Truce

Give a little money to help support Truce! Details are at www.trucepodcast.com/donate 2020 has been a difficult year for many. I wanted to take a few minutes to discuss things that went well. So I opened up a phone line to collect stories from you, the listeners. Thanks to everyone who submitted their stories! I'll be opening up the phone lines again in another month to collect more listener feedback. Happy New Year and thanks for supporting 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 It's time for our second annual Christmas Episode Exchange! Each year I put out a call on the Christian Podcasters Association Facebook page for 5-minute mini-episodes based on the theme of Christmas. Now I'm going to present several of the best from that group. 1) An Endurance Christmas from the Truce Podcast www.trucepodcast.com http://www.facebook.com/trucepodcast http://www.twitter.com/trucepodcast 2. Letters from Home Podcast by Meg Glesener https://lettersfromhomepodcast.com/ https://www.Twitter.com/letters_podcast 3. Life, Repurposed Podcast by Michelle Rayburn http://www.liferepurposed.me https://twitter.com/michellerayburn 4. Moments with Moni Podcast by Monika Hardy  https://www.momentswithmoni.com https://twitter.com/Monika_Hardy 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 The 1983 Supreme Court case Lynch v Donnelly brought church and state together in one important decision. In it, the court decided that a city-owned creche (also known as a manger scene) could remain on private land because it was part of a greater display. It wasn't a stand-alone creche. It was surrounded by Christmas trees, a Santa's village, and more. The diorama could stay because it held no significant religious value. It was, in their words, "ceremonial deism". In this modern era where it seems like religion is slipping away from public life, it's good to stop and ask what we're losing. Do our public displays of piety have any real Christian weight to them in the first place? What are we fighting for if "In God We Trust" doesn't specify which God it's referring to? Supreme Court audio for this episode was used with a Creative Commons License from Oyez.org. The audio was edited from it

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast In 1954 the United States government, led by Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, staged a coup to oust President Jacobo Arbenz of Guatemala. For what reason? To help the United Fruit Company. United Fruit was a giant company, capturing over 90% of the market in its heyday. The juggernaut found President Arbenz to be a nuisance when his agrarian reform meant they would be paid for some of their unused land, which would be given to peasants. With the help of powerful friends like Allen Dulles (the Director of the CIA), the United States staged a coup, installing Castillo Armas in his place. All of this took place while the USA was busy framing itself as a Christian nation. What does that mean for the Christian Church today? Are we a nation that supports that kind of behavior? Our special guest for this episode is Stephen Schlesinger, co-author of the excellent book "Bad Fruit: The Story of

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast Billy Graham may have been the most important evangelist of the 20th century. His words were heard by millions of people around the world. He preached in person, on television, magazines, radio, and film. His impact is still felt today. He is also one of the people most responsible for tying Christianity, Capitalism, and the United States. But his legacy didn't stop there. While he denounced communism, he went to great lengths to ensure that communists had access to the gospel too. Our guest this episode is David Aikman, author of "Billy Graham: His Life and Influence". Discussion Questions: Is Jesus' message individualistic, collectivist, or something in between? If the majority of a nation's citizens say they are Christians, does that make it a Christian nation? Does hobnobbing with the wealthy and politically connected occasionally backfire? Like, say, when you've come out backing Ri

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast 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? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podca

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast 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? 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 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? Ho

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast 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? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Donate to help keep Truce going. Visit www.trucepodcast.com/donate for information 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?

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast 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

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Partner with us by donating at: www.trucepodcast.com/donate 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 We're focused on making Truce the best Christian podcast on the market. Partn

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast 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? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoice

Donate to support the Truce Podcast at www.trucepodcast.com/donate 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: Heath Carter on Twitter New York City in 1903 video (Library of Congress) Interesting video of Heath Carter talking about labor Article about the Native American from the top of the show Topics Discussed: Do Christians support unions? The F. Scott Fitzgerald quote about first-rate intelligence and two ideas Working conditions in the 1800s in Chicago Pew rents How do churches

Would you like to help support the Truce Podcast? You can learn how at www.trucepodcast.com/donate 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 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. 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 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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