Truce - History of the Christian Church

There was a time not so long ago when the value of an ounce of gold cost $20.67. That was true not just in one moment or one year. It was true in the 1880s, 1890s, 1900s, 1920s... This was the gold standard. A person could take $20.67 to a federal bank and receive an ounce of gold in return.This system worked really well... for a while. But by the 1890s the constant deflation caused by the increasing value of gold meant that people with loans had to work harder and harder to pay them back. The value of gold and the value of goods had an inverse relationship, like a seesaw. One side went up and the other went down.This is the topic William Jennings Bryan chose to discuss at the 1896 Democratic Convention. And it was that speech that won him the presidential nomination that year. Imagine that! Someone so passionate about inflating the cost of goods that they are chosen to be president! His bimetallism (he wanted to add silver into the mix to devalue the specie) stance came out of his social gospel leanings and his Christian faith. This was a high point for the social gospel. As the evangelical world was about to turn to the darker premillennialist view, Bryan made an impassioned plea that we could, in fact, make this world a better place.My guest for this episode is the amazing Jacob Goldstein. He's the author of the book “Money: the True Story of a Made-Up Thing”. He's also a former co-host of the Planet Money podcast and now hosts "What's Your Problem?", a show where he interviews guests about the issues in their industries. You'll also hear from Michael Kazin, professor of history from Georgetown and author of "A Godly Hero".Helpful Links "Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing" by Jacob Goldstein (makes a great gift!) "A Godly Hero" by Michael Kazin "The Cross of Gold" speech Discussion Questions Have you ever gotten so excited at a political speech that you would gladly carry the politician around the room? What is money? Why do some of us want our money to be backed by something else? Why gold? Is there something inherent in gold that you think makes it forever valuable? Do politicians and government officials have some responsibility to consider how monetary policy impacts those in the lower classes? What does that look like? How has your life been impacted by monetary policy? How do you feel about things like the FDIC? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This season of the Truce Podcast tracks the history of Christian fundamentalism. So far we've covered the rise of para-church ministries through preachers, the creation of dispensationalism, and the rising threat of modernist theology in the late 1800s. That is a lot to digest! So in this episode, I thought it would be helpful to sit down with some of the smartest guys I know and ask them, "how do we deal with Christian fundamentalism?"Christian fundamentalism has impacted our lives in various ways. Ray McDaniel (pastor of First Baptist Church in Jackson, WY) shares that he grew up under fundamentalist teaching. Chris Staron (host of the Truce Podcast) talks about his childhood and teen years listening to fundamentalist radio. Nick Staron discusses the last few years when he has seen fundamentalism rise inside his own circle of friends. Here are some things to consider from this episode: Modernist theology can be seen as an actual threat to evangelical theology. How should we deal with threats in a godly way? Do end times teachings open doors for sharing the gospel? How much do we really know about the end times? And how should that shape the way we live today? What does it really mean to love people who are from a different denomination? Do we still need denominations today? How can we keep ministries accountable? Helpful links: The Late Great Planet Earth - hosted by Orson Welles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

George Marsden characterized Christian fundamentalism as "militantly anti-modernist protestant evangelicalism". Right there you see that fundamentalism is a reaction against something. And that something is modernist theology. Modernism is a broad term used to describe a few different schools of liberal theology. In this episode, we discuss the Tubingen and Berlin schools.Modernist theology is often marked by the desire to discuss the "historic Jesus". This term can be a bit confusing because it is less about understanding what historic texts say about Jesus and more about discussing the non-miraculous aspects of Jesus' life and ministry.Our special guest this episode is Chris Evans, professor of Christian History and Methodist Studies at Boston University and author of "Do Everything" a biography of Francis Willard.Discussion Questions: What does it mean that fundamentalism is a reaction to modernist theology? What is modernist theology? Do you know any theologically liberal people? Do you find it difficult to both love the Lord and love your neighbor? What makes someone a Christian? Does your view include theologically conservative people? What about theologically liberal people? Where is the line for you? How vital are Jesus' miracles to your life and faith? Is there a tension in Christianity where it is culturally difficult to be theologically conservative and still want to love our neighbors? Helpful Links and Sources: "The Evangelicals" by Frances Fitzgerald An interesting article on Arminius "Church History in Plain Language" by Bruce Shelley "Who is An Evangelical?" Thomas Kidd Historical Handbook of Major Biblical Interpreters edited by Donald K. McKim p 350 Matthew 22:36-40 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 1800s were a time of milking cows and going to the county fair.Sure... but what else? We tend to think of this century as a quiet, pastoral era when people were friendly and life was simple. But the 1800s were a crazy time! The American Civil War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Spanish-American War, conquest, the suffrage movement, the prohibition movement, massive technological changes. It's a wonder we ever made it out alive.In this episode, we explore the early life of William Jennings Bryan and the Democratic Party, the party of Jim Crow that he would soon lead. After the Civil War, it was the Democrats who created Black Codes in the South to restrict the upward mobility of African Americans. They were the party of white farmers and soon transitioned into representing labor unions