The American Soul

Jesse

Are you tired of hearing the myth about separation of church and state? Are you tired of being told that America is not and never was a Christian nation? Do you want to have the information to stand up for the truth and fight back against this fundamental lie that’s invading our culture and education? Each week, host Jesse Cope will dive into quotes and excerpts from our great leaders and documents throughout our history showing how in President Woodrow Wilson’s words “America was born a Christian nation.” We have the truth on our side and together we can absolutely turn our nation around. Follow Jesse @jtcope4 on X for daily doses of the truth to help fight back. Subscribe to The American Soul and share the show with someone who needs to hear it. We're on a mission to spread the truth and get our nation back on the right track — and you can help us make this possible.

  1. 4H AGO

    Who Do You Say He Is?

    A simple question can rearrange a life: Who do you say I am? We walk through Mark 8 where bread is forgotten, vision comes in stages, and a fisherman finds the right words but the wrong expectations. Peter names Jesus as the Messiah, only to learn that glory runs through a cross, not around it. That tension—truth confessed, cost misunderstood—sets the tone for a candid look at what it means to follow when the road gets rough. I share why the warning about yeast still matters, how subtle influences swell our pride, and why spiritual clarity often arrives step by step, like the man who first saw trees walking. We sit with Jesus’ terms of discipleship: give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow. The calculus is bracing and freeing at once—saving your life on your terms ends in loss; surrender for the sake of Christ and the good news leads to a soul you cannot lose. We weigh that claim against our longing for comfort, our reflex to demand proof while overlooking yesterday’s mercies, and our habit of treating God as an escape from pain rather than the Lord who redeems it. When discouragement bites, Psalm 42 gives us a script for hope: honest lament, stubborn praise, and prayer that holds in the dark. We talk about discipline as a gift that steers us back to life, gratitude for courage and service that still inspire, and a faith that is more than private sentiment. The aim isn’t outrage or retreat but fidelity—remembering the bread already given, asking for clearer sight, confessing Jesus as Lord, and carrying today’s cross with steady love. If that resonates, share this with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a review to help others find the show. What part of following Christ feels hardest for you right now? #DailyScripture #Kaskaskia Support the show The American Soul Podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribe Countryside Book Series https://www.amazon.com/Countryside-Book-J-T-Cope-IV-ebook/dp/B00MPIXOB2

    22 min
  2. 1D AGO

    We Show What We Love By How We Spend Our Time

    What if the clearest proof of love isn’t what we say, but how we spend our hours? We open with Psalm 41 and move through stories of healing, scarcity turned into abundance, and the ache of betrayal to ask a simple question with hard edges: do our calendars match our convictions? Along the way, we sit with a tragic loss that should not be forgotten, honor courage under fire, and look honestly at the difference between ideals and ideologies. From the kitchen table to the public square, we keep circling back to one habit that changes everything: quality time. Marriage thrives when love shows up as patience, gentleness, and daily attention. Children grow sturdy when we talk through trouble, practice consistent discipline, and repeat the small acts that say you matter. Scripture’s pattern is action after need, not excuses before effort, and it leaves us with baskets of strength we didn’t know we had. Patriotism comes into focus as love of ideals—justice, mercy, ordered liberty—carried out in ordinary choices. We connect family virtue to civic health, drawing on old wisdom that defines citizenship as service, not sentiment. If we want a nation our kids can admire, we must model what we hope they inherit: faithful marriage, neighbor-love, gratitude, and courage under pressure. That starts with minutes, not manifestos. Spend time on what lasts, teach what you practice, and watch mercy multiply. If this conversation speaks to you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review so others can find it. Then tell us: which 20 minutes will you reclaim today? #DailyScripture #SarahRoot #ChristianFiction Support the show The American Soul Podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribe Countryside Book Series https://www.amazon.com/Countryside-Book-J-T-Cope-IV-ebook/dp/B00MPIXOB2

