Podcasts about congregationalists

Send us Fan MailThe 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 ThrockmortonMusic by Netop, Jonas Fair, and Dustin BlatnikFor more information about the book, The Christian Past That Wasn't, go to www.christianpast.com. 

This is an excerpt from Chapter 5 of “Biblical & Social Justice: What Is It?,”
entitled “A Nation Founded on Christian Principles?”      Listening to the stories of Christian nationalists, one might become persuaded that the United States descended from heaven. Any assertion that the United States was founded on Biblical and Christian principles must also concede that slavery was part and parcel of an unbiblical and unChristian version of so-called Biblical and Christian principles. It is not necessary to attribute the founding of the nation to the Bible or an organized Christian effort. Any review of the actual history of the founding of the United States, absent spiritualized narratives, shows that highly educated and brilliant men were responsible for debating, working, and creating the founding philosophies and documents. All the Framers were informed by their education, experiences, and faith. They were also informed by selfish motivations and economic interests.   It is noteworthy that the Framers decided not to include Scripture in the founding documents. This is consistent with their objective to avoid creating a nation controlled by the church or by religion. Below is a summary of the Framers: Almost all of the 55 Framers had taken part in the Revolution, with at least 29 having served in the Continental forces, most in positions of command. All but two or three had served in colonial or state government during their careers. The vast majority (about 75%) of the delegates were or had been members of the Confederation Congress, and many had been members of the Continental Congress during the Revolution. 25 had been state governors. More than half of the delegates had trained as lawyers (several had even been judges), although only about a quarter had practiced law as their principal means of business. Others were merchants, manufacturers, shippers, land speculators, bankers, or financiers. Several were physicians or small farmers, and one was a minister. Of the 25 who owned fellow humans, 16 depended on slave labor to run the plantations or other businesses that formed the mainstay of their income. Most of the delegates were landowners with substantial holdings, and most, except for Roger Sherman and William Few, were very comfortably wealthy. George Washington and Robert Morris were among the wealthiest men in the entire country. Much of that wealth was built through the unpaid labor of enslaved persons. Of the 55 Framers, only one was a Christian minister. Regarding the religious faith of the Framers: Of the 55 delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention, 28 were Anglicans, 21 were other Protestants, and two were Roman Catholics (D. Carroll and Fitzsimons). Among the Protestant delegates to the Constitutional Convention, eight were Presbyterians, seven were Congregationalists, two were Lutherans, two were Dutch Reformed, and two were Methodists. A few prominent Founding Fathers were anti-clerical notably Jefferson. It is a reach of imagination and romanticism to believe the 55 Framers acted as a group of Christians in consultation with the Scriptures and prayer. The work of the Framers, as is the case with most good work, owes to the skill of the persons working, whether Christian or non-Christian. One very significant factor argues against the rosy Christian nationalist perspective about our nation's founding: SLAVERY. For many of us, celebrating our nation's founding as a triumph of the Bible and Christianity is offensive given the treatment and property status of our ancestors. To be sure, the formation of the United States, developing the governing documents, and organizing independent colonies was a triumph of human enterprise and self-governing. The telling of history cannot overlook owning, selling, and abusing humans in the service of other humans used to build their economy, was decidedly ungodly. It was not something Jesus would have done. The historic facts regarding the formation of the nation are compelling reading without the hyperbole of a Christian nationalist narrative. The facts are far more interesting than the fabrications.   -  

Two hundred and fifty years ago, before a single battle of the Revolutionary War had been won, a group of men from vastly different denominations sat down together and did something that would set the tone for everything that followed — they prayed. Congregationalists, Anglicans, Quakers, Baptists, Lutherans, and more, setting aside every theological difference to seek God together for the future of a nation not yet born. They opened that first Continental Congress with the reading of Psalm 35, crying out to God as their shield, their armor, and their salvation. It was an act of unity that history has rarely matched. On this National Day of Prayer, we are invited into that same spirit — not as a political act, but as a profoundly spiritual one. The divisions in our nation run deep, and the temptation to pray only within the walls of our own traditions is real. But the founders understood something we must recover: that corporate prayer, offered in humility and unity, moves the hand of God in ways that individual effort never can. The same God who heard the prayers of those early colonists and brought a nation through impossible odds is still listening today. He is still moved by repentance. He is still responsive to humility. And He is still able to do far more than we can ask or imagine — if His people will simply set aside what divides them and call out to Him together. Interested in creating something new with us!? Take Our Newsletter Survey! Bible Verse "Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take up shield and armor; arise and come to my aid. Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to me, 'I am your salvation.'" — Psalm 35:1-3 Ponder Today America's founders understood that physical battles are ultimately won or lost in the spiritual realm — their commitment to corporate prayer was not ceremonial, it was foundational. Unity in prayer does not require uniformity in doctrine — the founders set aside significant denominational differences to pray together for a shared purpose, and God honored it. National repentance is not just a historical concept — the story of Nineveh reminds us that God is always ready to relent when His people genuinely humble themselves and turn back to Him. The Great Awakenings in American history did not begin with political movements — they began with prayer, and there is no reason to believe that pattern has changed. Corporate prayer is one of the most powerful forces available to the Church — when believers across denominational lines join in one accord, the watching world sees the love of God at work in a way nothing else can replicate. Today's Prayer Dear Father, as our nation marks this significant anniversary, lead us by Your Holy Spirit to set aside our differences and join together in prayer for our country. Give us wisdom and insight into the needs of our nation and our leaders. Soften the hearts of our citizens to respond to a call for repentance, and draw us to humble ourselves before You, to seek Your face, and to turn from our wicked ways. Strengthen our faith to believe in the power of prayer and to cry out for another Great Awakening in America. We ask for miracles in our nation and in the lives of those who lead us. In Jesus' name, Amen. Enjoy Today's Prayer? If this episode encouraged you, we'd love to stay connected! Subscribe to the LifeAudio newsletter at LifeAudio.com for daily prayers, devotionals, and faith-filled content delivered straight to your inbox. Don't miss an episode — subscribe and share with someone who needs encouragement today. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Corporate prayer and national repentance have shaped history, and Scripture like Jonah 3:10 reveals how God responds when people turn to Him together. Praying as a nation isn’t symbolic—it’s a powerful, biblical practice that invites God’s mercy, guidance, and restoration. This devotional highlights how God has consistently responded to unified, humble prayer—from the city of Nineveh to moments in American history. When people come together, set aside differences, and seek God collectively, it reflects dependence on Him rather than self-sufficiency. National prayer isn’t about politics or performance—it’s about hearts aligning with God, turning from sin, and trusting Him to lead, heal, and sustain a nation. Just as individuals are called to pray, communities and countries are invited to do the same. Highlights God responds to corporate prayer and genuine repentance Biblical examples show entire cities and nations turning to God together Unity in prayer reflects humility and dependence on God National prayer invites God’s mercy, healing, and direction Spiritual battles require spiritual responses—not just physical solutions Setting aside differences for prayer strengthens collective faith Do you want to listen ad-free? When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts! Sign Up Today! Full Transcript Below: Why Praying As a Nation Matters to God By Lynette Kittle Bible Reading: “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, He relented and did not bring on them the destruction He had threatened.” - Jonah 3:10 As America celebrates 250 years as a nation, some ask, does it matter if our nation prays together on the National Day of Prayer? Does God even pay attention to or hear us when we pray corporately as a nation? The answer is “yes”: it matters to God, and we can be assured of this because the Bible provides plenty of evidence that He often calls us to corporate prayer for a city or a nation. Most of us are familiar with the well-known biblical passage 2 Chronicles 7:14, which says, “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” As in the story of Jonah and the wicked city of Nineveh, God called for the entire city to pray and repent, and even the animals were included in the city’s prayer, fasting, and repentance. As Jonah 3:4-8 describes, God led an entire city to repentance through corporate prayer: “Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, ‘Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.’ The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: ‘By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from His fierce anger so that we will not perish.” In Jonah 3:10, we read of God’s gracious response to their corporate prayer: He relented rather than sending destruction. Likewise, looking back at America’s Founders, we see that they recognized the importance of corporate prayer and that establishing a nation’s future doesn’t just involve fighting a physical battle for victory, but also a spiritual one. They demonstrated this when they officially met and came together for the first time on September 7, 1774, as the Continental Congress of the United States, opening with prayer and the reading of Psalm 35 by Rev. Jacob Duché, which begins with, “Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me.” This was no easy feat, either, as the outspoken members had to set aside their denominational differences to pray together, uniting members who were Congregationalists, Anglicans, Quakers, Dutch Reformed, Baptists, Lutherans, Puritans, and Presbyterians, coming together to overlook their differences, joining in one accord, praying for a common goal. American Conservative radio talk-show host and writer, Dennis Prager, explains, “Ultimately, they wanted people to be free to practice their religion and relate to God in their own way. They all knew God is the source of liberty.” Providence Forum Executive Director Dr. Jerry Newcombe points out how historians find in George Washington’s writings and actions during the Revolutionary War that he relied heavily on prayer, believing that with the tremendous odds set against them, victory could only come with God’s help. As well, “The Great Awakening absolutely helped the cause of independence,” writes Newcombe. “Even before the Great Awakening, the ministers, especially the ones from New England, helped shape the thinking of the Colonists as to their God-given rights.” Christian historians believe the spread of “The Great Awakening” across the colonies greatly influenced and strengthened Patriot leaders leading up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, during which prayer and fasting played a critical role in helping America establish its freedom. In Miracles in American History, author, historian, and speaker William J. Federer writes about the many national calls to prayer leading up to and throughout the formation of the United States of America. Intersecting Faith & Life:Are you planning to join our nation in praying for God’s divine guidance and protection over our country? If not, consider praying with millions of believers across our land who will be praying together during this year’s 250th Anniversary, National Day of Prayer. Further Reading:A Prayer to Take Part in Our Nation’s National Day of Prayer Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

