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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About this listen

Season Three begins 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 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.

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

© 2026 Warren Throckmorton World
Episodes
  • The Christian Past That Wasn't - Trailer Season Three

    The Christian Past That Wasn't - Trailer Season Three
    Apr 21 2026

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    On April 28, the first episode of the podcast series The Christian Past That Wasn't is scheduled for posting. This is a continuation of the podcast formerly known as Telling Jefferson Lies. TJL gets a new name in recognition of the publication of my new bookThe Christian Past That Wasn't: Debunking the Christian Nationalist Myths That Hijack History. On May 19, Broadleaf Books will release this book and I plan to post a segment of the series that day as well.

    This brief segment is a trailer for the 2026 series. I am glad to have Todd Allen, Jeremie Beller, and Jemar Tisby with me on the trailer today.

    Music today is by Netop (formerly known as Earl's Taco Shack). A lot renaming going on round here. Netop is a Narrangansett word for friend or neighbor.

    Keep up with new developments at www.christianpast.com and warrenthrockmorton.substack.com.

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    5 mins
  • The Value of Religious Freedom: An Interview with Roger Finke

    The Value of Religious Freedom: An Interview with Roger Finke
    Aug 7 2025

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    Roger Finke is distinguished professor emeritus of sociology and international affairs at Penn State University. Roger is also the founder of the Association of Religion Data Archives, which is an online archive of the best religion data available, a standard research tool for social scientists. He is the author of several books including the subject of today's interview: The Price of Freedom Denied: Religious Persecution and Conflict in the 21st Century (2011) co-authored with Brian Grim.

    In this book, Grim and Finke found that as religious freedoms are denied in a society, both by government and by social groups within a society, religious persecution increases. Given the quasi-establishments of evangelical Christianity developing throughout the land, it is important to be aware of the potential consequences of these church-state alliances.

    The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) - www.thearda.com. The co-directors are Andrew Whitehead and Christopher Bader. Regular listeners will recall my interview with Andrew in episode 5.

    Music provided by Earl's Taco Shack and Jonus Fair.

    Artwork provided by Sarah Eshelman

    Produced and hosted by Warren Throckmorton

    The series will be on hold throughout the remainder of August while I complete The Christian Past That Wasn't, due out next year. You can pre-order it anywhere books are sold. The Amazon link is https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0FCCCP71V

    The next episode will post sometime in September. Thanks for listening!


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    41 mins
  • Does Christian Nationalism Work? An Interview with Paul Matzko, Part Two

    Does Christian Nationalism Work? An Interview with Paul Matzko, Part Two
    Aug 2 2025

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    Today's segment is the second part of my interview with Paul Matzko, historian and senior program manager at the Institute for Humane Studies at George Mason University. Paul is also an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute. Our topic today is Paul's answer to the question: has Christian nationalism ever worked?

    Listen in to find out.

    As a part of addressing the question, Paul tells the story of Quaker martyr Mary Dyer.

    Music provided by Earl's Taco Shack, Jonathan Swaim, and Jonus Fair.

    Artwork by Sarah Eshelman.

    Hosted and produced by Warren Throckmorton
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    25 mins
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