71. How Did Communist Russia Impact American Christianity? with Chris Staron, host of Truce podcast

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The United States has had a long and complicated relationship with God.  And what’s really fascinating is the fact that Communist Russia played a significant role in the way many Americans think about that relationship with God today. A lot of folks think about the United States as a Christian nation—both in the United States and around the world.

But is it?  And what does it mean to be a Christian nation? And what does the Soviet Union have to do with any of this? And…. As spiritual leaders, what’s a proper relationship between one’s nation—any nation—and the people of God?

Chris Staron, host of the Truce podcast, and I discuss these questions in this episode.


THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

• Chris Staron is host of the Truce podcast, as well as the director of Bringing Up Bobby and Between the Walls, and the author of Cradle Robber.
• The Truce podcast is spending a year exploring how the rise of Communist Russia impacted the Christian church in America.
• Chris summarizes the connection between Communist Russia and American Christianity.
• When Karl Marx said, “Religion is the opiate of the masses,” he meant something different than what we normally assume.
• During the 1950’s, the United States made an intentional effort to connect Christianity with American patriotism.
• The core eight founding fathers of the U.S. were something between deists and Christian.  They believed God was involved in the world, but they did not believe that Jesus was God.
• The United States is technically an empire.
  • Since it began, it expanded into areas that didn’t belong to it.
  • Today, the U.S. still holds territories that are taxed without representation.
• Christianity is losing its prophetic distance from power, which makes it difficult for Christianity to speak truth to power.
• The Trump administration had gone to great lengths to associate Christianity with the administration.
• Chris Staron raises the question as to whether or not Christianity supports revolution.
• You can connect with Chris Staron at www.trucepodcast.com.  You can also find Chris Staron on Twitter at @trucepodcast and on Instagram at @trucepodcast.

RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:

• Christ Staron:
  • Podcast - The Truce Podcast
  • Twitter:  @trucepodcast
  • Instagram: @trucepodcast
  • Cradle Robber, by Chris Staron

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