Republicans and Evangelicals I Reagan's Shibboleths

Republicans and Evangelicals I Reagan's Shibboleths

Author: Chris Staron April 21, 2026 Duration: 39:05
Give to help Chris make the show! Ronald Reagan was an odd choice for evangelicals. For one, he and his wife regularly consulted a medium. He was a Hollywood actor, which should have put him at odds with fundamentalists. Also, Christians have a long history of charity and compassion, while Reagan's policies cut aid to poor people. But in 1980, a lot of evangelicals turned to the Republican Party to vote for him over the evangelical Jimmy Carter. What happened? Jimmy Carter gave audience to evangelical audiences, though not in the same way as Reagan. Carter told people to conserve, while Reagan's optimistic consumerism played to the rising prosperity gospel. Reagan delivered his famous endorsement of evangelicals at the Religious Roundtable, while Carter was suspiciously absent. Also, evangelicals have built up a strong craving for leaders. They love a strongman leader. So when Reagan showed up and promised to be tough, they went for him. Today, we're examining some of the reasons that Reagan became a favorite of evangelicals. And why... maybe that doesn't make sense. Sources: Article on shibboleths Reaganland by Rick Perlstein The Invisible Bridge by Rick Perlstein The Evangelicals by Frances Fitzgerald A Prophet With Honor by William Martin James Robison's speech at the Religious Roundtable 1980 GOP Platform Reagan's GOP acceptance speech in 1980 Reagan's inauguration speech Discussion Questions: What is a shibboleth? How do you test if someone is really a Christian? What if they're a politician? Does it matter? Why did Reagan seem like an unlikely match for evangelicals? How did Reagan impress evangelicals? What did this make you think about James Robison? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Chris Staron, Truce-History of the Christian Church is a deep, journalistic look into the forces that have shaped American evangelicalism. This isn't a simple timeline of events; it's an investigation into the surprising intersections of faith, culture, and power. Staron digs into movements from fundamentalism's roots to modern political campaigns, and even examines connections to phenomena like pyramid schemes, revealing a complex history many listeners may never have encountered. Each episode is built on thorough research and thoughtful interviews, aiming to understand not just how the church arrived at its current moment, but how that story might inform a better path forward. The current season focuses specifically on the rise of the Religious Right, meticulously tracing the evolving alliance between evangelicals and the Republican Party. To tell this story, the podcast features conversations with notable guests like historians Rick Perlstein and Frances Fitzgerald, or journalist Jesse Eisinger, who bring their expertise to this nuanced narrative. Listening to this podcast feels like joining a rigorous yet accessible conversation, one that respects the subject's gravity while pursuing clarity and truth. For anyone curious about the real stories behind today's headlines concerning faith and society, this series offers essential context.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Truce - History of the Christian Church
Podcast Episodes
Kristin Kobes Du Mez: "Live, Laugh, Love" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:44
Give to help Chris make Truce Kristin Kobes Du Mez is best known for her book Jesus and John Wayne, which looked at masculinity in American evangelicalism. Her new book, out now, does the same for femininity and positivi…
200th Episode Celebration! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:43
Give to help Chris make Truce Can you believe it? The Truce podcast has crossed the 200-episode mark! Actually, this is something like the 203rd episode... but we still need to celebrate! In this special bonus episode, N…
Republicans and Evangelicals | The War on Mark Hatfield [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:10
Give to help Chris make Truce Our season has spent a lot of time looking at how some evangelicals tied themselves to the GOP as the party became more conservative. But not every evangelical Republican was taken in by the…
Republicans and Evangelicals | Where the Gang Ended Up part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:56
Give to help Chris make Truce Jimmy Swaggart was caught in a major controversy in the late 1980s. It involved the famous American televangelist, who was a leading figure in Pentecostal Christianity. In 1988, Swaggart pub…
Should I Move to Europe? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:17
Give to help Chris Several months ago, Chris informed the audience that he was thinking about moving to Europe. Now, he's back to update everyone! Chris went to Seville, Spain, for several weeks to take Spanish-language…
Republicans and Evangelicals | The Iran Contra Affair [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:51
Give to help Chris make Truce. The Iran-Contra Affair was a major political scandal in the United States during the second term of President Ronald Reagan in the mid-1980s. At its core, the affair involved the secret sal…
Republicans and Evangelicals | Reaganomics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:43
Give to help Chris make Truce Ronald Reagan’s economic policies, often referred to as “Reaganomics,” were based on supply-side economics. His administration focused on reducing the role of government in the economy by cu…