan had once been a democrat. But both men were instrumental in whipping up anti-communist sentiment in the US, building credibility with a religion focused on individualism. You can draw a line from them straight to former president Donald J. Trump. All three had questionable public morals but were seen as strong, uncompromising figures. They are seen in many men's books as the epitome of masculin

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast Christians throughout history have responded to politics in different ways. In our modern era, it can seem like Christianity and Republican politics are one and the same. But what do we do when the Bible clashes with our political party? What if our economic model leaves no room for the poor? Author and theologian Kaitlyn Schiess joins us to talk about her book, "The Liturgy of Politics", as well as how we can heal as a church. Discussion Questions How have you seen politics and Christianity mixing in the US? Is there are healthy way for Christians to engage in politics? How have your politics informed your ideas of the poor? Do you think that all poor people are lazy? How can your local church reach out to people who look/speak/act differently that you do? How have you see Kaitlyn's four false gospels play out in your life and church? Prosperity Patriotism Security Supremacy Lea

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast Do systems really keep minorities down? Even asking the questions sound socialistic to some. But we need to go through our society to root out systems that breed inequality. But how? Sometimes discussions of racism can make us feel helplessly lost. That's why I called in an expert. Jemar Tisby is a Christian speaker, author of “The Color of Compromise” and “How to Fight Racism”. He's also an important voice in modern America. Even if you don't agree with everything he writes in his books, it's important to hear what he's saying here. What are the systems that separate black and white people? How can we learn to grieve as a people, as a local church, and as a community? Discussion Questions: How can you organize an event at your church (online) to discuss the history of racism in your church, community, schools, and hearts? Have you ever stopped to do a racial autobiography? (my questio

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast Some of the most common feedback I heard about season 3 of Truce is that I didn't give the Christian America camp enough time to back their opinion. In this mini-episode, I discuss my reason for leaving people like David Barton of Wall Builders off of the show. I also play a short clip from Gregg L. Frazer who was on our Christian America episodes. His book is "The Religious Beliefs of America's Founders". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast At the 2019 National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Los Angeles, I had a chance to sit down with Dr. Richard Land. Dr. Land is a man of the company line who mixes Republican thought with Christianity. At this interview, Dr. Land said (off mic) that the reason this generation struggles so much is that we are unwilling to see the issues of our time as black and white. Good vs. Evil. I disagree. I think the opportunity our generation has is that we can finally think of this complex world as complex. This mini-episode is just one of several meant to help sum up season 3 of Truce. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast A few months ago I produced two episodes about the Christian roots of American labor unions. And... a bunch of people stopped listening to the show. It turns out that many American Christians are conservative and, therefore, anti-union. This mini-episode is the counterbalance to that series. Here we discuss the inefficient practices at General Motors in the 1980s. It was an era where GM slipped from holding over 40% of the market share to 17%. What happened? It's a story of unions, gasoline, and the reasons we treat labor well. Resources used: “Rude Awakening: The Rise Fall and Struggle for Recovery of General Motors” by Maryann Keller "Crash Course" by Paul Ingrassia Discussion Questions: Do you have a bias for or against labor unions? Who do you know who is or was in a union? What is their work ethic? The labor unions in GM in the 1980s were inefficient. Does that make all labor

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast Season three of Truce has been all about how the rise of communism in Russia impacted the Christian Church. As we approach the end of the season, I want to highlight some of the important takeaways. One of them is that communism can be used as a scapegoat. That is used by some people to get the public to hate or disregard something they don't like. That could be the COVID crisis or Black Lives Matter. Our guest today is Jemar Tisby. He's the author of the New York Times Bestseller "The Color of Compromise" and "How to Fight Racism". He's also a frequent voice on the Pass The Mic Podcast. You can access his Substack email list here. Helpful links: Article about the Wyoming Health Department official who resigned due to his denial of COVID 19. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast MAGA folks look back on the history of the United States and see a golden era: the 1950s. When religion was in the public eye, television and movies were clean, and father came home from work with dinner hot on the table. The trouble is that this vision of the 1950s only existed in our imaginations or if we chose to ignore the world around us. The 1950s were an era of great upheaval, with public monuments to religion being erected at the same time as heavy censorship, McCarthyism, wars, racism, and sexism. For the next few weeks we'll be revisiting themes from season three of Truce to pull out some important takeaway. Takeaway 1: Think Deeper About the Past. Helpful links: The trailer for Secrets of Jonathan Sperry Chris' interview with director Rich Christiano Discussion Questions: What do you think of when you think of the 1950s? When is it okay to remember just part of history, a