pWotD Episode 3258: Good Friday Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 319,118 views on Friday, 3 April 2026 our article of the day is Good Friday.Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum.Members of many Christian denominations, including the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, Oriental Orthodox, United Protestant, and some Reformed traditions (including certain Continental Reformed, Presbyterian, and Congregationalist churches), observe Good Friday with fasting and church services. In many Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist churches, the Service of the Great Three Hours' Agony is held from noon until 3 p.m.— the hours the Bible records darkness covering the land until Jesus' death on the cross. In the Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican traditions, the Stations of the Cross are prayed in the evening of Good Friday, as with other Fridays of Lent. Members of the Moravian Church have a Good Friday tradition of cleaning gravestones in Moravian cemeteries.The date of Good Friday varies from one year to the next in both the Gregorian and Julian calendars. Eastern and Western Christianity disagree over the computation of the date of Easter and therefore of Good Friday. Good Friday is a widely instituted legal holiday around the world. Some predominantly Christian countries, such as Germany, have laws prohibiting certain acts—public dancing, horse racing—in remembrance of the somber nature of Good Friday.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 03:06 UTC on Saturday, 4 April 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Good Friday on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Matthew.

This week Scott, solo, discusses the religious movement known as Christian Science, founded by Mary Baker Eddy in Massachusetts in the late 19th century as American Protestantism found itself in an identity crisis. Incorporating concepts from her heritage as a Congregationalist and incorporating aspects of Transcendentalism, Gnosticism, Swedenborg and the burgeoning "Mind-Cure" movement, her "discovery" of Christian Science endures to this day.Don't forget to join our Telegram channel at T.me/historyhomos and to join our group chat at T.me/historyhomoschatFor programming updates and news follow us across social media @historyhomospod and follow Scott @Scottlizardabrams and Patrick @cantgetfooledagainradio OR subscribe to our telegram channel t.me/historyhomosThe video version of the show is available on Substack, Rokfin, bitchute, odysee and RumbleFor weekly premium episodes or to contribute to the show subscribe to our channel at www.historyhomospod.substack.comYou can donate to the show directly at paypal.me/historyhomosTo order a History Homos T shirt (and recieve a free sticker) please send your shirt size and address to Historyhomos@gmail.com and please address all questions, comments and concerns there as well.Later homos

How did Puritan pastor John Cotton end up on England's most wanted list? Today, Stephen Nichols continues his conversation with Stephen Yuille, exploring Cotton's flight to New England and the convictions that shaped his ministry. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/5-minutes-in-church-history-with-stephen-nichols/5-things-everyone-should-know-about-john-cotton-a-committed-congregationalist/ A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: https://donate.ligonier.org/ Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

Thomas Jefferson’s 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptists famously described the First Amendment as building a "wall of separation between church and State." This line has been the gold standard for those who point to the secular origins of America and the threat of funding any sort of religious activity. But this idea of America as a secular republic built on Enlightenment ideals misses a critical truth: Christianity has been at the center of American public life since European colonization began 500 years ago. The Constitution didn't create a wall between church and state—it inadvertently created a "free market" for religion that allowed Christian activists to expand their influence in unexpected ways. Today's guest is Matthew Avery Sutton, author of Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity. We see the different versions of Christianity imported during European colonization and how the absence of state control unleashed wildly eccentric religious movements that couldn't have happened in Europe. From revivalist preachers like Jonathan Edwards and Peter Cartwright to Billy Graham, and from liberal Congregationalists to twentieth-century mainline denominations, American Christianity constantly evolved. We see this in the story of Abraham Lincoln, whose skepticism toward traditional Christianity in his twenties nearly derailed his political career. In his 1846 race against Methodist circuit rider Peter Cartwright, Lincoln faced accusations of being an infidel after openly rejecting his family's Christian faith. This episode reveals how, contrary to popular belief, America's founding generation allowed religious liberty not out of principle, but pragmatism—they needed to keep a fractious coalition together. To understand what makes America unique, we must account for how Christianity shaped—and was shaped by—every major historical development in U.S. history. From tent revivals to megachurches, from abolition to segregation, Christianity's "free-market" evolution in America created something unlike anywhere else in the world.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

pWotD Episode 3214: Ash Wednesday Welcome to popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 311,650 views on Wednesday, 18 February 2026 our article of the day is Ash Wednesday.Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and marks the first day of Lent: the seven weeks of prayer, fasting and almsgiving before the arrival of Easter. Ash Wednesday is observed by Christians of the Catholic, Lutheran, Moravian, Anglican (Episcopalian), and United Protestant denominations, as well as by some churches in the Reformed (including certain Congregationalist, Continental Reformed, and Presbyterian churches), Baptist, Methodist and Nazarene traditions.Ash Wednesday is traditionally observed with fasting and abstinence from meat in several Christian denominations. As it is the first day of Lent, many Christians begin Ash Wednesday by marking a Lenten calendar, praying a Lenten daily devotional, and making a Lenten sacrifice that they will not partake of until the arrival of Eastertide.Many Christians attend special Ash Wednesday church services at which churchgoers receive ash on their foreheads or the top of their heads, as the wearing of ashes has been a sign of repentance since biblical times. The imposition of ashes is typically done with the sign of the cross, signifying that the recipient is a follower of Jesus. Ash Wednesday derives its name from this practice, in which the words accompany the placement (imposition) of ashes, "Repent, and believe in the Gospel" or the dictum "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return." The ashes are prepared by burning palm leaves from the previous year's Palm Sunday celebrations.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 14:32 UTC on Thursday, 19 February 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Ash Wednesday on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm generative Salli.

Share a commentA door splinters in Rangoon and chains bite into a young missionary's ankles, but the story starts years earlier with a valedictorian who traded faith for fashionable doubt—and then spent a sleepless night listening to a dying friend through a thin wall. That shock sent Adoniram Judson home, back to Christ, and forward into a calling that would test every conviction he held. We walk through the unlikely steps: a proposal that reads like a martyr's oath, a voyage that turns a Congregationalist couple into Baptists mid-sea, and a decade of language work without a teacher, dictionary, or church. Seven years for one convert. Twelve years for eighteen. Meanwhile, a printing press hums, pages multiply, and a New Testament in Burmese takes shape with careful, stubborn fidelity.Then the empire shifts. War erupts between England and Burma, suspicion falls, and Judson is dragged to prison as a supposed spy. We sit with Anne's grit as she bargains for scraps, delivers a baby, and begs milk from village mothers while her husband hangs nightly by the ankles. Release comes suddenly, but the cost is devastating: Anne's death, their daughter's passing, and news of his father's funeral push Judson into a dark season of silence and surrender. He gives away honors, moves into the jungle, and digs a grave beside a hut to face his own mortality. Out of that deep winter, the seed does its hidden work. The translation stands. The church survives. The scars become a map for anyone who wonders whether slow, faithful obedience still matters in a world that rewards speed and spectacle.We share this story to challenge how we measure impact and to honor the quiet craft of translation, cross-cultural ministry, and perseverance under persecution. If you've wrestled with doubt, chased purpose across false starts, or questioned whether costly conviction is worth it, Judson's path offers a bracing, hopeful answer. Subscribe for more history-grounded faith stories, share with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review telling us: what fruit would you endure for?Stephen's latest book, Legacies of Light, Volume 2, is our gift for your special donation to our ministry. Follow this link for information or to donate:https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/legaciesSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

Share a commentA door splinters in Rangoon and chains bite into a young missionary's ankles, but the story starts years earlier with a valedictorian who traded faith for fashionable doubt—and then spent a sleepless night listening to a dying friend through a thin wall. That shock sent Adoniram Judson home, back to Christ, and forward into a calling that would test every conviction he held. We walk through the unlikely steps: a proposal that reads like a martyr's oath, a voyage that turns a Congregationalist couple into Baptists mid-sea, and a decade of language work without a teacher, dictionary, or church. Seven years for one convert. Twelve years for eighteen. Meanwhile, a printing press hums, pages multiply, and a New Testament in Burmese takes shape with careful, stubborn fidelity.Then the empire shifts. War erupts between England and Burma, suspicion falls, and Judson is dragged to prison as a supposed spy. We sit with Anne's grit as she bargains for scraps, delivers a baby, and begs milk from village mothers while her husband hangs nightly by the ankles. Release comes suddenly, but the cost is devastating: Anne's death, their daughter's passing, and news of his father's funeral push Judson into a dark season of silence and surrender. He gives away honors, moves into the jungle, and digs a grave beside a hut to face his own mortality. Out of that deep winter, the seed does its hidden work. The translation stands. The church survives. The scars become a map for anyone who wonders whether slow, faithful obedience still matters in a world that rewards speed and spectacle.We share this story to challenge how we measure impact and to honor the quiet craft of translation, cross-cultural ministry, and perseverance under persecution. If you've wrestled with doubt, chased purpose across false starts, or questioned whether costly conviction is worth it, Judson's path offers a bracing, hopeful answer. Subscribe for more history-grounded faith stories, share with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review telling us: what fruit would you endure for?Stephen's latest book, Legacies of Light, Volume 2, is our gift for your special donation to our ministry. Follow this link for information or to donate:https://www.wisdomonline.org/mp/legaciesSupport the showStephen's latest book, The Disciples Prayer, is available now. https://www.wisdomonline.org/store/view/the-disciples-prayer-hardback

The Classical Education and Early Life of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain — Ronald White — Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain's early life in Maine was shaped by hardy Congregationalist parents who promoted intellectual curiosity and deep faith. He excelled at memorization and entered Bowdoin College after preparation. Chamberlain wrestled with his parents' conflicting desires for him—minister or soldier—and trained in nine languages. He met his future wife, Fanny, while leading the college choir.

