The Christian Past That Wasn't: Formerly Telling Jefferson Lies
Season Three which began April 28 is now complete. I renamed the podcast The Christian Past That Wasn't to be consistent with my 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:
Season one of 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 by publisher Thomas Nelson, followed by 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 on books about these topics, go to http://www.gettingjeffersonright.com and http://www.christianpast.com.
The Christian Past That Wasn't: Formerly Telling Jefferson Lies
The American Way is Separation of Religion and State with Freedom of Religious Expression
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Randall Balmer joins me for remarks about why he believes America is not a Christian nation and why separation of church and state is the American way. This is the topic of chapter 6 in my new book The Christian Past That Wasn't. In the book, I cover the topics in this segment as well as the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists, The Church of the Holy Trinity v. the United States, and the views of James Madison. Christian nationalists have significantly distorted the history in this area to reframe and redefine separation of church and state. I go to the primary sources to show readers what the framers said about this important principle.
To purchase or learn more about The Christian Past That Wasn't, go to www.christianpast.com.
Written, produced, and hosted by Warren Throckmorton
Music provided by Roman Candle, Jonathan Swaim, and Netop.
For a playlist of music used on the podcast, see this link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6jP94UmS5sCwoB4Ex3ini9?si=0C7Woza2QRaKrIsvvJ_l7g