The Christian Past That Wasn't: Formerly Telling Jefferson Lies cover art

The Christian Past That Wasn't: Formerly Telling Jefferson Lies

The Christian Past That Wasn't: Formerly Telling Jefferson Lies

By: Warren Throckmorton
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Summary

Season Three began April 28. I am renaming the podcast The Christian Past That Wasn't to be consistent with the forthcoming book from Broadleaf Books, The Christian Past That Wasn't: Debunking the Christian Nationalist Myths That Hijack History. This is so much more than a fact-checking book; it critiques the entire Christian nationalist project and misuse of history for political gain. Consistent with the first two seasons of this podcast, The Christian Past That Wasn't demonstrates that separation of church and state was the intention of the framers of the charter documents. We would be so much better off if we stayed true to separation of church and state in the US.


Podcast summary:

Telling Jefferson Lies chronicles how history can be hijacked for ideological and political purposes, as well as a much broader story about the surge of Christian nationalism and the misuse of history which often goes along with it. The series begins in season one with an in-depth consideration of the methods of Christian nationalist story teller David Barton. Then I tell the story of how his book on Jefferson was pulled from publication in 2012 and the response of evangelicals to that rare event. From there, I broaden the scope to examine the varieties of Christian nationalism and the negative consequences of this way of thinking about church and state. The last segment examines the reasons why the separation of church and state is good history, good civics, and good religion.


Season two consists of interviews with experts on Christian nationalism and the effects of religious liberty on church and state.

For more information, go to http://www.gettingjeffersonright.com and http://www.christianpast.com.

© 2026 Warren Throckmorton World
Episodes
  • Evidence the American System Was Not Founded on Christianity - Bonus Episode

    Evidence the American System Was Not Founded on Christianity - Bonus Episode
    May 14 2026

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    America as we celebrate it today was founded in stages. Independence came via the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War. Our current system of government came later via the Constitutional Convention in 1787. In this short episode, I focus on the system created by the Constitution as amended by the Bill of Rights.

    For more information see www.Christianpast.com.

    Written and produced by Warren Throckmorton
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    5 mins
  • What Draws People to Christian Nationalism? An Interview with Jeremie Beller

    What Draws People to Christian Nationalism? An Interview with Jeremie Beller
    May 12 2026

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    In my book The Christian Past That Wasn't (Broadleaf Books), I spend two chapters on the factors that make Christian nationalism attractive. In this segment, I interview Dean of Oklahoma Christian University's College of Bible, Jeremie Beller on the subject of terror management. This theory provides a powerful, research-based account of what makes nationalism attractive to people. Jeremie's theological expertise provides a novel perspective on the application of terror management to Christian nationalism.

    I go into this topic in depth in chapter one of the new book. Chapter two discusses the role of deception by Christian organizations and how ingroup bias keeps people loyal to the overall group goals despite the deception.

    To order the book go to www.christianpast.com.

    Written, produced, and hosted by Warren Throckmorton
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    38 mins
  • The Christian Past That Wasn't - An Origin Story

    The Christian Past That Wasn't - An Origin Story
    May 5 2026

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    Why did I write The Christian Past That Wasn't? Answering that question requires me to revisit season one of the podcast and reflect on the rise of Christian nationalism in the African nation of Uganda in 2009. More recently, my work in fact-checking started with a pundit named Bryan Fischer who once broadcast on the American Family Association radio network. As I contended with Fischer, I found out that most of his material came from David Barton. Ultimately, my views changed from an inconsistent combination of Baptist distinctives and American civil religion to where I am today -- a strong supporter of separation of church and state. I wrote the new book to shed light on the heritage of religious tolerance and pluralism in the United States.

    You can now order the book at Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Other options can be found at http://www.christianpast.com.

    Music by Roman Candle and Earl's Taco Shack

    Written, produced, and hosted by Warren Throckmorton

    Journalist Jonathan Larson makes an appearance via the replay of season 1, episode 11.
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    25 mins
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