This episode shows how the church moved from state-controlled religion to voluntary, Scripture-governed communities—and how the Baptists, Congregationalists, Evangelical Free, and eventually Methodists emerged.--The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you're looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.Donate Now --How England's Reformation Took a Very Different PathWhile Luther and Calvin led theological reform on the continent, England's story began with politics.Henry VIII wanted a male heir, the Pope refused to annul his marriage, and the king broke from Rome.The Act of Supremacy (1534) created the Church of England—but it simply replaced the pope with a king. It wasn't a movement of revival; it was a power play.After Henry, England spun between Protestant and Catholic identities depending on the monarch. Edward VI pushed Protestant reforms, Mary I violently restored Catholicism, and Elizabeth I settled for a middle-way Anglicanism. The constant whiplash raised a crucial question:If kings can change doctrine overnight, where does true faith come from—crown or conscience?Puritans, Separatists, and the Search for a Church Governed by ScriptureTwo groups rose in response:Puritans — Anglicans who wanted deeper biblical reform.Separatists (Pilgrims) — Puritans who believed the system was beyond repair.King James I shut down most Puritan reforms (except authorizing the King James Bible). He made Anglican worship mandatory by law, and that pressure pushed both groups out of England.The Separatists, who fled first, would shape the future of the church in profound ways.The Birth of the Baptists and CongregationalistsThe Gainsborough Group escaped to Amsterdam and encountered the Anabaptists—believers who rejected state-run religion and emphasized personal faith. John Smyth and Thomas Helwys embraced these ideas and in 1609 founded the first Baptist church. They insisted:Faith must be personalBaptism belongs to believersLocal churches should govern themselvesGovernment must never control conscienceHelwys returned to England in 1612 and founded the first Baptist church on English soil, writing boldly to the king, “You have no power over the souls of your subjects.”Another group—the Scrooby Separatists—fled to Holland, then boarded the Mayflower and founded Plymouth Colony in 1620. Their self-governing church became the root of Congregationalism, shaping early American values of freedom, conscience, and community.Europe's Crisis and the Rise of PietismMeanwhile, Europe erupted into the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) over forced religion. Millions died. When the war finally ended, the dream of a unified Christendom...

This episode shows how the church moved from state-controlled religion to voluntary, Scripture-governed communities—and how the Baptists, Congregationalists, Evangelical Free, and eventually Methodists emerged.--The PursueGOD Truth podcast is the “easy button” for making disciples – whether you're looking for resources to lead a family devotional, a small group at church, or a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Join us for new episodes every Tuesday and Friday. Find resources to talk about these episodes at pursueGOD.org.Help others go "full circle" as a follower of Jesus through our 12-week Pursuit series.Click here to learn more about how to use these resources at home, with a small group, or in a one-on-one discipleship relationship.Got questions or want to leave a note? Email us at podcast@pursueGOD.org.Donate Now --How England's Reformation Took a Very Different PathWhile Luther and Calvin led theological reform on the continent, England's story began with politics.Henry VIII wanted a male heir, the Pope refused to annul his marriage, and the king broke from Rome.The Act of Supremacy (1534) created the Church of England—but it simply replaced the pope with a king. It wasn't a movement of revival; it was a power play.After Henry, England spun between Protestant and Catholic identities depending on the monarch. Edward VI pushed Protestant reforms, Mary I violently restored Catholicism, and Elizabeth I settled for a middle-way Anglicanism. The constant whiplash raised a crucial question:If kings can change doctrine overnight, where does true faith come from—crown or conscience?Puritans, Separatists, and the Search for a Church Governed by ScriptureTwo groups rose in response:Puritans — Anglicans who wanted deeper biblical reform.Separatists (Pilgrims) — Puritans who believed the system was beyond repair.King James I shut down most Puritan reforms (except authorizing the King James Bible). He made Anglican worship mandatory by law, and that pressure pushed both groups out of England.The Separatists, who fled first, would shape the future of the church in profound ways.The Birth of the Baptists and CongregationalistsThe Gainsborough Group escaped to Amsterdam and encountered the Anabaptists—believers who rejected state-run religion and emphasized personal faith. John Smyth and Thomas Helwys embraced these ideas and in 1609 founded the first Baptist church. They insisted:Faith must be personalBaptism belongs to believersLocal churches should govern themselvesGovernment must never control conscienceHelwys returned to England in 1612 and founded the first Baptist church on English soil, writing boldly to the king, “You have no power over the souls of your subjects.”Another group—the Scrooby Separatists—fled to Holland, then boarded the Mayflower and founded Plymouth Colony in 1620. Their self-governing church became the root of Congregationalism, shaping early American values of freedom, conscience, and community.Europe's Crisis and the Rise of PietismMeanwhile, Europe erupted into the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) over forced religion. Millions died. When the war finally ended, the dream of a unified Christendom...

Today's episode is part of our Christian parenting mini-series we are offering on “Motherhood Taboos” and we are tackling a big taboo of finding out you're pregnant ... and you weren't planning to be. Our guests are both priests who found themselves unexpectedly pregnant and want to narrate the grief and the joy, the surprise and the wonder, and the challenge and hope of a blessing that can leave you limping from a worldview that supports women's autonomy, choice, and freedom. MORE ABOUT OUR GUESTS:Rev. Mia Kano is an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Massachusetts, where she serves as the part-time Rector of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Ayer. She lives in Acton, Massachusetts with her husband and two children. Rev. Mia's childhood was shaped by both Catholic and Congregationalist churches. She found her way to the Episcopal Church in her early twenties after exploring secular humanism and Islam. She was ordained as a priest in January 2020. Rev. Reagan Gonzalez was born in Odessa, Texas and raised in Bozeman, Montana. She grew up attending St. James Episcopal Church in Bozeman and later served as its Youth Director and Christian Formation Director before attending seminary. She is a graduate of Montana State University with a degree in Microbiology. After college, Reagan spent a year living in intentional community during a year of service with the Episcopal Service Corps. This experience deepened her faith and confirmed a desire to formally discern a call to ordained ministry. She earned an MDiv from the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas and was ordained to the priesthood in 2018. Reagan has a passion for community life that is grounded in inclusivity. She loves to preach, teach, tell Godly Play stories to children, and introduce people to an open-minded Christianity where questions are welcomed, and where we trust that we learn best by struggling together to hear where the Holy Spirit is calling. Reagan is married to Bryan, they have two children, and one on the way. +++Like what you hear? We are an entirely crowd-sourced, you-funded project. SUPPORT US ON PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/AndAlsoWithYouPodcastThere's all kinds of perks including un-aired live episodes, Zoom retreats, and mailbag episodes for our Patreons!+++Our Website: https://andalsowithyoupod.comOur Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andalsowithyoupodcast/++++MERCH: https://www.bonfire.com/store/and-also-with-you-the-podcast/++++More about Father Lizzie:BOOK: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/762683/god-didnt-make-us-to-hate-us-by-rev-lizzie-mcmanus-dail/RevLizzie.comhttps://www.instagram.com/rev.lizzie/https://www.tiktok.com/@rev.lizzieJubilee Episcopal Church in Austin, TX - JubileeATX.org ++++More about Mother Laura:https://www.instagram.com/laura.peaches/https://www.tiktok.com/@mother_peachesSt. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, PA++++Theme music:"On Our Own Again" by Blue Dot Sessions (www.sessions.blue).New episodes drop Mondays at 7am EST/6am CST! 

Rick Eastwick, Lay Worship Leader Worship service given August 17, 2025 Prayer by Rick Eastwick, Lay Worship Leader https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Lay leader Rick Eastwick will tell the story of his life changing conversion to Hinduism starting when he was a college junior at Tufts University in 1970. During the summer our Zoom-only worship is led each week by a member of our congregation. Rick Eastwick grew up in New England and graduated from Tufts University in 1971 with a degree in Applied Physics. He worked in industry for 42 years mostly in technical staffing for high tech companies in the Boston area. He was married twice, the second time to Marie Raduazzo, who succumbed to ovarian cancer in October of 2020. He has a son from his first marriage, who lives in California. He was raised Congregationalist but converted to Unitarian-Universalism in college partially because of its tolerance for Eastern religious ideas. He and Marie began attending First Parish in 1983. Offering and Giving First The Giving First program donates 50% of the non-pledge offering each month to a charitable organization that we feel is consistent with Unitarian Universalist principles. The program began in November 2009, and First Parish has donated over $200,000 to more than 70 organizations. For June, July, and August 2025, The Boston Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth (BAGLY) will share half of the plate. For nearly 50 years, BAGLY has been a youth-led, adult-supported social support organization, committed to social justice and creating, sustaining, and advocating for programs, policies, and services for the LGBTQ+ youth community in Massachusetts. After serving over 200,000+ youth since 1980, BAGLY is recognized nationally for its pioneering role in creating, sustaining, and advocating for social support, leadership development, and health promotion programs for LGBTQ+ youth. The remaining half of your offering supports the life and work of this Parish. To donate using your smartphone, you may text “fpuu” to 73256. Then follow the directions in the texts you receive.

