A Nation For Sale - One Church at a Time

Mar 16, 2025

Dive into the world of Christian nationalism as it reshapes American politics, fueled by billionaire funding and strategic maneuvers. Discover how the erosion of rights, especially regarding abortion, intertwines with aggressive religious ideologies. The podcast critiques the fusion of faith and nationalism, revealing the historical dangers behind it. It also explores the complexities of democracy, emphasizing minority rights in the face of majority rule. Unpack the consequences for marginalized communities and the political manipulation of religious narratives.

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Episode notes

Intro

00:00 • 3min

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The Rise of Christian Nationalism

02:33 • 22min

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Faith and Nationalism: A Troubling Fusion

24:27 • 16min

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Navigating Democracy: Balancing Majority and Minority Rights

40:31 • 2min

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Faith, Politics, and Power

42:05 • 18min

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Christian Nationalism and American Politics

59:47 • 13min

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Celebrating 200 Episodes and Looking Ahead

01:13:11 • 7min

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The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism

Matthew McManus

The Power Worshippers, Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism

Katherine Stewart

The Jefferson lies

Exposing the Myths You've Always Believed About Thomas Jefferson

David Barton

In this book, David Barton aims to debunk several myths about Thomas Jefferson, including claims that Jefferson was an atheist, a racist, or that he fathered children with his slave Sally Hemings. Barton argues that these perceptions are distortions created by liberal academics and the media. He uses original documents and historical sources to support his claims, although his methodology and conclusions have been widely criticized by historians and scholars for being flawed and promoting a Christian nationalist agenda.

The Invention of tradition

Eric Hobsbawm

Terence O. Ranger

This book, edited by Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger, examines the concept of 'invented traditions,' which are cultural practices presented as having a long history but are actually of recent origin. The essays cover various topics such as the creation of Welsh and Scottish national cultures, the elaboration of British royal rituals, and the origins of imperial rituals in British India and Africa. The book highlights how these invented traditions were used to foster social cohesion, legitimize institutions, and solidify value systems and beliefs. It also explores the complex interaction between past and present and how these traditions were constructed to serve specific historical and political needs.

Christine

Stephen King

Set in the fictional Pittsburgh suburb of Libertyville, Pennsylvania in 1978, the story revolves around Arnie Cunningham, a nerdy teenager who buys a dilapidated 1958 Plymouth Fury named Christine. As Arnie restores the car, he becomes increasingly obsessed with it, and Christine begins to exert a supernatural influence over him. The car, possessed by the vengeful spirit of its previous owner, Roland D. LeBay, systematically consumes every aspect of Arnie's life, leading to a series of terrifying and deadly events. Arnie's friends, Dennis Guilder and Leigh Cabot, must uncover the truth behind Christine's malevolent powers and stop her before it's too late.

The age of reason

Jean-Paul Sartre

The Age of Reason is the first volume of Jean-Paul Sartre's 'Roads to Freedom' trilogy. The novel follows the life of Mathieu Delarue, a philosophy professor, as he grapples with the concept of freedom and the responsibilities it entails. Through Mathieu's experiences, Sartre delves into existentialist philosophy, highlighting the tension between personal freedom and societal expectations.

Imagined Communities

Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism

Benedict Anderson

In 'Imagined Communities,' Benedict Anderson examines the historical rise and development of nationalism. He argues that nations are not ancient communities but rather modern constructs, imagined by their members as a shared, limited, and sovereign community. Anderson traces the emergence of nationalism to the Americas in the 18th and 19th centuries, where creole elites and the spread of print capitalism played crucial roles. He also discusses how nationalism filled the void left by the decline of religious communities and how it was shaped by factors such as mass vernacular literacy, the abolition of divine right monarchies, and the standardization of national calendars, clocks, and languages. The book is influential in social sciences and has been widely cited and translated into more than thirty languages.

The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan

Rick Perlstein

The Pink Triangle and the Yellow Star

Lord of it all

The Radical Politics of Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson

Christian nationalism isn’t just a movement—it’s a well-funded machine. In this episode, we dig into The Power Worshippers by Katherine Stewart and break down how billionaires, think tanks, and right-wing operatives have spent decades quietly reshaping American politics through the church. From dark money networks to school vouchers and Supreme Court takeovers, we unpack how this ideological project took power—one church at a time.

You can get a copy of The Power Worshippers here

https://z-library.sk/book/5408915/dc3418/the-power-worshippers-inside-the-dangerous-rise-of-religious-nationalism.html

Or you can buy it from these bookshops

https://www.akpress.org/power-worshippers.html

https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-power-worshippers-inside-the-dangerous-rise-of-religious-nationalism-katherine-stewart/8555591

https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/power-worshippers-9781635573459/

In the post show we watched and talked about this video

https://youtu.be/xatYHiKviiA?si=Av_hBhx-RVINwip4

Check out Justin's links and follow him

https://www.justinclark.org/

https://www.instagram.com/justinclarkph/

https://www.tiktok.com/@justinclarkph

https://bsky.app/profile/justinclarkph.bsky.social

https://www.threads.net/@justinclarkph

https://www.in.gov/history/

https://blog.history.in.gov/

https://newspapers.library.in.gov/

And check out my linktree

https://linktr.ee/Skepticalleftist

If you enjoyed the show, consider supporting us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/skepticalleftist to help keep the content coming. You can also subscribe to my Substack https://theskepticalleftist.substack.com/ for updates and extra content or get bonus episodes through Spotify https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skepticalleftist/subscribe . Every bit makes a difference! If that’s not your thing, sharing the episode with friends or on social media goes a long way too. Thanks for listening and for your support!

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