and, eventually, many black people in the United States. Bryan was one of the men responsible for that transition.Helpful Links and Sources: "A Godly Hero" by Michael Kazin Truce episode about the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) Meeting notes of the 1873 Evangelical Alliance "Fundamentalism and American Culture" by George Marsden "A Righteous Cause" by Robert W. Cherny (book on William Jennings Bryan) Interesting bio on Stephen Douglas President Hays' acceptance speech Discussion Questions: What do you think of when you think of the 1800s? Was the 1800s a simpler time? What mistakes did the Republican Party make in ending Reconstruction? How should abolitionists have handled the South after the Civil War? Can a Christian lead a racist political party? Should they? What were some technological advances that came about in the 1800s? How might they have shifted the way people lived and thought back then? Are there technological changes going on now that could shift the way we think and interact with each other? Chris ends the episode by talking about how Christians should be a people of the means, not necessarily the ends. Do you think the ends ever justify the means for Christians? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Become a patron of the show and help make the Truce episodes you love.This season we're tracing the history of Christian fundamentalism through the life of William Jennings Bryan. But first, we need to learn some important definitions. Our big word of the week is dispensationalism. It's not as complicated as it sounds. Dispensationalism is (in part) the notion that God treats humankind differently depending on what era we are in. It is not accepted by all Christians, but it is a building block of fundamentalism. Another component of dispensationalism is the secret rapture--the idea that God will take His elect to heaven just before the tribulation. It also asserts that the Christian Church will become apostate before the end times. This last tidbit is important! Premillennialism made Christians suspicious of the outside world, but it was dispensationalism that made us suspicious of each other.John Nelson Darby is often credited as the father of dispensationalism. He came up with the idea of the rapture and is the man who packaged a bunch of existing ideas into this systematized vision of the Bible. In the 1700s and 1800s, people adapted the scientific notion of categorizing everything into genus and species and applied it to all areas of study, even when reading the Bible. This encouraged people like Darby to break the Bible into "dispensations" or eras.Our guest this week is George Marsden. He's the author of "Fundamentalism and American Culture".Discussion Questions: Are you suspicious of other Christians? Why is that? Do you believe in the rapture? Why? Does the God of the Bible behave differently in different parts of the Bible? Or is He the same throughout? Do you believe that Jewish people were destined to return to Israel based on Matthew 24:32-33 or Romans 11:25-26? What did you know about the French Revolution before our recent episodes on it? Do you think it was a significant event in world history? If so, why? Helpful Links: "Fundamentalism and American Culture" by George Marsden (book) "The Evangelicals" by Frances Fitzerald (book) "Who is an Evangelical?" by Thomas S. Kidd (book) Interesting article about Napoleon, the Pope, and the French Revolution A fantastic book about Napoleon (one of my fav books) is "Napoleon: A Life" by Andrew Roberts "American Apocalypse" by Matthew Avery Sutton (note: only the first few chapters influenced this episode) "The Roots of Fundamentalism" by Ernest Sandeen. 1 Corinthians 1:8 Helpful article about Common Sense Realism Fascination Smithsonian article about Mount Tambora Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Give to help keep Truce going!What is the difference between premillennialism and postmillennialism? And what does it matter?After the French Revolution in the late 1700s, Christians began to see the world as coming to an end. Daniel 7 and Revelation 13 describe an oppressor who will wear the people out for a period of time. Some Christian interpret that as being 1260 years. That 1260 years can be placed over the reign of Justinian all the way through history up until the French Revolution. That is just one interpretation that not everyone shares. But if you hold that view then this event was HUGE. It meant that the end of the world was super close. It has now been over 200 years since that event, but many premillennialists still hold up this prophecy as proof of the fulfillment of scripture.Many Christians were sparked to uncover the meaning of it all. Some turned to an old idea -- premillennialism. It's the notion that the world is on a downward trajectory. Things are going to get really bad and then Jesus will return. Before this time, many evangelicals were postmillennialism. They thought the world was going to get better over time. This split was an important part of what would become the fundamentalist/ modernist debate.Premillennialism has some dark "logical" conclusions to it. Some premillennialist like pastor John MacArthur argue that since the world is going to burn anyway, we humans shouldn't worry about things like global warming.Discussion Questions: Why was the French Revolution such an important moment in world history? Pre-Revolution the nobles and clergy controlled much of the power in France. They could out-weigh 98% of the population of France. Is this perhaps a reason why the French people turned against them? Are you a premillennialist, a postmillennialist, or neither? Did you read the Left Behind books? What do you remember? How did they impact you? Do you think you have a positive or negative view of world history? How does that impact the way you act? Should premillennialists see Jesus' second coming as a reason to avoid taking care of the planet? Helpful Links: The Victoria and Albert Museum's article about Mysore and Tipoos Tiger "Fundamentalism and American Culture" by George Marsden (book) "The Evangelicals" by Frances Fitzerald (book) "Who is an Evangelical?" by Thomas S. Kidd (book) Interesting article about Napoleon, the Pope, and the French Revolution A fantastic book about Napoleon (one of my fav books) is "Napoleon: A Life" by Andrew Roberts John MacArthur sermon excerpted and used with permission from "Grace to You" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Donate