S4, Ep. 21: 613 Commandments: James Talarico on his defense of church-state separation as a Christian

The Texas legislature meets once every two years, and they are spending a great deal of this session on bills that would advance religion. We return to our conversation on the Ten Commandments bill in Texas, as we saw a groundswell of opposition to the bill when it headed to the state House. Amanda and Holly take a look at some viral moments, and we share an exclusive conversation with Texas state Rep. James Talarico, who spoke in opposition to this bill as a lawmaker, a former schoolteacher, and a Christian.

Statement of Christian leaders to January 6th committee

A group of Christian leaders concerned about Christian nationalism sent a letter to the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, asking the committee to thoroughly investigate the role that Christian nationalism played in the attack.

Ep. 18: White supremacy and American Christianity

We’re bringing you important conversations on white supremacy and American Christianity in this episode. First, we’ll play the June 26 discussion between researcher Robert P. Jones of PRRI and journalist Adelle Banks from Religion News Service (starting at 2:14). Jones is the author of the forthcoming White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity, and he talks with Banks about the church’s current “moment of reckoning” across denominational lines, particularly as white churches have been either blind to their part in systemic racism or have ignored it. This podcast also features Amanda’s call to action from the June 26 event, including the dangers of Christian nationalism (25:39). We’re also bringing you part of a follow-up conversation with BJC’s Charles Watson Jr. and Dr. Alphonso Saville of Georgetown University (37:48), where they discuss a wide range of issues, including how arguments can inform how we proceed and the importance of understanding history.

Ep. 03: Were we founded as a Christian nation?

Learn about the political and religious history behind the idea that the United States was founded as a “Christian nation” in this episode of our podcast series on Christian nationalism. BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler talks with Dr. Steven Green, author of “Inventing a Christian America: The Myth of the Religious Founding,” about the political history of this concept. On the second half of the episode, we hear from church historian Bill Leonard (starting at 21:38) on what religious leaders said and did during the founding of the United States.

The Christian American Citizen

The Christian American CitizenView sermon as PDF By J. Brent WalkerMatthew 22:17-21, Romans 13:1-5, Acts 4:13-20Once again in an election year the subject of religion and politics fills our public discourse. We’ve come a long way since 1976 when Baptist Jimmy...