About this episode

This episode explores the historical relationship between Christianity and American power, discussing how religious belief has influenced the country and vice versa.

Why does religion still dominate American politics when so many other wealthy democracies secularized long ago? In this episode, Michael Shermer talks with historian Matthew Avery Sutton about the long relationship between Christianity and American power. From the Puritans to Lincoln, from the Scopes trial to the Religious Right, from slavery to same-sex marriage, this conversation tracks how religious belief has shaped the country, and how politics keeps reshaping religion in return. Matthew Avery Sutton is the Claudius O. and Mary Johnson Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of History at Washington State University. His new book is Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity .

People in this episode

Host: Michael Shermer

Guest: Matthew Avery Sutton

Topics covered

• Christianity
• American politics
• history
• religion
• secularization
• social issues

Keywords

• Christianity
• American politics
• Matthew Avery Sutton
• history
• religion
• secularization
• social issues
• Lincoln
• Scopes trial
• Religious Right

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Washington State University

Books & works: Chosen Land: How Christianity Made America and Americans Remade Christianity

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