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.

History
Christianity
Religion
176
Suffrage: The Textbook and the Hatchet (2 of 2)
It took a long time for women to get the right to vote. And it took a lot of different opinions about how to go about fighting for that right. Frances Willard, the second president of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, used marches and speeches....
23 min
177
Suffrage: How Women Stopped the Drink and Gaine...
The 1800's were a drunken mess. The median adult in the US drank 1.7 bottles of 80 proof alcohol each week. Each week! The 1800's were also a time when women didn't have many rights: they couldn't vote, were expected to stay home, and were somewhat...
23 min
178
Is Jesus Eternal?: Begotten
Is Jesus eternal? There is a key word in the gospels and the Nicaean Creed: begotten. We don't use it much today, but some people take it to mean that Jesus hasn't been around since the beginning of time. Jehovah's Witnesses use it as proof that...
6 min
179
A Roman Emperor and the Easter Bunny
How did we decide on the day we celebrate Easter? Believe it or not, it was decided 1700 years ago at the Council of Nicaea, which was called by the Roman emperor Constantine. There was some confusion as to whether or not it should be tied to the...
6 min
180
Constantine: Council of Nicaea and the Spread o...
Modern Christians believe that Jesus is God, eternal. But some people in the early church didn't think so. So early leaders decided to call the Council of Nicaea. Today people like Dan Brown (the DaVinci Code) might see this as when Constantine...
18 min
181
Constantine: Persecuted to Preferred
Who was the first political leader to use Christianity to his benefit? We see it all the time today, but when did it begin? This is the first part in a series looking at the impact of the Roman Emperor Constantine on history. We're still dealing with...
17 min
182
The Heart Behind Christian Films (Part 2 of 2)
In part one we examined the history and economics of this maligned art form. Now let's understand the heart behind Christian filmmaking. If we're going to share the hope we have in Christ, then we need tools like this. We're joined by filmmakers Rich...
16 min
183
The Humble Christian Film: Economics and Histor...
Christians have many tools at their disposal -- Bible studies, tracts, sermons. But the punching bag of ministry tools has got to be the humble Christian film. We think of this as an upstart medium, but it's not. It's as old as filmmaking itself. In...
26 min
184
Healing the Southern Baptist Convention
The Southern Baptist Convention meets again next week. So, as a follow up to our curse of Ham story, we talked to Pastor Dwight McKissic Jr (@pastordmack) about his efforts to address racial issues within the SBC. A new resolution is on the table that...
19 min
185
Scott Pruitt, Christianity, and NPR's Embedded
In April of 2018 @NPREmbedded produced a podcast episode about Scott Pruitt, the current head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the Trump Administration. It covered, among other things, his record on the environment, and... his...
27 min
186
Girolamo Savonarola: One Man Against the Renais...
Girolamo Savonarola was an inspiration to Martin Luther and an early martyr for the Protestant Reformation. He's also a controversial figure – more Old Testament prophet than humble friar. Our guest Samantha Morris (https://theborgiabull.com)...
22 min
187
Church Discipline
When churches face evil or unrepentant behavior we have to make a tough call. What does church discipline look like? It turns out that it involves several steps from talking to the person one-on-one to expelling them from the congregation. There isn't...
22 min
188
Plantation Jesus
In this podcast extra we're taking a look at how ethnicity sometimes trumps our commitment to God. How can we, as believers, move forward in a Church that seems divided by race and ethnicity? Skot Welch is is the founder of Global Bridgebuilders, an...
12 min
189
The Curse of Ham and the Southern Baptist Conve...
The Curse of Ham. It sounds like something from Game of Thrones, but it is actually a mis-reading of an Old Testament scripture that has been used for hundreds of years to justify racism and slavery. This week we take a look inside the Southern...
10 min
190
Stephen Mansfield: Choosing Donald Trump
We all know a little something about President Donald Trump, how he bankrolled his family fortune into celebrity. But what do we know about his religious history? Our guest for this episode is author, speaker, podcaster Stephen Mansfield. Stephen is...
25 min
191
Evangelical Christians and Donald Trump: An Unl...
When were Christians first tied to Donald Trump? It seems to have started when Dr. James Dobson of FamilyTalk said on tape that Donald Trump is a Christian. He is not the only person making that claim. Paula White, Michelle Bachmann, Kenneth Copeland,...
15 min
192
Season One Trailer
Truce is a show about the Church. What makes evangelical Christians tick? How do we impact the culture, and how does the culture shape us? Using journalistic tools we will journey together into one of the most powerful forces in world history: the...
1 min