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In 1977, the Congress of the United States allotted $5 million for the National Women's Conference. The money was intended to bring together women from around the country so that they could put together recommendations for the Congress and President. It would highlight women of color, and those minorities who were sometimes overlooked like Native American women. But there was conflict from its inception.
Liberal women, some of the same who turned NOW into a liberal group, took control. They did not want the far-right to participate, women like Phyllis Schlafly who had fought so hard to stall the ERA. This only made conservative women more bitter.
There was more fuel for the fire. Gay and lesbian rights were added to the discussion topics of the convention. That was a big deal in 1977 when conservative women rallied around Anita Bryant and her fight against equal rights for homosexuals in Miami, Florida. The Bible says that homosexuality is a sin, so some conservative religious people did not want to give homosexuals rights in the US. So for liberal women to incorporate a gay and lesbian plank into the National Women's Conference was a BIG deal. And a way to pick a fight with conservatives.
The battle ultimately led to conservatives hosting their own conference a few miles away. This gathering ultimately united the Religious Right and kicked off the Pro-Life, Pro-Family movement that we know today. How did women play a role in uniting evangelicals with the Republican Party?
Our guest today is Marjoie Spruill. She is the author of the fantastic book Divided We Stand. She is a distinguished professor emerita of history at the University of South Carolina.
Sources:
Divided We Stand by Marjorie Spruill
Reaganland by Rick Perlstein
The Evangelicals by Frances Fitzgerald
Anita Bryant's orange juice commercial
Phyllis Schlafly on PBS video
Former President Trump's eulogy for Phyllis Schlafly
Andy Warhol's cover art for Time Magazine of Bella Abzug
New York Times article about women swinging while their husbands were in Vietnam
"Revive Us Again" by Joel Carpenter
Discussion Questions:
What is your impression of Anita Bryant? Do you remember her?
What rights should homosexuals have in the United States? In the last episode about Phyllis Schlafly, we looked at conflicting opinions of what equal rights look like for women. Should they be treated the same as men or have equality plus protections? Let's transfer that question to homosexuals. Should they have equal rights, fewer rights, or equal rights plus protections?
Should women on the president's council have opened the National Women's Conference to women on the far right?
What do you think will happen once the conference is launched?
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Phyllis Schalfly was a remarkable woman. Regardless of your politics, you have to admire the impact that one person, who was never elected to office, could have on national political conversations. Schlafly was already part of the in-crowd in Washington when she took a stance against the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). She was an exercise in nuance herself-- a woman who fought for traditional views of women in society, while also earning a law degree and touring the nation on speaking tours. She had a family and held a prominent position in the national zeitgeist, even building on battles fought by Anita Bryant.
But who was Phyllis Schlafly? She was a Catholic woman, which is important because Catholics had long been the victims of prejudice in the United States. She was a mother, a popular speaker, publisher of The Phyllis Schlafly Report newsletter, and author of books like A Choice, Not An Echo, which was a conspiratorial screed about stealing elections. This lady knew how to turn a story. She ran for Congress in 1955 and again in 1970, losing both times.
Then in 1972, she learned about the ERA. The Equal Rights Amendment was first proposed by Alice Paul in 1923. The goal was to have men and women treated equally under the law. That means that women would no longer receive special protections either. So... a double-edged sword, right? Women in the 1960s and 70s still had a ways to go when it came to equality. It brought forth some big questions about how to achieve it.
Schlafly wanted to protect the protections. So she formed STOP ERA (Stop Taking Our Protections, ERA) to rally her followers against the ERA. This was a big twist because state after state had rushed to ratify the amendment. But once Phyllis got going, they applied the brakes and waited.
Schlafly may have single-handedly stopped an Amendment to the Constitution.
In this episode, we're going to learn about this dynamo. A woman who is both loved and hated. An intelligent woman, and someone who traded in falsities.
Our guests for this episode are Marjorie Spruill, author of Divided We Stand and Angie Maxwell, author of The Long Southern Strategy.