In this episode, host Jean Geran speaks with guest historian Michael Rutz about the historical experience of British Protestant dissenters in the 18th and 19th centuries. Drawing from his book The British Zion: Congregationalism, Politics and Empire, 1790–1850, Dr. Rutz explores how dissenting Christian communities navigated issues of religious liberty, education, social activism, and citizenship under an Anglican state church.

In this installment of “Ask Me Anything,” Pastor Luke addressed seven questions. This message was delivered in gathered worship on Sunday, June 29, 2025 at Jewel Lake Parish in Anchorage, Alaska. TIMESTAMPS 00:20 What's going on with our yoke arrangement with Trinity Presbyterian Church? 08:45 Does owning a parsonage/manse help with leadership transitions? 10:15 How are leaders chose in our denominations? 14:40 How can we get leaders to follow Christian principles? 21:10 How is vision important in the Church? 28:00 How are Congregationalists different from Presbyterians? 32:40 What are the purposes of the Church, and do they apply to every church? Pastor Luke preaches from Hosea 4:6 in "Ask Me Anything."

pWotD Episode 2908: Good Friday Welcome to Popular Wiki of the Day, spotlighting Wikipedia's most visited pages, giving you a peek into what the world is curious about today.With 466,574 views on Friday, 18 April 2025 our article of the day is Good Friday.Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum.Members of many Christian denominations, including the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist, Oriental Orthodox, United Protestant and some Reformed traditions (including certain Continental Reformed, Presbyterian and Congregationalist churches), observe Good Friday with fasting and church services. In many Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and Methodist churches, the Service of the Great Three Hours' Agony is held from noon until 3 p.m.—the hours the Bible records darkness covering the land until Jesus' death on the cross. In the Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican traditions of Christianity, the Stations of the Cross are prayed in the evening of Good Friday, as with other Fridays of Lent. Communicants of the Moravian Church have a Good Friday tradition of cleaning gravestones in Moravian cemeteries.The date of Good Friday varies from one year to the next in both the Gregorian and Julian calendars. Eastern and Western Christianity disagree over the computation of the date of Easter and therefore of Good Friday. Good Friday is a widely instituted legal holiday around the world. Some predominantly Christian countries, such as Germany, have laws prohibiting certain acts—public dancing, horse racing—in remembrance of the sombre nature of Good Friday.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 03:01 UTC on Saturday, 19 April 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Good Friday on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Emma.

Rev. Dr. Cameron A. MacKenzie, Professor of Historical Theology at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, joins Andy and Sarah for our nine-episode series, “Pilgrims, Puritans, and the Founding of New England.” In episode 4, we learn about the Puritans and Pilgrims settling into the New World colonies, the challenges they faced, the kind of church establishment they formed, what covenant congregationalist churches believed versus Presbyterians, and tensions between two wings of Puritans concerning the experience of grace in their lives. Resources in this episode: All episodes in The Puritan Movement series Find more from Dr. MacKenzie here Recommended reading from Dr. MacKenzie includes: Worldly Saints by Leland Ryken, English Puritanism by John Spurr,  Reformation in England  by Peter Marshall,  Puritan Christianity in America: Religion and Life in 17th Century Massachusetts  by  John Carden, and  Pilgrim's Progress  by John Bunyan. As you grab your morning coffee (and pastry, let's be honest), join hosts Andy Bates and Sarah Gulseth as they bring you stories of the intersection of Lutheran life and a secular world. Catch real-life stories of mercy work of the LCMS and partners, updates from missionaries across the ocean, and practical talk about how to live boldly Lutheran. Have a topic you'd like to hear about on The Coffee Hour? Contact us at: listener@kfuo.org.

Presbyterians took root in the American colonies after the Anglicans and Congregationalists. This raised questions about the relationship between the church and state. Today, W. Robert Godfrey explains how Christians navigated these issues. With your donation of any amount, request American Presbyterians and Revival: Lessons from the Nineteenth Century. You'll receive W. Robert Godfrey's teaching series on DVD, plus lifetime digital access to the messages and study guide: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/3941/donate Meet Today's Teacher:   W. Robert Godfrey is a Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow and chairman of Ligonier Ministries. He is president emeritus and professor emeritus of church history at Westminster Seminary California. He is the featured teacher for many Ligonier teaching series, including the six-part series A Survey of Church History. He is author of many books, including God's Pattern for Creation, Reformation Sketches, and An Unexpected Journey.   Meet the Host:   Nathan W. Bingham is vice president of ministry engagement for Ligonier Ministries, executive producer and host of Renewing Your Mind, host of the Ask Ligonier podcast, and a graduate of Presbyterian Theological College in Melbourne, Australia. Nathan joined Ligonier in 2012 and lives in Central Florida with his wife and four children. Renewing Your Mind is a donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

Thomas Condon didn't set out to become a geologist; he was a Congregationalist minister with a hobby of collecting fossils. And although over the years his hobby took over, he never lost touch with his ministerial kindliness. (Oregon Caves, Josephine County; 1880s) (For text and pictures, see https://offbeatoregon.com/1610e.thomas-condon-oregon-caves-415.html)

This time co-hosts  Korey Maas (Lutheran), Miles Smith (Anglican), and D. G. Hart (Presbyterian) talk about whether non-denominational Christianity is the future of American Protestantism and what stake confessional Protestants have in denominational structures. The basis for discussion is  sociologist Ryan Burge's analysis of church statistics whose numbers indicate the remarkable increase of non-denominational Protestantism.  Methodists, Lutherans, Baptists, Presbyterians, Anglicans, and Congregationalists may sound like the ecclesiastical equivalent of Ford, Lincoln, Chevrolet, and Buick, but institutions matter to Christian faith and practice as much as they do to the manufacturing and sale of automobiles.  Follow the Anglican co-host @ivmiles and the Presbyterian co-host @oldlife.   

Congregationalists--clergy and congregations—were the driving force in New England's Revolution.  Interpreting liberty  through their own religious framework, which included principles of autonomy, fellowship, and consensus, Congregationalists had much to say about  liberty in church records, letters, and sermon literature.  Kyle Roberts, Executive Director of the Congregational Library and Archives, and Tricia Peone, Project Director for New England Hiddien Histories, join us to talk about their new on-line exhibit Religion of Liberty, and what we can learn from the Congregational Library about the beginnings of the American Revolution.https://www.congregationallibrary.org/https://www.congregationallibrary.org/events/open-house-2024Tell us what you think! Send us a text message!

Could a Catholic be on the Throne of England? In this final episode of our series on the Puritan movement, we hear how the Church of England worked through this question with Catholic James as heir to the throne. Learn about the creation of the Whigs and Tories, the reign of King James, how religious freedom ebbs and flows during this period, and the Act of Toleration in 1689 that finally allowed dissenting churches (Baptists, Congregationalists, Presbyterians) freedom of worship, although not yet freedom to participate in government. It wouldn't be until the 1829 Catholic Emancipation Act that Roman Catholics would be granted admission to politics in England. Rev. Dr. Cameron A. MacKenzie, Professor of Historical Theology at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, joins Andy and Sarah for our nine-episode series on the History of the Puritan Movement in England. Find more from Dr. MacKenzie at video.ctsfw.edu. Interested in going deeper? Recommended reading from Dr. MacKenzie includes Worldly Saints by Leland Ryken, English Puritanism by John Spurr, Reformation in England by Peter Marshall, Puritan Christianity in America: Religion and Life in 17th Century Massachusetts by John Carden, and Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan.

The King and Parliament went to war in 1642 and changed the course of the monarchy. In episode 7 in our series on the Puritan movement, the reformation of the Church of England moves ahead when Westminster Abbey discovers the disunity within Puritan belief and practice. Learn how the Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Baptists differentiate themselves, the most contentious doctrinal points, and how these groups became settled in America. Rev. Dr. Cameron A. MacKenzie, Professor of Historical Theology at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, joins Andy and Sarah for our nine-episode series on the History of the Puritan Movement in England. Find more from Dr. MacKenzie at video.ctsfw.edu. Interested in going deeper? Recommended reading from Dr. MacKenzie includes Worldly Saints by Leland Ryken, English Puritanism by John Spurr, Reformation in England by Peter Marshall, Puritan Christianity in America: Religion and Life in 17th Century Massachusetts by John Carden, and Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan.

