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The episode begins with a role play of a teacher presenting a history lesson right out of the Christian nationalist playbook. Mrs. Johnson's students try to help her with questions but she doesn't take the help. Her disinformation campaign continues until slavery comes up and then the lesson abruptly ends. Could this happen? A better question is, what do we do now that it is happening in some schools around the nation?

If you have read the book The Christian Past That Wasn't or been following along with the podcast this season, you should be able to recognize the historical errors in Mrs. Johnson's presentation to her class.

In this segment, I present another excerpt from the Texas State Board of Education which illustrates how Christian nationalist disinformation permeates opposition to public education. In this scenario a parent brings in David Barton's discredited book, The Jefferson Lies, as an authority and refuses to address a challenge to it. The parent appears not to know the book was pulled from publication due to historical errors.

There is a long history of conflict in public schools over religious differences. However, if religion is kept out of public education, this conflict could be avoided. A robust doctrine of separation of church and state is beneficial for public schools and should be enforced.

Written, produced, and hosted by Warren Throckmorton

Classroom simulation acted out by Debbie Throckmorton and the grandchildren

Music by Jonathan Swaim, Jonas Fair, and Dustin Blatnik

For more information about Getting Jefferson Right go to https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Jefferson-Right-Fact-Checking-Claims/dp/B0DT9H7MTC

For more information about The Christian Past That Wasn't go to www.christianpast.com

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This is an opportunity to observe whitewashing as it happened. The Texas State Board of Education has been revising social studies standards for students in K-12. One member wanted to remove a description of why Ruby Bridges was special in civil rights history. As the first Black child to enter an all-white school in the American South, Bridges helped open doors that are still opening.

In this segment, I provide audio of the Board meeting which demonstrates the majority efforts to push aside minority concerns about the contribution of Bridges and representation in an accurate history. One of the board members who helped lead the successful effort to keep Bridges in the standards, Staci Childs Davis, joins me to talk about the meeting and her reactions to it.

In the second half of this segment, I critique Donald Trump's patriotic education initiative and speak to Jemar Tisby about whitewashing on a national scale as we move through the 250th birthday of the nation. This segment is a highlight of the season.

Produced, written, and hosted by Warren Throckmorton

Music by Jonas Fair and Netop

"James Baldwin was right about patriotism" by Jemar Tisby https://jemartisby.substack.com/p/james-baldwin-was-right-about-patriotism

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The claim that the Declaration of Independence was based on the Bible is common among those who believe America was founded as a Christian nation. Recently, Tim and David Barton are promoting the idea that the exact wording of parts of the Declaration was taken from sermons delivered in the early 1700s by Congregationalist preacher John Wise. They add that Cornell University history professor Clinton Rossiter taught that Wise influenced the American struggle for independence. This is supposed to bolster their argument about the Christian basis for the Declaration of Independence.

In this segment, I assert that the exact language of the Declaration is not in Wise's essays, nor does Rossiter say Wise was critical to American independence. A review of the primary sources shows that the Bartons' claims are false. This leads to a discussion of why the Bartons assert such easily disproved falsehoods.

Produced, written, and hosted by Warren Throckmorton

Music by Netop, Jonas Fair, and Dustin Blatnik

For more information about the book, The Christian Past That Wasn't, go to www.christianpast.com.

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Randall Balmer joins me for remarks about why he believes America is not a Christian nation and why separation of church and state is the American way. This is the topic of chapter 6 in my new book The Christian Past That Wasn't. In the book, I cover the topics in this segment as well as the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists, The Church of the Holy Trinity v. the United States, and the views of James Madison. Christian nationalists have significantly distorted the history in this area to reframe and redefine separation of church and state. I go to the primary sources to show readers what the framers said about this important principle.

To purchase or learn more about The Christian Past That Wasn't, go to www.christianpast.com.

Written, produced, and hosted by Warren Throckmorton

Music provided by Roman Candle, Jonathan Swaim, and Netop.

For a playlist of music used on the podcast, see this link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6jP94UmS5sCwoB4Ex3ini9?si=0C7Woza2QRaKrIsvvJ_l7g

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During the America 250 celebration, the Trump administration has partnered with Hillsdale College to produce various educational resources to promote a view of America's founding which is slanted toward Christian nationalism. In this segment, I take on Mark David Hall's video on the faith of the founders. You can watch it on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5J4S5LPeWM.

This segment thematically corresponds to chapter 5 in my book The Christian Past That Wasn't (christianpast.com). There is material in the podcast not in the book and much more material in the book than in the podcast.

In today's segment I have help from Gregg Frazer, Dean of humanities at The Master's University, Greg Forster, professor of theology at Trinity Divinity School and Michael Coulter, professor of political science and humanities at Grove City College.

In the video, it is important to point out that Hall speaks about the time of the founding as if African slaves and Indigenous people were not in the United States. I don't mention it either in the podcast episode, but I plan to do so when I get to the relavant chapter in the book.

The music today is provided by Netop. You can stream these tracks in full by going to https://artists.landr.com/991043708780.

Written, produced, and hosted by Warren Throckmorton

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Chapter 4 of The Christian Past That Wasn't takes up the question of this episode. This episode cites the book and expands on it as well. In sum, I take the position that the experience of colonial and state governments are historically interesting but not directly relevant to our secular system of Constitutional government. What the framers did in the Constitutional Convention is what is relevant. In the book, I fact check claims about what the states required for office holders and I examine the ways different states handled church and state relationships.

There was the Williams Way (Rhode Island and to some degree the mid-Atlantic states) and the Winthrop Way (Massachusetts and everybody else).

This is not to say that America is a secular nation culturally speaking. If anything, the nation became more culturally Christian after the founders passed from the scene. One of the reasons the founding era was reframed as a Christian founding was due to the heavy influence of Christianity in the expanding nation.

Produced, written, and hosted by Warren Throckmorton

Slippery Rock University history professor Aaron Cowan and Dartmouth College religion professor Randall Balmer make appearances in this episode.

Music by Jonas Fair, Jeremiah Lawson, and Netop.

Netop is the name for my instrumental music project. Learn more about it at https://salemgrovepress.com/netop.

Book ordering options at www.christianpast.com.

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Today is the official publication date of The Christian Past That Wasn't: Debunking the Christian Nationalist Myths That Hijack History. Although it has been available for a couple of weeks at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, today it goes on sale everywhere. This segment continues to be guided by the contents of the book. Today, I focus on the first myth: America is a covenant homeland for European Protestants. The claims are persistent on this one and it undergirds most of the rest of the myths.

In this segment, I discuss clips of VP JD Vance, Eric Metaxas, and Sen. Josh Hawley making various covenant oriented claims.

Produced and written by Warren Throckmorton

Book website: www.christianpast.com

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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