    22 min
  3. 2D AGO

    Guard Your Heart, Guard Your Nation

    Start at the source: the heart. We explore how inner life—thoughts, desires, and daily choices—spills into families, communities, and national destiny. Guided by Mark 7, we push beyond surface rituals and ask the tougher question: what’s forming our character, and how does that formation show up in the real world? We move from scripture to lived reality, reflecting on a brutal crime and the Red Brigades’ campaign of terror to show how pride, deceit, and envy don’t stay private. They scale. Alongside these hard moments, we lift up examples of courage and service through a Medal of Honor citation and the immigrant story it carries. The throughline is not partisanship but principle: public virtue rests on private virtue. John Adams, General MacArthur, and Ronald Reagan each underscore a civic code where duty, honor, and sacrifice aren’t museum pieces—they’re survival tools for a free people. You’ll hear a frank look at contested teachings around marriage, a call to examine where tradition replaces truth or where convenience edits conviction, and a reminder from Psalms and Proverbs that wisdom speaks quietly while folly shouts. We pray for leaders, first responders, neighbors, and marriages, not as ritual but as alignment with a higher standard. The message is clear: laws matter and institutions matter, but neither can save a society that abandons the work of guarding the heart. If this conversation stirs something in you—hope, resolve, a nudge to act—lean into it. Subscribe to the show, share this episode with a friend who’s ready for substance over slogans, and leave a review so others can find it. What single virtue will you practice this week that could ripple beyond your own life? #DouglassMacArthur #DailyScripture #CountrysideBookSeries Support the show The American Soul Podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribe Countryside Book Series https://www.amazon.com/Countryside-Book-J-T-Cope-IV-ebook/dp/B00MPIXOB2

    18 min
  4. 3D AGO

    Putting People First Beats Every Excuse We Make

    What if the hours we guard for ourselves are the very hours we owe to the people we love? We dig into the gap between what we claim to value and what our calendars reveal, challenging the easy refuge of “me time” when marriage, parenting, and community call for presence. Through Mark 6, we follow Jesus from crowded shores to quiet prayer, drawing a line between rest that restores and rest that numbs. Five loaves and two fish become a blueprint for service: bring what you have, bless it, and watch it multiply for others. We build on Psalm 40 to practice patience in an age that rewards outrage. Waiting is not retreat; it is the discipline that keeps courage from burning out. We honor first responders and those who carry burdens in public, then ask what that courage looks like at home: screens down, apologies quick, promises kept. Words matter, too. Proverbs calls godly speech a life-giving fountain, so we measure our talk by whether it heals, steadies, and points to hope. History adds gravity. John Adams warns that republics rest on private virtue and a passion for the common good. When comfort outranks character, liberty thins. We name the stakes without flinching, then point to a path as old as faith: prayer that quiets the heart, service that chooses people over pastimes, and habits that align love with action. Listen for a clear, practical audit of time and attention, scriptural anchors that reframe rest, and a candid case that freedom at scale begins with fidelity at home. If this conversation helps you realign your hours with your highest loves, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a review so others can find the show. #DailyScripture #JohnAdams #1776 Support the show The American Soul Podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribe Countryside Book Series https://www.amazon.com/Countryside-Book-J-T-Cope-IV-ebook/dp/B00MPIXOB2

    23 min
  5. 4D AGO

    Hope, Duty, And The Measure Of Rulers

    Start with a breath: Psalm 39 names the brevity of life and the only hope that holds when wealth, status, and fury fail. From that quiet center, we move into the heart of covenant—marriage as the exclusive union that reorders our priorities and pushes back against the temptation to treat a spouse like an accessory. Then we follow Jesus to Nazareth, where familiarity breeds unbelief, and watch him send the twelve two by two, a pattern of mission, accountability, and trust that still beats solo bravado and cultural noise. The story of John the Baptist’s beheading exposes how vanity, spectacle, and rash vows corrode leadership. That warning sets the stage for Jonathan Mayhew’s piercing read of Romans 13: the call to submit to higher powers applies to rulers who actually do the work of ruling—praising good and punishing evil. When authorities reverse that order, they forfeit any claim to Christian obedience. We connect those principles to modern examples, from ideologies that radicalize students toward violence to the way public life falters when God is cut from the moral core of education and civic vision. Against that darkness, we raise the bright courage of Sergeant First Class Nelson V. Brittin, whose Medal of Honor valor reminds us what duty, sacrifice, and honor look like in flesh and blood. Throughout, we pray for families, bless those who serve in danger, and ask hard questions about how to live faithfully: guard your words, keep your vows, hold fast to your marriage, and measure leaders by the justice they pursue. If this conversation strengthens your resolve, share it with a friend, leave a review, and subscribe so you don’t miss what comes next. #MollyTibbetts #DailyScripture #JonathanMayhew Support the show The American Soul Podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribe Countryside Book Series https://www.amazon.com/Countryside-Book-J-T-Cope-IV-ebook/dp/B00MPIXOB2