Important Sources:
Divided We Stand by Marjorie Spruill
The Long Southern Strategy by Angie Maxwell
Reaganland by Rick Perlstein
A helpful list of milestones in women's rights
Video of Esther Peterson
Video of Phyllis Schlafly talking about A Choice, Not An Echo on C-SPAN
A copy of Ladies, Have Ya' Heard? as mentioned in the episode
Illinois State Archives interview with Phyllis
An article from Time Magazine about the ERA's history
Britannica article about The Fairness Doctrine
Smithsonian article about Phyllis Schlafly
Discussion Questions:
What do you think about legal protections for women? Are you an Esther, an Alice, or a Phyllis?
The ERA is really short. Do you think it should be more specific to clarify its position?
How have you seen sexism? How has it impacted your life?
Have you seen women treated well in the workplace? What made the difference?
Are stay-at-home mothers respected in our society? If not, what can you and your church do to support them?
What are your impressions of Phyllis?
Are you okay with people using conspiracy theories to bolster their followings?
We've spent a fair bit of time this season talking about parachurch organizations. What are your thoughts on them?
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RJ Rushdoony is not a household name. But he influenced a lot of interesting people, from members of the New Right to the Christian homeschooling movement. His books and lectures inspired people to pull their kids out of public schools and teach them at home. But who was RJ Rushdoony?
He was deeply impacted by his time doing missionary work on a Native American reservation. There he saw how difficult it was to get anything done and to give people proper access to their government. He went on to work with libertarian organizations like Spiritual Mobilization and the Volker Fund. His mentor Cornelius Van Til taught him to see the triad of government, church, and family in a new way. In Rushdoony's mind, those three spheres should not interfere with each other. BUT, he did want Christians to run the government. Instead of doing a top-down change, he wanted change to begin with families, then rise to the church, eventually taking over the political sphere.
Howard Phillips, one of the founders of the New Right, was a disciple of Rushdoony. So was his son, Doug Phillips, who founded the homeschooling movement known as Vision Forum. In this episode, Chris interviews Paul Hastings of the Compelled podcast about how they met at a Vision Forum film festival.
The special guest for today is Michael McVicar, author of "Christian Reconstruction: R.J. Rushdoony and American Religious Conservatism."
Sources:
Christian Reconstruction: R.J. Rushdoony and American Religious Conservatism by Michael McVicar
Reaganland by Rick Perlstein
The Evangelicals by Frances Fitzgerald
Helpful article about libertarian philosophy
One Nation Under God by Kevin Kruse
Discussion Questions:
How do you think Rushdoony was impacted by his experiences on the reservation?
What is libertarianism? What do you think about it?
In what ways have you seen libertarianism presented in evangelical culture?
What did Rushdoony think about public schools? How was this a departure from progressive-era Christian thinkers?
How does Christian homeschooling differ from other forms of homeschooling?
Why did homeschooling take off in the 1980s and 1990s?
What role, if any, should Christians play in public schools?
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In 1974, Alice Moore was a member of the school board in Kanawha County, West Virginia. The board met to hear the recommendations of the textbook committee and approve them. But Alice protested when she read a portion from the Autobiography of Malcolm X, which thanked Allah for preventing Malcolm X from being a black Christian. From there they uncovered a number of potentially offensive texts, some because of language, others because of discussions of rape. Race was likely a factor as well, though Moore denied it.
Local pastors decried what they saw as secularism and humanism creeping into public schools. Parents blocked school buses, and others kept their children at home. Soon, there were fights, and dynamite was used to blow up school buildings. What started as a disagreement over books erupted into an all-out war. One that echoed in other parts of the country at the same time as families wrestled with changes in education.
Sources:
"The Great Textbook Wars" - award-winning documentary on the battle
"The Invisible Bridge" by Rick Perlstein
"Soul on Ice" by Eldrige Cleaver (archive.org)
"Androcles and the Lion" by Aesop
Texas Monthly article about the Gablers
Video of the Gablers talking to William F Buckley on "Firing Line"
The New York Times article about schools closed in WV
The New York Times article about the textbook war
Radio interview about the John Birch Society
Discussion Questions:
Had you heard of the textbook war before?
What did you think of the passage from "Soul on Ice"? Should it be read by senior students headed for college? What about other students?