Timothy Dwight -May 14, 1752 - January 11, 1817- was an American academic and educator, a Congregationalist minister, theologian, and author. He was the eighth president of Yale College -1795-1817-. He was also a grandson of Jonathan Edwards

Timothy Dwight (May 14, 1752 – January 11, 1817) was an American academic and educator, a Congregationalist minister, theologian, and author. He was the eighth president of Yale College (1795–1817). He was also a grandson of Jonathan Edwards

Timothy Dwight -May 14, 1752 - January 11, 1817- was an American academic and educator, a Congregationalist minister, theologian, and author. He was the eighth president of Yale College -1795-1817-. He was also a grandson of Jonathan Edwards

fWotD Episode 2632: John D. Whitney Welcome to Featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia’s finest articles.The featured article for Friday, 19 July 2024 is John D. Whitney.John Dunning Whitney (July 19, 1850 – November 27, 1917) was an American Catholic priest and Jesuit who became the president of Georgetown University in 1898. Born in Massachusetts, he joined the United States Navy at the age of sixteen, where he was introduced to Catholicism by way of a book that accidentally came into his possession and prompted him to become a Catholic. He entered the Society of Jesus and spent the next twenty-five years studying and teaching mathematics at Jesuit institutions around the world, including in Canada, England, Ireland, and around the United States in New York, Maryland, Boston, and Louisiana. He became the vice president of Spring Hill College in Alabama before being appointed the president of Georgetown University.During his three-year tenure, a number of improvements were made to the campus, including the completion of Gaston Hall and the construction of the entrances to Healy Hall. The Georgetown University Hospital and what would become the School of Dentistry were also established. After the end of his term, he went to Boston College for several years as treasurer before doing pastoral work in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Baltimore, where he became the prefect of St. Ignatius Church. He continued to spend time at Boston College, where he died in 1917.John Dunning Whitney was born on July 19, 1850, in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Descending from a prominent family, his father was Thomas G. Whitney and his mother was Esther A. Whitney née Dunning. Esther was a devout Congregationalist and John was raised in that faith. He was sent to several public and private schools, including Nantucket High School, before entering the United States Navy in 1866. While serving as a lieutenant aboard the schoolship USS Mercury, he had a religious conversion experience.Aboard the Mercury, he would often discuss religion with a shipmate, who argued that none of the Protestant churches were the one true church, and that either the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or the Catholic Church was the true church. Whitney was also able to compare the different practices of the Protestant and Catholic chaplains aboard the ship. His conversations with his shipmate convinced Whitney to consider "the claims of the Catholic church". In August 1870, the Mercury was in Newport, Rhode Island, to attend the America's Cup. The captain invited a newlywed Catholic couple aboard to return to New York City from the yacht races. While sailing through the Long Island Sound, the bride dropped a book overboard, and the executive officer had a dinghy lowered into the water to retrieve it. After disembarking in New York, the bride left the book behind, which Whitney discovered to be The Invitation Heeded: Reasons for a Return to Catholic Unity by James Kent Stone, who later became a Passionist priest known as Father Fidelis; the book was written in response to Pope Pius IX's call for all Christians to return to the Mother Church.Having read the book repeatedly, he approached one of the ship's chaplains, Dominic Duranquet, a Jesuit, and declared that if its contents were true, then he must become a Catholic. After being instructed to pray and study further, he requested to be received into the Catholic Church, with Stone as his godfather. On November 2, 1870 (All Souls' Day), Whitney was conditionally baptized by Duranquet in the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City.Whitney entered the Society of Jesus on August 14, 1872, in the Sault-au-Récollet neighborhood of Montreal, Canada, where he remained for two years. He went to Manresa House in the Roehampton district of London, England, in 1875 to study rhetoric for a year, and then to Stonyhurst College in Lancashire for three years to study philosophy. He taught mathematics for a year before returning to the United States in 1880, where he continued to teach mathematics at St. Francis Xavier College in New York City for four years.In 1884, he went to Woodstock College in Maryland to study theology. The following year, he was sent to Mobile, Alabama, where he was ordained a priest on August 15, 1885. He began teaching mathematics in 1886 at Spring Hill College, and eventually became vice president of the school. After four years at Spring Hill College, he went to Ireland in 1890, where he studied theology at Milltown Park in Dublin, before returning to Roehampton for his tertianship in 1892.Whitney then returned to the United States, and began teaching mathematics at St. Charles College in Grand Coteau, Louisiana, from 1893 to 1895. He was transferred to the College of the Immaculate Conception in New Orleans in 1897, and then to St. John's College in The Bronx, later known as Fordham University.Whitney was appointed president of Georgetown University on July 3, 1898, succeeding J. Havens Richards. During his presidency, a number of improvements to the campus were made. The Georgetown University Hospital was opened and the first patient was accepted. Gaston Hall was decorated and completed in 1901. That year, the university also received a donation from Anthony A. Hirst, a wealthy resident of Philadelphia and alumnus of Georgetown College and Law School, to construct Hirst Library inside Healy Hall. The main and center entrances to Healy Hall were completed, walkways were paved, and several campus buildings were renovated, including Dahlgren Chapel.In 1901, Whitney convinced the faculty of the School of Medicine to reconsider the proposal of a local dentist, W. Warrington Evans, to absorb his Washington Dental College as a department of the medical school, a proposal he had been tendering to the university since 1870. The medical faculty accepted the arrangement in May 1901, and the Washington Dental College became a department in late July. It would eventually become the university's School of Dentistry.On May 14, 1901, the university hosted Archbishop Sebastiano Martinelli, the Apostolic Delegate to the United States, upon his elevation to the College of Cardinals. The grand reception in Healy Hall was attended by the students and faculty in their academic regalia, as well as many dignitaries, including the Secretary of War Elihu Root, all the justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, all the justices of the federal District of Columbia Court of Appeals (later renamed to a circuit court), most of the foreign ambassadors to the United States, many military and naval commanders, and the faculties of other local universities. While Whitney was popular with the students, the Jesuit provincial superior decided not to renew his term as president, believing he had placed too much emphasis on athletics and was spendthrifty. Whitney's tenure as president came to an end on July 11, 1901, and he was succeeded by Jerome Daugherty.Following the end of his presidency at Georgetown, Whitney became the treasurer of Boston College in 1902 and held this post until 1907. While in Massachusetts, he also worked closely with the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, a female religious order. He then left Boston to take up ministry at St. Joseph's Church in Philadelphia, before becoming the prefect of St. Ignatius Church in Baltimore in August 1909. He succeeded Francis X. Brady, who left to become president of Loyola College in Maryland, and Whitney was stationed at St. Ignatius for the remainder of his life.While at St. Ignatius, he directed the sodality of St. Ignatius Church, which administered the W. G. Read Mullan Scholarship. He spent the year of 1912 in Brooklyn, away from his parish. In May 1916, his health began to deteriorate, and he spent part of 1917 at Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, where he died on November 27 of that year. His funeral was held in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Boston and he was buried at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:33 UTC on Friday, 19 July 2024.For the full current version of the article, see John D. Whitney on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Joanna.

