1st time listening to TL, It won't be my last, it was AMAZING! Enjoyed hearing BO had his " awakening" while in the UK, my daughter went there to study & had her own " awakening", loved the Professor from Harvard & her simple, succinct explation on what is " christian nationalism", great hosts, this Episode should be required listening ALL over America, well done! ☮💜🌻
I'm a Christian, and I learned from this podcast. However, I think its portrayal of Barry Goldwater as a key influencer of American Christianity is exaggerated. Some research tells me that his relationship with religion was complex. Despite his influence on conservative ideology, Goldwater was critical of the growing power of the religious right within the Republican Party. So, I think the authors of this podcast are misguided in linking his use of the word "extremism" to the religious right. I'll provide a different perspective. I became a Christian during the Jesus Movement of the 1970s. And yes, in those days we were taught to be radical, but not politically. Our focus was on radical personal transformation through faith in Jesus. It was a truly wonderful time. As I changed, I became aware of flaws in the culture of my church, but those flaws did not include political extremism. 911 is mentioned in the podcast. My observation was that for a brief moment, people of diverse backgrounds and worldviews were hungry for unity and spiritual meaning in the days following the attack on the World Trade Center. I visited Union Square Park in NYC a few days after the attack and found a NJ church making a presentation that went on all afternoon. The mood was somber. There was music and preaching. And as people milled about the walls of remembrance in the park, nearly everyone who passed by stopped, listened and took literature from the church. I had an unforgettable encounter with a member of a Hari Krishna group who was of Middle Eastern heritage. He was having a panic attack due to the harsh treatment he had received since the attack. We hugged and I prayed for him. But in the following months, I watched spontaneous unity and spiritual seeking give way to bitter division. In an online forum in which I participated daily, an upsurge in the popularity of figures like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris appeared among participants. These authors seemed to provide solutions to the kind of religious extremism that resulted in 911. Comradery in the forum gave way to unkindness as religious faith was no longer tolerated among forum participants. And, unfortunately, the unkindness was reciprocated. This was my first experience of a bitter chasm among worldviews that I believe continues to grow and weaken our country. My fear is that through its generalizations, a podcast like this will function to encourage prejudice against conservative Christians and worsen the divisions in our country.
