Truce - History of the Christian Church

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Ronald Reagan was an odd choice for evangelicals. For one, he and his wife regularly consulted a medium. He was a Hollywood actor, which should have put him at odds with fundamentalists. Also, Christians have a long history of charity and compassion, while Reagan's policies cut aid to poor people. But in 1980, a lot of evangelicals turned to the Republican Party to vote for him over the evangelical Jimmy Carter. What happened?

Jimmy Carter gave audience to evangelical audiences, though not in the same way as Reagan. Carter told people to conserve, while Reagan's optimistic consumerism played to the rising prosperity gospel. Reagan delivered his famous endorsement of evangelicals at the Religious Roundtable, while Carter was suspiciously absent. Also, evangelicals have built up a strong craving for leaders. They love a strongman leader. So when Reagan showed up and promised to be tough, they went for him.

Today, we're examining some of the reasons that Reagan became a favorite of evangelicals. And why... maybe that doesn't make sense.

Sources:


Article on shibboleths


Reaganland by Rick Perlstein


The Invisible Bridge by Rick Perlstein


The Evangelicals by Frances Fitzgerald


A Prophet With Honor by William Martin


James Robison's speech at the Religious Roundtable

1980 GOP Platform

Reagan's GOP acceptance speech in 1980

Reagan's inauguration speech

Discussion Questions:

What is a shibboleth?

How do you test if someone is really a Christian? What if they're a politician? Does it matter?

Why did Reagan seem like an unlikely match for evangelicals?

How did Reagan impress evangelicals?

What did this make you think about James Robison?

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Before he became president, Reagan was the head of the Screen Actors' Guild. When it came down to backing his followers or helping big business, he chose business. The same was true when he fought air traffic controllers. In this way, you can see the influence of Ayn Rand.

Reagan grew up as a poor kid, but he later became a famous radio star and movie icon. When his star faded, he became a political guest speaker and found a new path forward.

In this episode, we're going to better understand the groundwork for the Reagan presidency. Our special guest is historian and author Rick Perlstein.

Sources:


Reagan: An American Journey by Bob Spitz

US v. Paramount Pictures from Justia


article from the Reagan library


Reagan: His Life and Legend by Max Boot


The Invisible Bridge and Reaganland by Rick Perlstein

CNN article on Paul Manafort

Reagan's speech at the Neshoba County Fair

NPR article on the infamous "welfare queen"

Discussion Questions:

Why is it valuable to understand Reagan's role in messing with his union?

How did his treatment of his union parallel that of his actions against air traffic controllers?

What do you think of Reagan and his legacy?

Why have some Republicans lifted him up as the ultimate conservative?

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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?

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President Jimmy Carter's presidency (1977–1981) faced several major challenges, both domestically and internationally. One of the biggest domestic issues was the struggling U.S. economy. Carter inherited high inflation and unemployment, problems that worsened during his term. The country experienced "stagflation" — a combination of stagnant economic growth and high inflation. The energy crisis, marked by oil shortages and skyrocketing gas prices, further fueled economic instability. Though Carter promoted energy conservation and alternative energy development, many Americans viewed his efforts as inadequate or overly pessimistic.

Internationally, Carter faced major challenges in foreign policy. One of the most significant was the Iran Hostage Crisis, which began in November 1979 when 52 American diplomats and citizens were taken hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. The crisis lasted 444 days and was a major blow to Carter’s administration, especially after a failed rescue attempt. It deeply affected U.S. relations with Iran and damaged public confidence in Carter’s leadership. Though Carter did achieve a major diplomatic success with the Camp David Accords — a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel — the Iran Hostage Crisis ultimately overshadowed much of his foreign policy work.

Another major issue during Carter’s presidency was a perceived lack of effective leadership. Carter, known for his integrity and moral outlook, struggled to build strong relationships with Congress and the media. He often took a technocratic, detail-oriented approach to governing, which alienated many political allies. Critics saw his administration as indecisive and overly focused on long-term goals rather than immediate results. These perceptions contributed to a loss of public confidence and were a key factor in his defeat by Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election.

The special guest for this episode is historian and author Rick Perlstein.

Sources:

Phyllis Schlafly's debate with Buckley


Reaganland by Rick Perlstein


Slate story on Chisholm


Video showing Carter's opposition to integrated busing


Reagan by Bob Spitz


The Invisible Bridge by Rick Perlstein


These Truths by Jill Lepore


Crash Course by Paul Ingrassia


C-SPAN clip of Carter's malaise speech


Who is Government? by Michael Lewis

Discussion Questions:

What do you find appealing about Carter?

How do voters sometimes use issues that are beyond a politician's control to judge them?

Why would Carter and his predecessors choose to give the Panama Canal to Panama?

How would an event like the hostage crisis impact an election?

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Dark money is a problem in American politics and religion. What is it? Untraceable money that often comes from big donors, which is channelled through non-profits to hide the identity of the donor. This money is then able to back causes that may or may not be positive.

The Council for National Policy is an organization in the pipeline for Christian dark money. It finances groups like the Heritage Foundation, Focus on the Family, pro-life groups, Turning Point USA, and more. They also coordinate language around denial of climate change, COVID, and election results. Their first president was Tim LaHaye, but he is just the tip of the iceberg.

Our guide through this story is Anne Nelson, author of Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right. It is an excellent resource that is critical for anyone interested in how some evangelicals tied themselves to the Republican Party.

Sources:


Biographical video from Turning Point USA about Foster Friess


Shadow Network by Anne Nelson


Christian Reconstruction: RJ Rushdoony and American Religious Conservatism by Michael McVicar


100 Things to See in the Night Sky Expanded Edition. By Dean Regas

Christianity and Oil in US History


Article on Nelson Bunker Hunt


Birchers by Matthew Dallek


The Road to Serfdom (comic version) adapted from Hayek


Reaganland and Before the Storm by Rick Perlstein

"Information Sheet, Council for National Policy," May 1984


Dark Money by Jane Mayer


article on Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education


Ponzinomics by Robert Fitzpatrick

Justice Department article about Blackwater/ Prince

Adams, D. C., Robles, F., & Mazzetti, M. (2025). A Desperate Haiti Turns to Erik Prince, Trump Ally, In Fight Against Gangs. New York: New York Times Company.

Census data on Wyoming


Pat Robertson: A Life and Legacy by David Edwin Harrell Jr.

Leadership Institute website (accessed 8/8/25)

Email blast from National Religious Broadcasters titled: “NRB President & CEO to Advocate on Capitol Hill for AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act” released July 14, 2025

Salem Media website


NRB Article about Bott Radio

PRwatch.org article and video about CNP


Jackson Hole News and Guide article about Donald Trump Jr.'s visit to Jackson in 2016


New York Times article on Foster Friess


Tax documents from Turning Point USA, courtesy of Pro Publica

2017 Jane Mayer profile of Turning Point USA

ProPublica article on the Kochs


Time article on the Koch's and i360


Article on how many people didn't vote in 2024


New York Times article about Trump's call to the Georgia election rep


The Guardian article about Kirk's busing of people to the January 6, 2021, riot

EPA article about its origins

Discussion Questions:

What is dark money? Should Christians participate in it?

What are the functions of groups like the Council for National Policy?

Who was Foster Friess?

Why is it important to include a discussion of dark money when talking about things like Turning Point USA?

What is the connection between evangelicalism and oil?

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