This Day in Legal History: Act of Toleration EnactedOn May 24, 1689, the Parliament of England enacted the Act of Toleration, a pivotal law that granted religious freedom to English Protestants. This legislation marked a significant shift in England's religious landscape, as it allowed non-Anglican Protestants, such as Baptists and Congregationalists, to practice their faith without fear of persecution. However, this tolerance came with limitations: it excluded Roman Catholics and non-Trinitarian Protestants, leaving them outside the protection of the Act.The Act of Toleration emerged in the context of the Glorious Revolution, which saw William of Orange and his wife Mary ascend to the English throne. Their reign, beginning in 1688, was characterized by a move towards greater religious and political stability. The Act was a response to the religious strife that had plagued England for decades, providing a framework for more inclusive, albeit limited, religious coexistence.Despite its exclusions, the Act of Toleration laid the groundwork for future expansions of religious freedom. It required dissenting Protestants to pledge allegiance to the Crown and reject the authority of the Pope, thus maintaining a degree of control over the newly tolerated groups. This compromise allowed for religious diversity while ensuring loyalty to the monarchy.The Act's passage was a milestone in the evolution of religious liberty in England, reflecting the changing attitudes towards religious pluralism. While it did not end all religious discrimination, it represented a step towards a more tolerant society. Over time, the principles enshrined in the Act influenced broader movements for religious freedom and civil rights, both in England and beyond.The significance of the Act of Toleration lies not only in its immediate effects but also in its lasting impact on the development of religious tolerance as a fundamental value in democratic societies.A Democratic operative, Steve Kramer, faces state criminal charges and a federal fine for using AI to fake President Joe Biden's voice in robocalls aimed at discouraging Democratic voters in the New Hampshire primary. Kramer, working for Biden's primary challenger Dean Phillips, was charged with 13 felony counts of voter suppression and 13 misdemeanors for impersonating a candidate. The FCC proposed a $6 million fine for the robocalls, which spoofed a local political consultant's number.New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella emphasized that these actions aim to deter election interference using AI. The incident has heightened concerns about AI's potential misuse in elections. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel proposed a rule requiring political advertisers to disclose AI use in ads, while the FCC also proposed a $2 million fine against Lingo Telecom for transmitting the calls.The AI-generated robocall, circulated just before the primary, used Biden's catchphrase and urged voters to stay home. Despite this, Democratic leaders encouraged a write-in campaign for Biden, leading to high voter turnout in his favor.Faked Biden Robocall Results in Charges for Democratic OperativeThe US Supreme Court has made it more challenging for Black and minority voters to contest the use of race in legislative redistricting, according to civil rights advocates. In a 6-3 ruling, the conservative majority determined that South Carolina voters failed to prove that race, rather than partisanship, influenced Republican legislators when drawing district lines. This decision raises the bar for proving racial gerrymandering and could impact redistricting cases nationwide, not just in South Carolina's 1st Congressional District.Leah Aden of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund expressed concern that it is becoming increasingly difficult for plaintiffs to demonstrate racial discrimination. The ruling, which precedes the upcoming November election, could affect similar challenges in states like North Carolina and Tennessee.Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, emphasized a presumption that legislatures act in good faith, making it harder to prove racial intent without blatant evidence. Critics argue this standard allows legislators to use partisan motives as a defense against claims of racial gerrymandering.The decision follows the Supreme Court's 2019 ruling that federal courts cannot oversee partisan gerrymandering claims, further complicating challenges to discriminatory redistricting. Justice Elena Kagan, in her dissent, criticized the majority for favoring state arguments and making it tougher for challengers to succeed. This case underscores the evolving legal landscape surrounding voting rights and redistricting in the US.Supreme Court Conservatives Add New Minority Voter RoadblocksA Jackson Walker partner alleged that former Texas bankruptcy judge David R. Jones requested the firm to file a potentially false disclosure about his relationship with attorney Elizabeth Freeman. This disclosure came amidst ongoing litigation involving Jones, Freeman, and Jackson Walker, who are accused of concealing their relationship. The scandal follows Jones' resignation after admitting to the romance.In late 2022, Jones wanted the relationship kept secret as Jackson Walker negotiated with Freeman regarding its disclosure. Despite Freeman's earlier claims that the relationship had ended, the firm discovered in February 2022 that it was ongoing. After confronting Freeman, she admitted the relationship had been rekindled.Jackson Walker's recent filings argue they shouldn't be held liable for Jones' misconduct and urge rejection of the US Trustee's efforts to reclaim $13 million in fees. Jones allegedly provided a misleading proposed disclosure that omitted the romantic aspect of his relationship with Freeman and insisted the firm use it in future cases. Jackson Walker refused and proceeded to separate from Freeman.The firm claims it acted reasonably and didn't breach any ethical rules, pointing out that the US Trustee hasn't penalized Jones or Freeman. The Justice Department's bankruptcy monitor seeks to recover fees from cases where Jackson Walker failed to disclose the relationship. The case highlights the complex ethical and legal issues surrounding judicial conduct and professional responsibilities.Jackson Walker Says Judge Tried to Mislead Court on Romance (2)The U.S. Justice Department, along with 30 states, has filed a lawsuit against Live Nation and its Ticketmaster unit, accusing them of monopolizing concert tickets and promotions. The case, filed in Manhattan federal court, aims to break up Live Nation. Leading the legal team is Jonathan Kanter, head of the DOJ's antitrust division, with Bonny Sweeney as the lead attorney. Sweeney, a veteran antitrust litigator, previously co-headed the antitrust group at Hausfeld and has extensive experience in high-profile cases against companies like Google, Apple, and major credit card firms.Live Nation and Ticketmaster are defended by teams from Latham & Watkins and Cravath, Swaine & Moore, which have deep experience in antitrust defense. The companies deny the allegations and plan to fight the lawsuit. Latham & Watkins, which has long defended Live Nation in private consumer lawsuits and was involved in the 2010 merger approval, has Daniel Wall, a seasoned antitrust defender, as their executive vice president for corporate and regulatory affairs. Cravath's team, led by Christine Varney, former head of the DOJ's antitrust division, also represents major clients like Epic Games in similar high-stakes litigation.US legal team in Live Nation lawsuit includes veteran plaintiffs' attorney | ReutersThis week's closing theme is by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. This week's closing theme takes us back to the 18th century, honoring a pivotal figure in the transition from the Baroque to the Classical era: Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. Born in 1714, C.P.E. Bach was the second surviving son of prolific composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Despite his illustrious lineage, C.P.E. Bach carved out his own distinct legacy, becoming one of the most influential composers of his time in his own right.Today, we commemorate his contributions to classical music as we mark the anniversary of his death on May 24, 1788. Known for his expressive and innovative style, C.P.E. Bach's music bridges the complexity of Baroque counterpoint with the emerging Classical clarity and form. His works had a profound impact on later composers, including Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven.One of his most celebrated pieces is the "Solfeggietto in C minor," H. 220, Wq. 117/2. This energetic and technically demanding keyboard composition remains a favorite among pianists and continues to captivate audiences with its vibrant character and virtuosic passages. The "Solfeggietto" exemplifies C.P.E. Bach's mastery of the empfindsamer Stil, or 'sensitive style,' characterized by its emotional expressiveness and dynamic contrasts.As we listen to the "Solfeggietto," let us reflect on the enduring legacy of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, whose music continues to inspire and delight over two centuries after his passing. Join us in celebrating his remarkable contributions as we close this week with the lively and spirited sounds of his timeless composition.Without further ado, “Solfeggietto in C minor” by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, enjoy.  Get full access to Minimum Competence - Daily Legal News Podcast at www.minimumcomp.com/subscribe

"D” is for Dorchester. In 1697 Congregationalists from Massachusetts settled on the north bank of the Ashley River and founded Dorchester as a market village twenty miles northwest of Charleston.

For today's service, hear a Universalist parable about a loving father, a drunken son, and a flaming pit. And learn how the term "Unitarian" was deployed as an insult at heretical thinkers, some of whom died for their beliefs. That is, until on May 5, 1819, when Rev. William Ellery Channing, the leader of the liberal Congregationalists split with the conservative Congregationalists, planted a stake in the ground, raised a flag, and declared "we ARE Unitarians." Along with the usual announcements, and spoken and musical merriment.Choir direction by Alex Pietsch. "Winds, Waves, Water, Earth" and "A Day of Inspiration" by Alex Pietsch. Copyright 2023. All Rights Reserved.Intro and outro background music by Tim Moor at Pixabay.UUMAN is a welcoming congregation and we thank you for taking the time to get to know us a bit better. You can learn more about us by visiting our website at www.UUMAN.orgUnitarian Universalism is a religion based on seven moral principles which promote the inherent worth of all people and each individual's search for truth and meaning. Learn more at uua.org UUMAN is a 501(c)3 organization under the Internal Revenue Code. Your contribution is deductible to the full extent provided by law. https://www.uuman.org/donate/UUMAN - Unitarian Universalist Metro Atlanta North 11420 Crabapple Rd, Roswell, GA 30075 (770) 992-3949 YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcRwJlKGVhksTvxKeCXhxeQ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/UUMAN.ATL Twitter https://twitter.com/UUMAN_ATL #UUMAN #Unitarian #Universalist #Universalism #UU

The Westminster Confession of Faith is a formalised theological statement of Reformed Christianity. It declares what was accepted by the Presbyterians, the Reformed Anglicans, and the Congregationalists of 17th Century Britain. Such confessions are very useful declarations of faith, and very useful teaching tools. Indeed, upon ordination, those that subscribe fully to such a confession, are to subscribe to it as a confession of their own faith. But, on a less formal level, the confession of faith, and the experience of faith are two intertwined truths of every born-again believer- --1. The Word Preached--2. The Word Confessed--3. The Word Believed--4. The Word Promised

Chelsea and I start a new series about the Christian revivals in American history.The controversy over the recent "Asbury revival" drove us to ask the question "What is a revival?"Using a dictionary, Scripture, and a Spurgeon quote, we come up with a working definition of a revival. Then, we dive deep into the setting of the American colonies in the 1600's and early 1700's.As church life was decaying since the first generation of pilgrims covenanted the first Congregational churches in the Massachusetts Bay colony, pastors begin to look for revival.Congregationalist churches practiced infant baptism but only granted church membership to attendees who could evidence regeneration. As the first generation's children became adults but didn't become fully covenanted members, could their children be baptized? Could they partake of the Lord's Supper? Boston pastor Richard Mather argued that the children were proper covenant members in some sense. The question remained whether to baptize children of "unregenerate" members into the third generation.In 1662, Mather collaborated on what became known as the Half-Way Covenant to revive the church with a structural and political solution. Would it work? Scriptures Referenced:Psalm 85:6-8Acts 2:16-18Matthew 7:15-16Titus 3:9,5Sources Consulted:"Revival," Websters Dictionary 1828, Accessed February 19, 2023.C. H. Spurgeon, "What Is a Revival?" Sword and Trowel, December 1866.Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Richard Mather." Encyclopedia Britannica, January 1, 2023."BIOGRAPHY: RICHARD MATHER (1596-1669)," The Mather Project, Accessed February 19, 2023.Richard Mather, "A DISPUTATION CONCERNING Church-Members AND THEIR CHILDREN IN ANSWER to 21 QUESTIONS," 1657.*** Castle Rock Women's Health is a pro-life and pro-women health care ministry. They need your help to move into a new office to serve the community better. Please consider a monthly or one-time donation. ***We value your feedback!Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

Chelsea and I start a new series about the Christian revivals in American history. The controversy over the recent "Asbury revival" drove us to ask the question "What is a revival?" Using a dictionary, Scripture, and a Spurgeon quote, we come up with a working definition of a revival. Then, we dive deep into the setting of the American colonies in the 1600's and early 1700's. As church life was decaying since the first generation of pilgrims covenanted the first Congregational churches in the Massachusetts Bay colony, pastors begin to look for revival. Congregationalist churches practiced infant baptism but only granted church membership to attendees who could evidence regeneration. As the first generation's children became adults but didn't become fully covenanted members, could their children be baptized? Could they partake of the Lord's Supper? Boston pastor Richard Mather argued that the children were proper covenant members in some sense. The question remained whether to baptize children of "unregenerate" members into the third generation. In 1662, Mather collaborated on what became known as the Half-Way Covenant to revive the church with a structural and political solution. Would it work? Scriptures Referenced: Psalm 85:6-8 Acts 2:16-18 Matthew 7:15-16 Titus 3:9,5 Sources Consulted: "Revival," Websters Dictionary 1828, Accessed February 19, 2023. C. H. Spurgeon, "What Is a Revival?" Sword and Trowel, December 1866. Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Richard Mather." Encyclopedia Britannica, January 1, 2023. "BIOGRAPHY: RICHARD MATHER (1596-1669)," The Mather Project, Accessed February 19, 2023. Richard Mather, "A DISPUTATION CONCERNING Church-Members AND THEIR CHILDREN IN ANSWER to 21 QUESTIONS," 1657. *** Castle Rock Women's Health is a pro-life and pro-women health care ministry. They need your help to move into a new office to serve the community better. Please consider a monthly or one-time donation. *** We value your feedback! Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