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast The January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol demonstrated the dangers of extreme Christian nationalism. When we allow our ideas about God and His protection to overrun the Bible, we get into serious trouble. Now, many Christians are questioning their faith. Why does the Jesus of the Bible look so different from us and our country? In this episode, Chris discusses our strange relationship with the United States. We love it when it affirms us, but we don't know what to do when the US behaves in an evil manner. How do we unify the Church in an era of division? Helpful Discussion Questions: How have you seen the United States tied to Christianity? What do you think people mean when they say the US is a Christian nation? When have you seen the US behave in a Christian manner? When have you seen it wander from Christian principles? Do you follow the Jesus of the Sermon on the Mount, or an econ

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast How should Christians react in a post-Christian society? Many theologians describe our modern era as being post-Christian. Meaning that religion was once public in the United States, and it is slowly disappearing. Is that okay? Is it possible that now is a great time to be doing ministry? In this episode Chris interviews pastor/ author/ podcaster Skye Jethani. He's the author of the book "What if Jesus was Serious?" and co-host of The Holy Post podcast with Phil Vischer. Skye's wisdom for this time helps Christians put today in perspective. Discussion Questions: What is meant by the term "post-Christian"? Do you think we're living in a post-Christian world? How do our environment and culture impact Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount? What does it mean to love our neighbors? Turn the other cheek? Do you agree with Skye when he says that we are to obey our leaders, and yet we are th

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast When did school prayer end? When was school prayer made illegal? American Christians have disagreed about school prayer ever since it was declared illegal in the 1960s by the Supreme Court of the United States. But what were the conditions surrounding that debate? In this episode of Truce, we break down the debate using Justice Hugo Black's majority argument against school prayer. It goes all the way back to the founding of the Church of England when Thomas Cranmer wrote the Book of Common Prayer and helped the king solidify his divorce. Thomas Cranmer was made Archbishop of Canterbury, the highest role in the Church of England. But when Mary Tudor became queen, she executed Cranmer because she was Catholic and he was Protestant. Justice Black's decision hinged on the story of Cranmer. England was thrown into turmoil with every new regent because they could change the religion. The US, he a

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast Jerry Falwell Sr. was one of the most outspoken evangelical Christians in the 1980s. He founded Liberty University and the Moral Majority political movement. In 1985 he went on a trip to visit South Africa, which was then engaged in its apartheid practices. That meant keeping 80% of the land for white use only and moving black people to reservations. It was a black majority country controlled by the white minority. Upon his return, Falwell made some controversial statements. Including one that American Christians should not protest South Africa or demand sanctions. Seems crazy, right? But South African guerillas were being funded (in part) by the Soviet Union. The worry that communism would take over South Africa was real. Which of the two evils would Christians choose? Backing an apartheid government, or potentially supporting the Soviet-sponsored rebels? Our guest today is Melani McAliste

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast Melani McAlister, author of "The Kingdom of God Has No Borders" and Professor of American Studies and International Affairs at George Washington University joins us to discuss how we export Christianity. In the 1950s and 1960s, American denominations sent white missionaries to Africa to share the good news. But with them went their bias and racism. This was the era of Jim Crow laws. Some missionaries took those laws to Africa, not allowing black people to eat at their tables. In this episode, we examine the problem of tying the United States to Christianity. When the US makes mistakes or does evil, how does that reflect back on the church? Christian missionaries sometimes export the United States with their messages. What else is going with our missionaries? Discussion Questions: Have you ever been on a mission trip before? What was your motivation for going? Do you think that it is possi

When I was a kid, we were playing at a friend's house. I fell and scraped up my knee pretty badly. Dirt and rocks were in the wound. My friend's mom was a nurse, so she got out her medical kit. She did her best to pick out what she could and then showed me her bottle of iodine. Iodine is a strong anti-microbial. Highly effective for cleaning wounds. But, like rubbing alcohol, it stings pretty bad. Pain, she said, is not always a bad thing. Pain is what our body uses to tell us something is wrong. That we need to make a change. If your appendix hurts, it's helpful. Because if they didn't, you'd have no way of knowing that they were going to burst. Sometimes, we need to feel pain. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty raw today. I haven't been able to focus on much. Yesterday, January 6, 2021, a mob of Trump supporters, incited by Donald Trump, stormed the Capitol building in Washington DC. It was an act of terrorism. A coup attempt on US soil. I'm angry. I'm scared. And what hurts the most is to know that e

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast Many of us are familiar with Joseph McCarthy and his infamous hearings on Communism in the US government. What we don't know is that McCarthy was far from the first person to use these tactics. In this episode of the Truce Podcast we examine the Rapp-Coudert Committee-- an effort in the New York City school system to root out Communists, Fascists, and Nazis who might be teaching students. In the end, even outspoken Christians participated in this witch hunt, which targeted mostly Jewish teachers and staff. Discussion Questions: Why were Americans so afraid of Communists? Was it against the constitution to withhold rights from people because Rapp-Coudert was just a hearing? What would you have done if you were accused of being a communist? Would you have named names? Why were Jewish people targeted for violence by the Christian Front? Do the actions of one part of a group define the ent