The Battle for the Presbyterian Soul | Christian Fundamentalism Series

The Battle for the Presbyterian Soul | Christian Fundamentalism Series

Author: Chris Staron December 6, 2022 Duration: 27:08
Love Truce? Donate to help Chris make the show! Harry Emerson Fosdick had a certain reputation. He was the theological "bad boy" of modernist theology when he stood at a lectern in the 1920s and delivered his famous sermon "Shall the Fundamentalists Win?". He was in New York City. One preacher, preaching one sermon. But this one talk spread all over the country and created real upset. Could modernist theology win in the Northern Presbyterian denomination? J. Grescham Machen didn't think it should. He was a fundamentalist and wrote in response to Fosdick's sermon. But how does one keep out heresy? The fundamentalists decided to call in a big-name Christian celebrity -- William Jennings Bryan. He was on a cross-country crusade to stop the teaching of evolution in public schools. Not because he didn't believe in science. He did. The problem that Bryan saw with teaching evolution in school was the cruelty that humanity would express if they believed they were nothing more than animals. The battle between liberal and conservative Christians was a public one. William Jennings Bryan and Harry Emerson Fosdick wrote competing articles in The New York Times. Would it cause a split in the Northern Presbyterian denomination? Sources for this episode: "Fundamentalism and American Culture" by George Marsden "The Evangelicals" by Frances Fitzgerald "A Godly Hero" by Michael Kazin Articles about Fosdick on Christianity Today and the Gospel Coalition Fosdick's sermon Machen's response Westminster Confession of Faith Discussion Questions: What do you think are the basic beliefs required to call something "Christianity"? What if someone does not believe those things but still calls themselves a Christian? Does it matter when people try to use a word to describe themselves that does not apply to them? What is to be our response when we encounter someone who spreads false doctrine? 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
Season 6 Update [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:10
Season 5 of the Truce Podcast was a blast! I'm hard at work on season 6, which will discuss how American evangelicals got tied to the Republican Party. It is already coming together so well! I can't wait to share it with…
Takeaway #5 - The Only Thing We Have to Fear [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:45
Give to support the Truce Podcast On March 4, 1933, FDR delivered his inaugural address. In it, he used the phrase "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself". I did a little searching and this phrase is used a LOT i…
Takeaway #4 - We Are A People of the Means [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:14
Love Truce? Give a little to help support the show! "The ends justify the means" is a phrase we hear occasionally. Often it is used to justify bad behavior, so long as it creates a profitable outcome. But we Christians k…
Takeaway #3 - The Great Divorce [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:43
Give a little to help Chris continue to make Truce! In 1945, C.S. Lewis published his excellent book "The Great Divorce". It happens to be one of my favorite books. It has many themes, the biggest of which is that there…
Takeaway #2 - Extremes Lead to Extremes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:39
In the fall of 1814, the powers of Europe gathered together to discuss what to do with the continent after the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon had changed a lot in his time in power! He cowed the Roman Catholic Church, ended s…
Takeaway #1 - How Should We Deal With Heretics? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:58
Donate to help Chris make Truce! The first-century Christian Church had a lot going on. Their Savior died and was resurrected, sending the Holy Spirit and leaving them with the command to take this new message to all tri…
Inherit the Wind | Christian Fundamentalism Series [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:01
US Senator Joseph McCarthy unleashed an era of suspicion on the American people as he went looking for communists. His trials, both public and behind closed doors, focused on the government as well as Hollywood and the A…
The Scopes "Monkey" Trial Part Two | Christian Fundamentalism Series [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:24
Love Truce?? Donate to keep the show going! The trial was basically over. The prosecution won. John Scopes was moments away from being convicted of teaching evolution in Dayton, Tennessee. The ACLU and the prosecution ha…
The Scopes "Monkey" Trial Part One | Christian Fundamentalism Series [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:38
Give to help Chris do Truce full time! Tennessee was the first state in the United States to crack down hard on the teaching of evolution in public schools. Others had dabbled, but Tennessee went all the way. The ACLU wa…