Chelsea and I start a new series about the Christian revivals in American history.The controversy over the recent "Asbury revival" drove us to ask the question "What is a revival?"Using a dictionary, Scripture, and a Spurgeon quote, we come up with a working definition of a revival. Then, we dive deep into the setting of the American colonies in the 1600's and early 1700's.As church life was decaying since the first generation of pilgrims covenanted the first Congregational churches in the Massachusetts Bay colony, pastors begin to look for revival.Congregationalist churches practiced infant baptism but only granted church membership to attendees who could evidence regeneration. As the first generation's children became adults but didn't become fully covenanted members, could their children be baptized? Could they partake of the Lord's Supper? Boston pastor Richard Mather argued that the children were proper covenant members in some sense. The question remained whether to baptize children of "unregenerate" members into the third generation.In 1662, Mather collaborated on what became known as the Half-Way Covenant to revive the church with a structural and political solution. Would it work? Scriptures Referenced:Psalm 85:6-8Acts 2:16-18Matthew 7:15-16Titus 3:9,5Sources Consulted:"Revival," Websters Dictionary 1828, Accessed February 19, 2023.C. H. Spurgeon, "What Is a Revival?" Sword and Trowel, December 1866.Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Richard Mather." Encyclopedia Britannica, January 1, 2023."BIOGRAPHY: RICHARD MATHER (1596-1669)," The Mather Project, Accessed February 19, 2023.Richard Mather, "A DISPUTATION CONCERNING Church-Members AND THEIR CHILDREN IN ANSWER to 21 QUESTIONS," 1657.*** Castle Rock Women's Health is a pro-life and pro-women health care ministry. They need your help to move into a new office to serve the community better. Please consider a monthly or one-time donation. ***We value your feedback!Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

Thomas Condon didn't set out to become a geologist; he was a Congregationalist minister with a hobby of collecting fossils. And although over the years his hobby took over, he never lost touch with his ministerial kindliness. (Oregon Caves, Josephine County; 1880s) (For text and pictures, see http://offbeatoregon.com/1610e.thomas-condon-oregon-caves-415.html)

In this episode, Dr. Glenn Moots and I discuss several related aspects of Christianity and politics. We dive into Moots's history in the church and academy while exploring his understanding of Christian Reconstructionism. We get into the topic of Christian Nationalism and a state church. We dig into the magisterial protestant perspective on Christianity and politics and what it has to offer us today. What is the relationship of the church and state? What would America look like if Christian Nationalists had their way? What place would Baptists have in a magisterial Protestant nation? Why is choosing between religious pluralism and establishment a false dilemma?Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/chasedavis“How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Christian Nationalism” - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v-utekNec80&feature=emb_titleGlenn Moots on Althusius - https://lawliberty.org/classic/rereading-politica-in-the-post-liberal-moment/“Politics Reformed” - https://amzn.to/3FKBZZf“Justifying Revolution: Law, Virtue, and Violence in the American War of Independence” - https://amzn.to/3fxS0qXLaw and Liberty - Moots - https://lawliberty.org/author/glenn-moots/Support the showSign up for the Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/chasedavisFollow Full Proof Theology on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/fullprooftheology/Follow Full Proof Theology on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/fullprooftheology/

Price of Passage: A Tale of Immigration and Liberation (DX Varos, 2022), Larry Sommers opens in 1853 in Norway, where only firstborn sons inherited their father's land and estate. Other children had to fend for themselves. Anders realizes that the only way he can live a life of honor is to flee to America. He escapes his uncle's home, hides in a boat builder's barn, and is nearly killed by Maria, a childhood friend. But they talk, and he tells her about his plans to be a farmer in southern Illinois. Anders nearly ruins his chance of reaching Illinois when he tries to stop someone from apprehending a runaway slave. It's a crime punishable by jail time and a hefty fine, but luckily, a kind gentleman intervenes and ends up hiring Anders to help on his farm. When Daniel, the runaway slave, turns up a few years later, Daniel and Maria hide him in their barn. This is a novel about immigrants, home, slavery, freedom and living a life of honor. Larry F. Sommers is a Wisconsin writer of historical fiction, seeking fresh meanings in our common past. He won Honorable Mention in The Saturday Evening Post's 2018 Great American Story Contest for “The Lion's Den,” a tale of childhood in the 1950s, and has published other, similar stories in the online version of The Saturday Evening Post. He served as editor of The Congregationalist, a national church-related quarterly magazine, from 2009 to 2016 and previously worked 23 years in the Public Affairs Office of the Wisconsin National Guard/Wisconsin Emergency Management as a writer, editor, photographer, writing coach, and public affairs consultant in a fast-paced environment punctuated by crisis communication events. A Vietnam-era veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he is active in church work and is a member of the Sons of Norway and two local writers' critique groups. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with his wife and dog. G.P. Gottlieb is the author of the Whipped and Sipped Mystery Series and a prolific baker of healthful breads and pastries. Please contact her through her website (GPGottlieb.com). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Price of Passage: A Tale of Immigration and Liberation (DX Varos, 2022), Larry Sommers opens in 1853 in Norway, where only firstborn sons inherited their father's land and estate. Other children had to fend for themselves. Anders realizes that the only way he can live a life of honor is to flee to America. He escapes his uncle's home, hides in a boat builder's barn, and is nearly killed by Maria, a childhood friend. But they talk, and he tells her about his plans to be a farmer in southern Illinois. Anders nearly ruins his chance of reaching Illinois when he tries to stop someone from apprehending a runaway slave. It's a crime punishable by jail time and a hefty fine, but luckily, a kind gentleman intervenes and ends up hiring Anders to help on his farm. When Daniel, the runaway slave, turns up a few years later, Daniel and Maria hide him in their barn. This is a novel about immigrants, home, slavery, freedom and living a life of honor. Larry F. Sommers is a Wisconsin writer of historical fiction, seeking fresh meanings in our common past. He won Honorable Mention in The Saturday Evening Post's 2018 Great American Story Contest for “The Lion's Den,” a tale of childhood in the 1950s, and has published other, similar stories in the online version of The Saturday Evening Post. He served as editor of The Congregationalist, a national church-related quarterly magazine, from 2009 to 2016 and previously worked 23 years in the Public Affairs Office of the Wisconsin National Guard/Wisconsin Emergency Management as a writer, editor, photographer, writing coach, and public affairs consultant in a fast-paced environment punctuated by crisis communication events. A Vietnam-era veteran of the U.S. Air Force, he is active in church work and is a member of the Sons of Norway and two local writers' critique groups. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with his wife and dog. G.P. Gottlieb is the author of the Whipped and Sipped Mystery Series and a prolific baker of healthful breads and pastries. Please contact her through her website (GPGottlieb.com). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

Presbyterians took root in the American colonies after the Anglicans and Congregationalists, and this raised questions about the relationship between the church and the state. Today, W. Robert Godfrey explains how Christians navigated these issues. Get W. Robert Godfrey's New Teaching Series 'American Presbyterians and Revival' on DVD with a Digital Study Guide for Your Gift of Any Amount: https://gift.renewingyourmind.org/2303/american-presbyterians-revival Don't forget to make RenewingYourMind.org your home for daily in-depth Bible study and Christian resources.

On this episode of The Becoming Men Podcast, Ray De La Nuez is joined by Fred Grewe Tune in as they discuss what the dying can teach us about living like the men God created us to be. Fred Grewe is a Board Certified Chaplain (Association of Professional Chaplains) with a Doctor of Ministry degree from the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley and is an ordained Congregationalist minister working for Providence Hospice in Medford, Oregon. His interest in working with the dying began in the early 1990's with the death of his best friend who succumbed to AIDS. Fred is a mystery – even to himself. He is a middle-aged, bald, white man who believes God loves him very much and the power of this belief has helped transform a frightened, angry, little man into a more loving and considerate human being. Check out MasterMyPurpose.com to reserve your spot for our new LIVE virtual course. This course will equip good men as they journey to live epic lives by helping them unearth their unique purposes and learn the skills, tools, and habits they need to become the purpose-driven men they were created to be. Want to meet with me One-on-One on a FREE coaching call. Click here to book our Zoom Call! Make sure you connect with me on Instagram @raydelanuez. Consider becoming a financial partner of this podcast. head over to TheBecomingMen.com/Partner. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/becomingmen/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/becomingmen/support

