Truce - History of the Christian Church

Donate a little to help the show on either Patreon or PaypalPlease fill out our listener survey here: https://forms.gle/G5euVtM3JistChuz7What do you think of when you hear the word "empire"? Maybe Great Britain? The Soviet Union? The Mongols? Sure. But what if I told you that the United States is also an empire. And always has been.Our guest this episode is Daniel Immerwahr, author of the book "How to Hide an Empire" and an associate history professor at Northwestern University. In his book he argues that the United States has been an empire since it's inception. We claimed lands owned by native peoples, and then expanded into places like the Philippines, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Alaska, and more. This is the story of war, greed, resources, and tragedy.Helpful Links: We recorded some the games in this episode at the Spark Christian Podcast Conference A lecture from Daniel regarding his book We received help from these artists: Stand up comedian Nick Staron (Napoleon) Holland Webb of the Afterword Podcast Angel McCoy from Angel Reads the Bible Colleen and Danny from Fitness at Houston's First Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcastIs the USA a Christian nation?There are a lot of people who argue that it is. And a lot of others who say that it is not. Which is it? What do we gain by calling it a Christian nation?Our guest this episode is Dr. Gregg L Frazer, author of The Religious Beliefs of America's Founders: Reason, Revelation, and Revolution and God Against the Revolution: The Loyalist Clergy's Case Against the American Revolution.Donate a little to help the show on either Patreon or PaypalOur "Would You Rather Questions": Would you rather make a hundred thousand dollars a year working for the mob, or be married to the best looking person on earth who cheats on you? Would you rather sell something benign like corn to Iran or be Vladimir Putin's personal barber? Would you rather go to a church where the senior pastor is always getting into Twitter fights, or one where the youth pastor is always starting gossip? Helpful links: Roy Browning's videos about being a dad on Youtube Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptist Association The Pencils and Lipstick Podcast Revived Thoughts The Grace Over 40 Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcastWas the American Revolution biblical?There are lots of people who argue that the United States is a Christian nation. But our nation is founded on revolution. The Bible is clear that we are to obey our leaders. How do we reconcile the fact the Revolution was not a Christian act with the assumption of a Christian nation?Our guest this episode is Dr. Gregg L Frazer, author of The Religious Beliefs of America's Founders: Reason, Revelation, and Revolution and God Against the Revolution: The Loyalist Clergy's Case Against the American Revolution.Donate a little to help the show on either Patreon or PaypalSpecial thanks to those who contributed their voices to this episode including: Paul Hastings of the Compelled Podcast, Eric Nevins of Halfway There, Angel McCoy of Angel Reads the Bible, and Bonnie Burns from Sex Chat for Christian Wives.Helpful Links: Live Free or Die image Jonathan Mayhew sermon Library of Congress article about the importance of religion to the American Revolution Romans 13 1 Peter 2:13-14 Galatians 5 Topics: Who was Jonathan Mayhew? Were the Founding Fathers Christians? Is the US a Christian nation? What does the Bible mean when it says we are supposed to obey our leaders? Does God back the US? What makes a nation Christian? The Roman emperor Nero King George Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Were the founding fathers of the United States Christians or Deists? That question has been at the heart of a debate that comes up all the time in the Church: is the United States a Christian nation?Our guest for this episode is Dr. Gregg L Frazer. He's the author of The Religious Beliefs of America's Founders and God Against the Revolution.Donate a little to help the show on either Patreon or PaypalHelpful links: Jefferson's letter about his beliefs Searchable database of founding father documents John Adam's diary entry from Feb 13, 1756 Topics discussed: Were the founding fathers Deists or Christians? Was George Washington a Christian? Was John Adams a Christian? Was Alexander Hamilton a Christian? Was Thomas Jefferson a Christian? What does the Constitution say about God? What did Christians believe in the 1700's? Did Benjamin Franklin build churches? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcastAre you curious about why Truce is covering the topics that it is? Wondering where this thing is going? We've heard you! In response to the confusion of our audience, we've put together this special interview episode to answer some of your questions.Chris is joined by Eric Nevins, host of the Halfway There podcast.Would you like to see Eric's review of Truce in Podcast Magazine? Click here to learn more. The review will come out March 30, 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcastIn Russia during the Soviet era, hundred of posters and magazine covers were printed to encourage people to abandon their faith. They were state-sponsored and designed to be interpreted even by people who could not read. This propaganda clearly tied anti-Christian sentiment to the United States.In his new book, Godless Utopia, Roland Elliott Brown collected a number of these images and provided commentary on their meaning.What does it mean that we call the United States a Christian nation? What does it mean when presidents like Ronald Reagan merge their faith with the US? How does that impact our witness? These are questions we'll continue exploring throughout this series.Donate a little to help the show on either Patreon or PaypalHelpful links: You can view images from the book here. Please note that some of these images may not be appropriate for all eyes. Watch the whole "evil empire" speech here. Article about Ruth Snyder, the first woman to be sent to the electric chair Roland's article about Soviet propaganda (see page 18) Mobituaries podcast episode about lynching and D.W. Griffith's film "Birth of a Nation" Topics covered: What did soviet propaganda look like? How did Stalin use the Orthodox church to fight in WWII? What was Ronald Reagan's "evil empire" speech? Is it okay for US Presidents to speak at Christian events? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcastHow strong was the soviet mythology? Strong enough to make a young boy turn in his own parents. At least... that's what the communist government of Russia wanted their people to believe. They created a myth around a boy named Pavlik Morozov who they deemed Pioneer 1.Select Sources: https://www.britannica.com/topic/collectivization https://www.rbth.com/history/329601-demon-or-hero-morozov https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/1450370/Squalid-truth-of-Stalins-little-martyr-killed-for-informing-on-his-father.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcastVladimir Prokhnevskiy moved to the United States as a Christian refugee from Ukraine. He and his family left that country after enduring oppression from their governments. He spoke with Chris about what it was like to live in such poverty, how his father was threatened with work in Chernobyl, and how a shoebox from Operation Christmas Child impacted his life.Vladimir and his twin brother own Ukramedia, a company that teaches people to make motion graphics. You can watch this video about their lives and work.It was a thrill to talk with Vladimir. Please consider supporting this show so that we can continue to make these episodes.You can donate via our Patreon or Paypal pages or at trucepodcast.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcastAfter the fall of the Romanov dynasty, Russia fell into the hands of the Bolshevik political party. They led the country into one of the darkest chapters in world history when religious people and dissidents were targeted, imprisoned, and murdered. This history is hard to hear but important for us to know.Our special guest this episode is Felix Corley of www.forum18.org.In this episode, we discuss why Vladimir Lenin persecuted Christians and how Joseph Stalin instituted a policy of fear in the Soviet Union.Helpful Links: Forum 18 Article about the poem "First They Came" The Gulag Archipelago by Alexandr Solzhenitsyn An interesting article about former Soviet countries Topics discussed: Why did Vladimir Lenin hate Christians? Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia Persecution of Muslims in Russia How many people did Joseph Stalin kill? Nikita Khrushchev Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! Donate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcastWhen the Russian tsars fell, they left a power vacuum. Who would rule Russia after the Romanov dynasty? The Bolshevik's rose to power, led by Vladimir Lenin. Lenin immediately began persecuting anybody he didn't like.In this episode, we'll examine the dark realities behind the Russian revolution: how it started with good intentions but ended with the death of millions. We'll also see how a culture of fear and suspicion held the nation captive.Our guests today are Professor Barbara Engel (author of "Russia in World History"), and Roland Elliott Brown (author of "Godless Utopia").This is part of our series examining how the rise of communism in Russia impacted the Christian church. Check out the rest of season three for more information. We're working hard to make Truce the best Christian podcast on the market. Please rate and review the show!FACT CHECK NOTICE:Genghis Khan, who I did not mention in the episode, is in the running for having murdered the most people in history. I discovered this fact after the episode had been completed. Sorry!Topics covered: How did Vladimir Lenin come to power? How did Stalin come to power? How many people did Stalin kill? (20-25 million) Is communism bad? What was the Soviet Union? How did the Soviet Union begin? Who were the Bolsheviks? Why do some people like Stalin? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices