Republicans and Evangelicals | Why Christians Didn't Vote for Carter

Republicans and Evangelicals | Why Christians Didn't Vote for Carter

Author: Chris Staron March 24, 2026 Duration: 42:51
Give to help Chris make Truce Boy, the Religious Right did not like Carter, at least by 1980. Some of them, like Pat Robertson, had high hopes for him at the start. But they quickly grew to distrust the man from Georgia. Why? In this episode, Chris goes through some of the top issues that evangelicals had with Jimmy Carter. They include his article in Playboy Magazine that mentions his struggles with sex (but also featured a strong gospel message), his support of the ERA, and his lackluster responses to their questions about abortion. But... It's not as if Ronald Reagan was significantly better. Reagan was not a regular churchgoer like Carter. He consulted a medium for his decisions. He was a divorced former actor in a time when evangelicals didn't like Hollywood. So... how bad was this Carter guy that they didn't vote for him? Our special guest for this episode is historian and author Rick Perlstein. Sources: Today story on Carter's church Tampa Bay Times story on Carter's church Associated Press story on Carter's church Christianity Today article on Carter's 100th birthday Reaganland by Rick Perlstein Document the interview the Religious Right guys did Criswell ad Strom Thurmond ad Playboy Magazine, November 1976 Reagan: An American Journey by Bob Spitz White House Conference on Families: Listening to America's Families. Pamphlet God's Own Party by Daniel K Williams The Evangelicals by Frances Fitzgerald The Surprising Work of God by Garth Rosell Jimmy Carter Library interview with Robert Maddox Carter's speech to NAE (courtesy of Jimmy Carter Presidential Library) Discussion Questions: Why did some evangelicals so strongly oppose the ERA? What did you see in the Playboy article that might be construed as unappealing to Christians? If Reagan engaged in fortunetelling, why did some evangelicals follow him and not Carter? Why have evangelicals become enamored of leaders? What has that done to our witness? 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: 100

Truce - History of the Christian Church
Podcast Episodes
Leopold and Loeb | Christian Fundamentalism Series [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:03
Give to help Chris make Truce! Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were wealthy young men in the early 1920s. They lived in big homes in Chicago and had world-class educations. They were both pushed hard academically, and Ri…
Eugenics (Featuring Paul Lombardo) | Christian Fundamentalism Series [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:47
Eugenics. It's one of those words that gets thrown around these days, often by people accusing "the other side" of wrongdoing. But what is eugenics? I invited law professor Paul Lombardo, author of "Three Generations, No…
Christmas 2022 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:53
Truce will be back on January 10th! Chris is working through the whole break in order to prepare for his big presentation in front of his church. He's trying to get Truce fully funded for 2023. New episodes are already d…
Mr. Fundamentalist | Christian Fundamentalism Series [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:23
Love Truce? Donate to help Chris make the show! So far this season I've covered William Jennings Bryan, a man who enjoyed the nickname "Mr. Fundamentalist". But he wasn't really a fundamentalist. Experts point to another…
World War One I Christian Fundamentalism Series [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:02
Love Truce? Donate to help Chris make the show! Send checks to: Truce Media LLC PO Box 3434 Jackson, WY 83001 The modernish/ fundamentalist controversy was heating up in the early 1900s. Conservatives saw this coming a l…
Exciting News About the Future! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:06
Want to help Truce? Give via Venmo at: https://account.venmo.com/u/trucepodcast Help via Paypal Help via Patreon Pledge to help Truce Or support Truce via check by sending it to: Truce Media LLC PO Box 3434 Jackson, WY 8…
The Fundamentals | Christian Fundamentalism Series [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:07
Between 1910 and 1915 a collection of 90 essays was distributed by two wealthy oil magnates. These essays attempted to nail down the basics of the Christian faith and counteract the growing modernist movement. "The Funda…
The Scofield Reference Bible | Christian Fundamentalism Series [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:54
What kind of Bible do you have? Most of us would answer with the translation we carry. Maybe it's New Living, the King James, or the New International Version. I've heard plenty of conversations about translations in my…