Who should decide what gets taught in local school districts? How about nationally?
How did Alice Moore and others act appropriately? How about inappropriately?
The KKK and John Birch Society show up a few times this season, often opportunistically. Does their appearance automatically smear all participants as racist?
What else was going on in 1974 that could have escalated the panic of the era?
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Something had to be done. The Great Depression meant the loss of a vast number of jobs and left families waiting on bread lines. Economists like John Meynard Keynes puzzled over what to do. President Hoover took a laissez-faire approach to the catastrophe, only to have matters get worse. Then Franklin D. Roosevelt came into office and his administration kicked The New Deal into gear. It was a program that offered diverse aid to citizens from protections for money in banks to homeowner assistance.
Many Christian leaders came to hate the New Deal, especially libertarians. Their opposition to the New Deal as creeping socialism sparked the National Prayer Breakfast, some of Billy Graham's speeches, and the bonding of capitalism to Christianity and the US. So we should probably know what the New Deal was!
Our guest on this episode is Justin Rosolino. He's a high school history teacher and the author of the book "Idiot Sojourning Soul".
You can find pictures of Chris' 50-mile New Deal Bike Tour on the website at www.trucepodcast.com.
Helpful Links:
FDR's Inauguration Speech on C-SPAN
Interesting YouTube video about the causes of the Great Depression
Topics Discussed:
What was the Social Gospel?
Who was Franklin Roosevelt?
What was the New Deal?
The Civilian Conservation Corp
The Works Progress Administration
Jenny Lake - Grand Teton National Park
Unemployment
Discussion Questions:
Why do some people dislike the New Deal?
Which of the programs most impacts you?
What do you think of the New Deal? Was it a form of socialism?
Do you think there will ever be another New Deal in the US?
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In 1955, the Board of Regents for New York issued an optional prayer to be used in public schools. It became known as the "Regent's Prayer". Here it is: "“Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our Country.” That short prayer was contested not only by non-religious people but also by Protestants who thought that it was too vague. What God is it talking about? Where is the mention of Jesus or the Holy Spirit, salvation, sin, grace, etc.?
With help from the ACLU, parents sued and the case made it all the way to the US Supreme Court. It was known as Engle v. Vitale. It overturned prescribed prayer in schools. In this episode, Chris goes through the arguments the court and Justice Hugo Black made during this landmark decision. A year later, the Court heard Abington School District v. Schempp, which ended prescribed Bible reading in public schools.
This season we're covering how American evangelicals bonded themselves with the Republican Party. There are a lot of reasons that evangelicals started to vote as a block in the late 70s and early 1980s. They range from women's liberation, changes in attitude toward taxation, and battles over gay and lesbian rights, to education. This is part of our coverage of the education section. This episode has been rewritten and recorded, updating an episode from season 3.
Sources:
"One Nation Under God" by Kevin Kruse
Transcript of Abington School District v Schempp
Census data about public and private schools
Transcript and audio of Engel v Vitale
Discussion Questions:
Did you ever pray in school? What did you pray?
Did you ever read the Bible in school?
Is there an "ideal" prayer that should be read in schools? If so, what is it? What objections might parents have?
Is it important for school children to learn about religions in school?
Do you agree or disagree with Justice Hugo Black?
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It seems like so many people define their faith by what they believe about Donald Trump. How can godly Christians return to the gospel to get us back on track?
In this round table discussion episode, Chris is joined by Pastor Ray McDaniel of First Baptist Church in Jackson, WY and Nick Staron to prepare us for the season.
Topics Discussed:
What is Christianity?
The importance of forgiveness and going to those who are angry with us
Why it is important to cover things like the Watergate scandals of the 1970s in a Christian podcast
The need for humility in our lives
The gospel in 10 words or less
Do you have a gospel message in 10 words or less? Find Truce on social media and let us know!
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When did Republicans, the party of Abraham Lincoln, start courting the American South? It's a big question! For decades, Republicans were known as the party that helped black people (except, you know, for ending Reconstruction to help gain the White House). Then, with the nomination of Barry Goldwater, the tide turned. Goldwater's team promoted him as a racist when he toured the South. And... he won some ground in the traditionally Democratic region.