to support the Truce Podcast!Correction: The original version of this episode incorrectly represented Arminian belief. It involves the belief that once grace is offered by God that a sinner can reject the offer. The original version stated that the sinner made the first move to initiate a relationship. That is incorrect. Arminians believe that God makes the first move, but His offer can be rejected. The error has been corrected in this version, My apologies for any confusion. Who is an evangelical? If you go by the news today, you probably think evangelicals are all American middle-class white men. Nope! Evangelical Christians come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. They can be men or women from anywhere in the world. They can speak any language. And they can have a lot of variety in their beliefs.This season on the Truce Podcast we are examining the history of Christian fundamentalism. How did fundamentalism begin? What is Christian fundamentalism? Is Christian fundamentalism a good thing, a bad thing, or somewhere in between?In this episode, we're joined by author and professor George Marsden. He's the author of Fundamentalism and American Culture, which is THE book everyone else refers to when they talk about fundamentalism. According to Marsden, fundamentalism is "militantly anti-modernism protestant evangelicalism". That is a lot of big words! By the end of the season, you should understand all of that. One important part of that definition is the word "evangelicalism". It is one of those words that has been used so much in so many different ways that it can be difficult to define it. There are whole movements to create new definitions these days. But in order to move forward this season, we need to pick some frame of reference. I chose David Beggington's definition of what defines an evangelical:Bebbington's Quadrilateral Biblicism (a focus on the Bible) Conversionism (an emphasis on evangelism) Crucicentrism (the centrality of the cross) Activism Those four things, according to Bebbington, are what make up an evangelical. Again, it is a hotly debated subject.So when did evangelicalism begin? Many of the sources that I found pointed to the revivals in the decades leading up to the American Revolution. Evangelists like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield spread the gospel using a post-millennialist vision of the end times mixed with Calvinism. This was part of the First Great Awakening. Then there were others after the revolution who spread an Arminian view of salvation. Guys like Finney. Belief in God became more personal, without the direct oversight of a priest or minister. It became an individual's responsibility to look after their spiritual growth.Welcome to season 5! God willing, I'll be releasing new episodes every other week.Discussion Questions: What is an evangelical? What is a fundamentalist? If fundamentalists are evangelicals who are angry at something, what are they angry at? Are you one of those people? Do you believe in the Calvinist view of salvation or the Arminian one? Does it matter? Why? The Great Awakening movements established a sense that belief in God was not something that needed to be handed down by a priest or minister. Do you think that was a positive move? What are some potential drawbacks (if any)? Helpful Links and Sources: "Fundamentalism and American Culture" by George Marsden (book) "The Evangelicals" by Frances Fitzerald (book) "Who is an Evangelical?" by Thomas S. Kidd (book) "A Godly Hero" by Michael Kazin (book) Transcript of the Scopes trial (book, though you can find it free online) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Become a patron of the Truce Podcast!In our present moment, it seems that people are inclined to extremes. Christian fundamentalism seems to be on the rise. This season we're examining the history of Christian fundamentalism. We'll start by defining terms like "evangelical", "premillennialism", "dispensationalism", "modernist theology", and "fundamentalism". Then we'll work our way to the Scopes Monkey Trial, that massive media event in 1925 that pitted fundamentalism against evolution.Our guests this season include George Marsden, Joel Carpenter, Kevin Belmonte, Edward Larson, Paul T. McCartney, and Michael Kazin. We'll also feature a fascinating conversation with Jacob Goldstein, co-host of the Planet Money podcast.We can never hope to cover every facet of a subject this huge. Instead, the goal is to help normal people like us understand the basics of this movement that is actively shaping world history.Subscribe so you get every new episode as it is released. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Christmas can be a difficult time for many of us. How do we love people who disagree with us? How do we cope with people who don't seem to make sense anymore?In this bonus Christmas message, I just want to remind all of us of Jesus' command to both love our God AND love our neighbor.How has 2021 been for you? Leave a comment on social media or on the website at www.trucepodcast.com. God willing, season 5 of Truce will begin in winter 2022.Merry Christmas,Chris 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 you think of the world's worst mass murderers, King Leopold II doesn't usually come up. But due to his forced labor practices in the Congo, nearly 10 million people lost their lives. He did this by pretending that his actions in that region were a missionary effort. In reality, he forced Africans to harvest wild rubber or risk having their hands cut off.The truth is even darker than that: it turns out that Leopold was far from the only person doing this. This same era was marked by many major world powers engaging in forced labor. From the US in the Philippines to Arab countries in eastern Africa, much of the modern world was built on forced labor.Author Adam Hochschild joins us for this episode to discuss his book "King Leopold's Ghost".I first heard about this story on the Noble Blood podcast and their episode "The Red Paint on Leopold II".Discussion Questions: Had you heard of King Leopold II before this? Leopold did send missionaries to the Congo. Was that a positive or negative thing for our Christian witness? Did you know that other major countries were engaged in forced labor into WWII? What do you think of the US-backed coup in Congo? Is it okay for the US to get involved in the politics of another nation? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices