The Subtext: America Reads the Bible

About this episode

This episode explores the implications of the Bible being used as a stage prop for national identity in America, examining its dual role in fueling nationalism and critique.

What happens when the Bible becomes a stage prop for national identity instead of a text that interrogates it? This episode explores “America Reads the Bible,” a high-profile event where political leaders, actors, and influencers recited Scripture from the nation’s capital, and, drawing on Bonhoeffer’s warning about reading the Bible for ourselves instead of against ourselves, Savannah and Lee examine how the same text is used to fuel both nationalism and its critique, alongside debates like Tennessee’s Ten Commandments bill. Things we mentioned in this episode: Endurance by Alfred Lansing The Wright Brothers by David McCullough Flight of Passage: A Memoir by Rinker Buck The Congruent Life by C.E. Jarnagin Running Point on Netflix Slow Horses on Apple TV Eboo Patel on No Small Endeavor AJ Levine on No Small Endeavor Live Follow The Subtext: Instagram | Threads | X | YouTube | TikTok Follow Lee: Instagram | Twitter | Lee's Newsletter Follow Savannah: Instagram | Substack Join our Email List: nosmallendeavor.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Lee C. Camp

Guest: Savannah

Topics covered

• Bible
• national identity
• nationalism
• political leaders
• Scripture
• Tennessee's Ten Commandments bill

Keywords

• Bible
• national identity
• nationalism
• politics
• Scripture
• Tennessee
• Bonhoeffer

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: No Small Endeavor, megaphone.fm

Products: Running Point, Slow Horses

Books & works: Endurance, The Wright Brothers, Flight of Passage: A Memoir, The Congruent Life

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