So when it came time for Richard Nixon to run in 1968, his team decided to court the South. Not out in public like Goldwater had. Instead, they decided to operate a campaign of "benign neglect" where they would not enforce existing laws meant to protect African-Americans.
Our special guest this week is Angie Maxwell, author of The Long Southern Strategy.
Discussion Questions:
What caused the rift in the Democratic Party that made Strom Thurmond leave (hint: it has to do with Truman)?
What was the Democratic Party like before Truman?
What influence did Strom Thurmond have on Nixon?
Who was Barry Goldwater? How did he change the Republican Party by courting white Southerners?
How might the idea of the South being "benighted" impact them as a people?
Why do so many evangelicals see themselves as "benighted"?
Sources:
"The Long Southern Strategy" by Angie Maxwell and Todd Shields.
"Reaganland" by Rick Perlstein
YouTube clip of Nixon not wanting "Law and Order" to mean "racist"
Nixon talking about "law and order" in a speech
Nixon's campaign ad about protests and tear gas
Article about Nelson Rockefeller
Nixon's civil rights ad
Helpful Time Magazine article
"These Truths" book by Jill Lepore
Bio on Strom Thurmond
Article about Reconstruction
"The Evangelicals" book by Frances Fitzgerald
Truman's speech to the NAACP
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Billy Graham, the famous evangelist, was good friends with Richard Nixon. The two played golf and gave each other advice. Graham was the person who encouraged Nixon to run for president a second time. He also encouraged Nixon to regularly attend church, so Nixon started the first regular church service in the White House, only to make it another "it" place to be seen. But when Nixon's crimes were made public, Graham continued to support him, commenting only on the strong language used by the president.
What does it mean for Christian leaders to stand behind a corrupt president? In this episode, Chris interviews David Bruce, a historian at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
NOTE: I thought it was especially important to outline the many crimes of the Nixon administration. Today these crimes are downplayed by bad actors wishing to rewrite history. It is important to emphasize that not only were there immoral acts of shenanigans, there were real crimes perpetrated against individuals, organizations, and the American people.
Sources
"The Surprising Work of God" by Garth M. Rosell
An article from The Atlantic about the Pope and Mussolini
"The Popes Against the Protestants" by Kevin Madigan
NPR interview with Kevin Madigan
"A Prophet With Honor" book by William Martin
"The Invisible Bridge" by Rick Perlstein
"The Evangelicals" by Frances Fitzgerald
"The Failure and the Hope: Essays of Southern Churchmen" book of essays accessed on Google Books
New York Times article about how the Watergate break-in was financed
Pat Buchanan hearings during the Watergate investigation
Frost/Nixon transcript
Discussion Questions:
Was Billy Graham being a good friend by supporting Nixon after Watergate?
Should religious leaders maintain a certain amount of distance between themselves and people of power?
Why do we like to see our governmental leaders as religious people?
Was Nixon's church service in the Whitehouse wrong to be a gathering place of the rich and famous?
How bad was the Watergate break-in? How does it change your mind about Nixon to know about the other criminal activity?
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Harold Ockenga was a famous fundamentalist(ish) pastor from Boston. And he had a problem. Liberal Christians had the ear of the government. That meant that military chaplain positions and free radio time were going to liberals, not conservatives. Why shouldn't conservatives have access to the radio waves like theologically liberal Christians? But that would take unity among evangelicals, or, what he called neo-evangelicals.
Neo-evangelicals were evangelicals who didn't separate from the world. In Ockenga's case, this meant maybe going to the movies or an opera. So he, along with other preachers like Billy Graham, founded the National Association of Evangelicals with the hope of uniting neo-evangelicals under one banner.
It didn't work.
The real story, though, sometimes gets lost. The was a big boom in evangelism in the 1940s as WWII wrapped up. Evangelists targeted the youth with organizations like Campus Crusade for Christ springing up left and right. This boom meant that churches swelled in the 1950s, only to begin their long slide a few decades later.
In this episode, Chris speaks with Joel Carpenter, a senior research fellow at Calvin College and author of "Revive Us Again".
Resources Used:
"Revive Us Again" by Joel Carpenter
"The Evangelicals" by Frances Fitzgerald
"The Surprising Work of God" by Garth Rosell
"Reaganland" by Rick Perlstein
NPS article about the Bonus Army
“After the Ivory Tower Falls” book by Will Bunch
Billy Graham audio
National Association of Evangelicals "The New Treason"
Interviews from Harold Ockenga at Wheaton College
Discussion Questions:
What spurred the revivals of the 1940s?
How has youth evangelism shaped American society?
Why is it important to understand the role that cheap higher education played in shaping the 1960s?
Why did neo-evangelicals feel that they needed access to the radio waves?
Is unity important to the Christian walk?
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Thomas McIntyre stood before the US Congress to deliver a moving speech. The man was being hounded by a fringe movement known as the New Right. The movement came from the work of men like Paul Weyrich, Howard Phillips, and Richard Viguerie. Their goal was to disrupt the Republican Party. They wanted to do away with much of the federal government and program to help the poor while simultaneously cutting taxes and increasing the military. They hoped to accomplish this by controlling direct mail. Direct mail! It sounds silly, but by inundating voters and congressional offices with bulk mail they could control the story.
Men like McIntyre and Senator Mark Hatfield didn't know what to do with this influx of petty politics. Someone had even gone so far as to question Hatfield's Christian salvation just because of how we was going to vote on the Panama Canal treaty. What does giving the Panama Canal back to Panama have to do with salvation? Almost nothing.
Today, we're going to explore this wacky phenomenon where we call something "Christian" or "biblical" if it fits out politics not if it is addressed in the Bible. How are we being manipulated by propaganda like this? And what can we do about it?
Discussion Questions:
Was the United States responsible in its claiming the Panama Canal as a territory?
Are there things in your life that you mix with Christianity?
How have your politics gotten confused with your faith?
Does the Bible have anything to say on the Panama Canal treaty?
Sources:
"Reaganland" book by Rick Perlstein
Handy article on the history of the Panama Canal
Congressional record including the speeches
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In this special bonus episode, Truce host Chris Staron walks you through a day in the life of a podcast host. He works about 11 hours per day between this show and his full-time job driving a school bus. Imagine what he could do if he were doing this show full-time!!!!
Chris has worked on Truce for 6 1/2 years and is ready to make the show his main focus. We could make that happen if every listener gave $15 per year!
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Season six is almost here! This season we're exploring the backstory of why so many evangelicals turned to the Republican Party in the 1970s and 80s. It's a huge story that involves murder, corruption, greed, taxes, school choice, racism, and a lot of big questions. Special guests include Rick Perlstein, Frances Fitzgerald, Marjorie Spruill, Jesse Eisinger, and so many more.
Subscribe to Truce wherever you get your podcasts, or listen at trucepodcast.com
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Season six is coming along nicely! I'm super busy trying to get it all put together before I start releasing episodes. But I want to also make everyone aware that I'm looking for more advertisers for the show. Want to participate? Visit www.trucepodcast.com/advertise to get started!
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Joseph McCarthy was an unexceptional junior congressman from Wisconsin. He grew up brawling in the streets, playing cards, and embellishing his stories. Then, during a Lincoln Day address in 1950, Joseph McCarthy told an audience that he had a list of 205 communists working in the government. Within days, he was a household name.
McCarthy started "investigating" suspected communists in the American government, focusing on the US State Department. Along the way, he brought in a young lawyer named Roy Cohn. Cohn was already known for his work sending Julius and Ethel Rosenberg to the electric chair. Now, he and McCarthy bullied and cajoled during private hearings. Being labeled a communist, or even a suspected communist could ruin a person's career. People committed suicide rather than face their scrutiny.
Their reign lasted four years, ending in the televised broadcasts of the Army-McCarthy hearings in which a lawyer asked if McCarthy had any decency. That was pretty much it for McCarthy. But Roy Cohn went on to have a well-connected career, providing legal services for the mob and Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox News. He also became a mentor to a young real estate mogul named Donald Trump. Famous people like Andy Warhol attended his birthday party at Studio 54. Cohn died of AIDS, something that was killing gay men rapidly in the 1980s, though he denied he ever had it.