In response to the recent Dobbs decision and the Supreme Court's clear, consistent support for religious liberty throughout this term, many progressives are warning of an imminent “Christian theocracy.” Among the loudest voices predicting our collective doom are mainstream media outlets. For example, a recent story in Reuters claimed, “U.S. Supreme Court Takes Aim at Separation of Church and State.”   What's missing in virtually all of these pieces is a proper understanding of the “establishment clause.” The establishment clause is derived from the opening lines of the First Amendment which states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof …” There are two ways this statement is commonly misunderstood.   First, it is often described as establishing a “wall of separation between church and state.” In fact, those words are found nowhere in the Constitution. The phrase actually was coined later in a letter by Thomas Jefferson. Second, and more importantly, it is assumed that if organized religion cannot be supported by the state, then secularism is somehow “neutral.” Thus, by default, anything goes as long as it's “secular.”  Understanding the historical context is essential. In the 18th century, an “established” religion referred to an official state church. In the U.S., individual states had already established churches, such as the Anglican Church in Virginia. The First Amendment specifically applied to Congress and prohibited a national church. To prefer the Anglican Church over the Congregationalists or Presbyterians would, at the time, mean alienating certain citizens and entire states. States continued to have established churches well into the 19th century.   In addition, the First Amendment was not intended to prohibit religious activities in governmental institutions. From the very beginning, Congress started each session with prayer. That continues today and is led by an official chaplain.   Our founding fathers, particularly James Madison, believed that religious liberty was an innate right, and inseparable from the freedom of conscience. He also believed that religion would better flourish in a free marketplace of ideas. That thinking was the basis for the free exercise clause.   This understanding of the freedom of conscience is the foundation for the other freedoms protected in the First Amendment. Without conscience rights, we cannot truly speak, write, assemble, or advocate freely from our deepest beliefs. That's why the freedom of religion is often called “the first freedom.” Its position in the Bill of Rights highlights its importance.  Although the rights of conscience should not be controversial, somehow, that's what they have become. How this happened is worth considering. By claiming secularism to be neutral, proponents of secularism ,as far back as the 19th century, attempted to broadly apply laws originally intended by Protestants to prevent Catholic schools from accessing state funds. In the 20th-century, secularists embraced the concept of “a living Constitution” in order to transform the meaning of the First Amendment, attempting to keep religious institutions from accessing state funds and allowing only “secular” views in the public arena.  Though many court cases illustrate this, among the more important was Torcaso v. Watkins (1961), which declared unconstitutional Maryland's requirement that officeholders state belief in God. Rather than ruling on the basis of Article VI, which prohibits religious tests for public office, the Supreme Court ruled on the basis of the establishment clause of the First Amendment and of the Fourteenth Amendment, which prohibits states from violating the rights guaranteed to U.S. citizens. The same line of reasoning has since been used to challenge prayers at public meetings, Bible studies in schools, and nativity scenes on public property. In the process, the First Amendment was turned on its head, taking a clause intended to keep the state from backing any one denomination and construing it to position the state in opposition to all organized religions.  In footnote 11 of the Torcaso v. Watkins decision, Justice Hugo Black listed secular humanism as one of a number of religions “which do not teach what would generally be considered a belief in the existence of God.” Calling humanism a religion was not outlandish.  For a century, humanists such as John Dewey and Julian Huxley had defined their beliefs as a religion. After all, secularism involves certain claims about the cosmos, existence, and human nature.   And yet in 1994, the Ninth Circuit Court ruled in Peloza v. Capistrano Unified School District that while “religion” should be broadly interpreted for free exercise clause purposes, “anything ‘arguably non-religious' should not be considered religious in applying the establishment clause.” In other words, secular organizations were able to play both sides, qualifying as a religion for the free exercise clause but free from constraints from the establishment clause.   To further determine whether religious activities could utilize public spaces, the Supreme Court derived the so-called “Lemon Test” in the case Lemon v. Kurzman (1991). According to this rule, a religious activity is only licit on public grounds if it performs a secular purpose, neither advances nor inhibits religion, and does not foster excessive government entanglement in religion. This test maintained an obviously secular bias: Secular organizations were not required to pass any tests to obtain access.  In the recent decision in the Coach Kennedy case, the Supreme Court continued its long-overdue corrections to the anti-religious way the First Amendment had been interpreted. Particularly by unequivocally tossing the “Lemon Test,” the Court has stopped the active suppression of religious beliefs and practice. We ought not fear an impending theocracy, but instead welcome a redress to the unjust and ahistorical understandings of religion. 

"In the Old Testament alone, “justice” is mentioned hundreds of times in reference to the systemic oppression of vulnerable populations at the hands of the rich and powerful. Here is a very small sampling: “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” (Isaiah 1:17) “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free…” (Isaiah 58:6) “This is what the Lord says: Do what is right and just. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.” (Jeremiah 22:3) “Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his own people work for nothing, not paying them for their labor.” (Jeremiah 22:13) “There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts…But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:12, 24) What you should see in these passages is not just a clear concern for vulnerable populations, but also that they are identifying large scale, systemic issues that are not possible to address by way of mission trips, church service projects, or benevolence. These verses and many others mention things like wages, taxes, greed among the rich, and bribery. Evangelicals who rail against the idea of justice do not deny that the Bible commands Christians to care for the poor and needy, but they seek to make a distinction, saying that individuals and churches are supposed to help the poor and needy, but not try to do so through political processes nor demand that the government do so. This ignores the context of these Bible passages and the problems they mention. How can injustices caused (and maintained) by political forces be remedied by individuals and churches? If Congress passes a law that makes health insurance unaffordable for millions of additional Americans, compassionate churches trying to pay a few medical bills or run a clinic drain their resources while leaving the root cause of the problem in place. If our president halts refugee resettlement programs and cancels protected status for certain immigrants, it's virtually meaningless to talk about helping them since they won't even be here to help. If your city or county is focusing all its resources and energy on the middle to upper class parts of town and neglecting the poor section, your casserole or clean up project is almost insulting. Proverbs 31:8-9 calls us to “defend the rights of the poor and needy.” How are we supposed to do that without engaging those who are taking those rights away? A bucket of water doesn't do much for a house that's on fire. Modern faith leaders' opposition to justice can be traced to some sinister roots in the 1930s. Justice was more commonly preached in American pulpits in those days as the corporate power structure had lost clout with the people because of the 1929 stock market crash. The corporations hated the New Deal, but they were going to need some help in getting Christian America back on board with their agenda. Princeton history professor Kevin M. Kruse says that they found that help in Los Angeles-based Congregationalist pastor James W. Fifield, Jr., who started a movement called “Spiritual Mobilization.” His main sponsors were Sun Oil President J. Howard Pew, Alfred Sloan of General Motors, the heads of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, etc." --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/antonio-myers4/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/antonio-myers4/support

Our eleventh episode explores the most recent novel on our list of celebrated Great American Novels, Marilynne Robinson's 2004 Pulitzer Prize-winning exploration of Christian humanism, GILEAD. Set in a fictional small Iowa town in 1956, this deceptively lowkey narrative about a dying minister, John Ames, and the sudden reappearance of the town's prodigal son, Jack Boughton, raises intriguing questions about the intersection of the soul and society. Robinson is our most prominent representative of literary or philosophical Christianity today; in a marketplace in which the very notion of Christian fiction raises doctrinaire stereotypes of the rapture and the second coming, she is the rare writer who dramatizes faith as a quiet struggle between personal practice and cultural politics. Jack returns to Gilead with a secret he is convinced will challenge the drowsy, contemplative ministries of both his godfather, Ames, a Congregationalist, and his own father, Robert, a staunch Presbyterian. Jack's revelation raises questions about the function of the Church that locals may not wish to confront. But if this conflict sounds melodramatic, GILEAD is a novel of profound serenity: with a poetic style we call "conversational imagism," Robinson dramatizes the plenitude of God's presence not through fiery epiphanies but through arresting images of the natural world's divinity that pay homage to nineteenth-century American Romanticists such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman. Known for her passionate defense of John Calvin and the Puritans as theologists, Robinson depicts faith not as a battle between the spirit and the flesh but between the humility and egotism of individual belief. Few novels have ever so clearly dramatized the relationship between the vulnerability of the religious self and the fragile exercise of democracy.  

My favorite novel is Gilead by Marilynn Robinson.  It is up there in my pantheon with Les Miserables and Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters.  Spoon River Anthology is a dialogue from the grave, short one-page, free-verse statements from the deceased about their lives.  After a while you realize they are interacting with each other, in death as they did in life.  It is one of the most creative books I have ever read.  All three of these are books I have read more than once.  Each time, they are new.  (Which is a characteristic of world-class literature). Gilead is about a Congregationalist minister, John Ames.  He is an older man who lost his beloved wife and daughter during childbirth.  He has never quite gotten over that loss but then, decades later, a young woman appears in his church one morning.  A March-October marriage?  Can this possibly work?  In fact, it does and they have a son.  But then John gets a diagnosis.  He has a heart condition that will soon take his life.  "Why do you have to be so old? his loving young wife asks.  She would have loved having another 30 years with John.  But he recognizes reality.  He realizes that he will never be able to tell his son, now six, all the stories of his family history that he would ordinarily tell him.  Nor will his son have more than a fleeting memory of his father.  John decides to write a letter to the son telling him all the things he would have told him had he had the time, and discussing with him all the issues -- religious, philosophical, historical, personal  – that he would have discussed with him as he got older.  Gilead is the note that John left for his son.  Those who know me know that I spend a lot of time in graveyards.  I frequently lead graveyard walks for friends and students.  When I discuss gravestones I always say that a gravestone is not about death.  It is about life.  It is about who we were, what was important to us, and how we want to be remembered.  This letter is the gravestone that Ames leaves for his son.  Who I was, what was important to me, how I want to be remembered.  By the way, Jane and I put our gravestone into place a few years ago.  It has the normal information:  names, dates, professions.  It includes the names of our two sons and our four grandchildren.  It has the date of our marriage.  And it has the slogan, “We were given the gift of time, and used it well.”  I stole the first part of that from Ted Kennedy's memoir.  He had three older brothers, all of whom died violently (one in war, two from assassination). He said, “I was given the gift of time,” which his brothers were not.  His memoir is a reflection on his life, the achievements that would never have occurred had he died at the age that his brothers died.  We added the last part to our stone to make it clear that we were grateful for our time. John Ames was not given that gift. Do you have a thought?  You can send me a reaction at Stocktonafterclass@gmail.com