The Christian Past That Wasn't: Formerly Telling Jefferson Lies
Season Three began April 28. I am renaming the podcast The Christian Past That Wasn't to be consistent with the forthcoming book from Broadleaf Books, The Christian Past That Wasn't: Debunking the Christian Nationalist Myths That Hijack History. This is so much more than a fact-checking book; it critiques the entire Christian nationalist project and misuse of history for political gain. Consistent with the first two seasons of this podcast, The Christian Past That Wasn't demonstrates that separation of church and state was the intention of the framers of the charter documents. We would be so much better off if we stayed true to separation of church and state in the US.
Podcast summary:
Telling Jefferson Lies chronicles how history can be hijacked for ideological and political purposes, as well as a much broader story about the surge of Christian nationalism and the misuse of history which often goes along with it. The series begins in season one with an in-depth consideration of the methods of Christian nationalist story teller David Barton. Then I tell the story of how his book on Jefferson was pulled from publication in 2012 and the response of evangelicals to that rare event. From there, I broaden the scope to examine the varieties of Christian nationalism and the negative consequences of this way of thinking about church and state. The last segment examines the reasons why the separation of church and state is good history, good civics, and good religion.
Season two consists of interviews with experts on Christian nationalism and the effects of religious liberty on church and state.
For more information, go to http://www.gettingjeffersonright.com and http://www.christianpast.com.
The Christian Past That Wasn't: Formerly Telling Jefferson Lies
Is America a Christian Nation Because States Once Required Religious Tests?
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Chapter 4 of The Christian Past That Wasn't takes up the question of this episode. This episode cites the book and expands on it as well. In sum, I take the position that the experience of colonial and state governments are historically interesting but not directly relevant to our secular system of Constitutional government. What the framers did in the Constitutional Convention is what is relevant. In the book, I fact check claims about what the states required for office holders and I examine the ways different states handled church and state relationships.
There was the Williams Way (Rhode Island and to some degree the mid-Atlantic states) and the Winthrop Way (Massachusetts and everybody else).
This is not to say that America is a secular nation culturally speaking. If anything, the nation became more culturally Christian after the founders passed from the scene. One of the reasons the founding era was reframed as a Christian founding was due to the heavy influence of Christianity in the expanding nation.
Produced, written, and hosted by Warren Throckmorton
Slippery Rock University history professor Aaron Cowan and Dartmouth College religion professor Randall Balmer make appearances in this episode.
Music by Jonas Fair, Jeremiah Lawson, and Netop.
Book ordering options at www.christianpast.com.