This is the story of two men allowed to prey on the fears of the American people for their own gain. One fell hard, the other found himself fighting against his own people.
In this episode, Chris interviews Larry Tye, author of the book "Demagogue". He's also the author of "Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend" and "Bobby Kennedy: The Making of a Liberal Icon".
Sources:
"Demagogue" by Larry Tye
Helpful article about the Rosenbergs
Article about Klaus Fuchs
McCarthy's speech in Wheeling, WV
New York Times, February 23, 1954. Pages 16-17 “Transcript of General Zwicker's Testimony Before the McCarthy Senate Subcommittee”
Video from Army-McCarthy hearings (forward to the last 20 minutes if you want to jump to the stuff I used)
The guest list for Roy Cohn's birthday at Studio 54
Discussion Questions:
Why do we love demagogues?
Who are other demagogues in American history?
The threat of communists in the government in the 1950s is sometimes downplayed. Do you think it was a real concern?
McCarthy ran for Congress in an illegal way while still in the Marines. How do you feel about that?
Roy Cohn sometimes went against his own people, claiming that gay people did not deserve equal rights. What might have been his motivation?
Do you see any crossover between McCarthy, Cohn, and Donald Trump?
Cohn died of AIDs in the 1980s when the disease was at its peak. Why might he have wanted to keep his illness a secret?
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The Love Thy Neighborhood podcast is really well produced. But they also take deep dives into some of the things going on in modern Christianity that I can't cover on Truce. They are a good supplement to the stuff we cover on this feed. So we thought... why not share each other's show?
In this bonus episode, you'll hear Chris talking with Anna Tran and Jesse Eubanks about their episode "Where the Gospel Meets Artificial Intelligence". It is a look into the ways in which AI may someday try to gain ground in the spiritual realm. Also, they do an interview with TikTok evangelist York Moore who uses that medium to share the gospel. I was especially interested in the ways in which AI chatbots are building false relationships with people, taking the place of human interactions.
They cover a lot of ground! Let them know that you heard about their show from the Truce Podcast!
Season six starts in just a few months, but I will be launching a bonus episode in a few weeks. Subscribe so you get every new episode as it's released.
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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 you.
God willing, season 6 will drop in the fall or early winter of 2023.
Like, subscribe, sign up for the email list, and remember the show in your prayers!
Godspeed!
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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 in Christian books. So often. But it almost always refers to the fear one person has in their heart. In reality, it is a comment on collective fear. The Great Depression started in 1929 and was exacerbated by a bank run in which Americans lost faith in the value of our currency and the banking systems.
That is an important distinction. FDR's speech is about collective fear. As I've contemplated the modernist/fundamentalist debate this season, I keep returning to the idea of fear, not in the US economy but in God's economy. He commands us to love the Lord, keep His commands, love our neighbors, turn the other cheek, and give to those who ask of us. Why do we forget to do this important work? Could it be because we've lost faith in God's economy?
This episode features a clip from my discussion with Jacob Goldstein, former host of NPR's Planet Money podcast and the current host of Pushkin's What's Your Problem? podcast. His book is Money: The True Story of a Made-up Thing.
Select Sources
FDR's Inaugural Address
Jacob Goldstein's Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing
Movie: It's a Wonderful Life
Discussion Questions:
Why does it matter that FDR's quote "...the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" is a collective statement and not one about individual fear?
What are some identifying features of God's economy?
Do you trust in the way that God tells us to do things?
When was the last time you prayed for someone who you don't like?
Do you believe in turning the other cheek?
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"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 know that we are called to live righteous lives. Are we people of the ends, or should we be known as a people of the means?
Chris is joined this week by Pastor Ray McDaniel of First Baptist Church in Jackson, WY, and his twin brother Nick Staron to discuss this important issue.
Discussion Questions:
What does "the ends justify the means" mean?
How have you seen that philosophy played out?
Is that something you believe?
How would things change if we focused more on the way we do things instead of our goals?
How have fundamentalists justified their goals with poor behavior? How have modernists?
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