    28 min
  6. 6D AGO

    When Obedience Meets Conscience: Scripture, Suffering, And Civic Duty

    Grief can roar and still not win. We open with a lament that names guilt, pain, and isolation without flinching, then move straight into stories that test faith in real time: a father who believes for his dying daughter, a woman who risks a crowd for a single touch, and a Savior who meets both fear and finality with steady power. Along the way, we talk about marriage as covenant delight, not duty performed on autopilot, and we confess how screens and scrolling siphon attention until affection thins. The remedy isn’t a new hack; it’s older than noise—Scripture first, presence over pixels, and love that chooses wonder every day. From there we take on hard headlines and the claim they force: ideas matter more than passports. Confronting violent ideology is not about hating people; it’s about telling the truth and protecting the innocent, especially children. History gives us a backbone in Maurice “Footsie” Britt, who stood his ground while wounded and led others to do the same. That kind of courage is not just for battlefields; it’s for parents, pastors, and neighbors who refuse apathy when stakes are high. We honor sacrifice, not to glorify pain, but to remember what love looks like when it costs. Then we get practical about civic life. Drawing on Jonathan Mayhew’s reading of Romans 13, we cut between two ditches: anarchy that sneers at authority and absolutism that baptizes every command. Civil government is a good gift when it serves justice; it is not ultimate when it defies God. That means we submit until submission would betray the higher law. To do that well, we need pastors who speak clearly about public righteousness and daily habits in Scripture so we can tell the difference between what we dislike and what God forbids. We close in prayer, asking for daily bread, forgiven debts, and the courage to defend those who cannot defend themselves. If this speaks to you, share it with a friend, leave a review, and subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next. Your voice helps this community grow—what truth are you willing to defend today? #ArianaGrandeConcert #JonathanMayhew #DailyScripture Support the show The American Soul Podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribe Countryside Book Series https://www.amazon.com/Countryside-Book-J-T-Cope-IV-ebook/dp/B00MPIXOB2

    22 min
  7. FEB 20

    Whose Authority Do We Obey When The State And God Collide

    What if the growth you can’t see today becomes the shelter you’ll need tomorrow? We start with Jesus’ parables of the scattered seed and the mustard plant to show how quiet, steady faith takes root long before results are obvious. Then the lake turns rough. As the storm crashes over the boat, fear shouts louder than trust—until a word stills the wind. That moment reframes our own crises: when panic rises, what holds authority over our hearts? From the shoreline we step into the hills of the Gerasenes, where a man beyond all restraint meets mercy and becomes a messenger to his own towns. His story challenges our priorities: will we protect comfort and profit, or make room for a transformed life? We weave in the wisdom of Psalms and Proverbs to underline the stakes of moral education, the beauty of a good name, and the steady hope of walking God’s path when shortcuts tempt. We also turn to the home. A reading from 1 Peter calls husbands and wives to honor, courage, and quiet strength that outlasts trends. We speak candidly about the gap between what churches teach and how we live, and why repentance at the kitchen table restores credibility in the public square. History sharpens the lesson through the 1925 Sofia church bombing and Churchill’s warning about totalizing ideologies, contrasted with the valor of Medal of Honor seaman Andrew Bryan, who stayed under fire until everyone else was safe. To ground it all, we reflect on Jonathan Mayhew’s teaching that civil authority is real yet limited, answerable to God’s higher law. When the state and conscience collide, fidelity to God anchors freedom without sliding into chaos. Through Scripture, story, and prayer, we invite you to plant small seeds, stand steady in storms, and tell the truth about what grace has done in your life. If this conversation encouraged you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend. Your notes and shares help others find the show and keep these reflections going. #JonathanMayhew #WinstonChurchill #DailyScripture  Support the show The American Soul Podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribe Countryside Book Series https://www.amazon.com/Countryside-Book-J-T-Cope-IV-ebook/dp/B00MPIXOB2

    22 min
  8. FEB 19

    When Scripture Confronts Power: What Do We Owe God And Government

    What if the light you carry was never meant to be hidden? We start with Jesus’ lamp-on-a-stand challenge and follow its beam through the places that most test courage: marriage, hardship, and the public square. Along the way, we pair parables with practice, letting scripture press on our preferences and recalibrate the way we hear, love, and act. We sit with Ephesians 5 and its demanding vision of marriage shaped by Christ’s self-giving love. Rather than softening hard verses, we ask how sacrificial love and respectful trust can turn a home into a living parable of the gospel. From there, we walk through the parable of the sower and examine our own soil. Are worries and wealth choking the Word? Are our roots deep enough to endure heat? Jesus’ promise rings out: the closer we listen, the more understanding we receive—and sustained listening becomes the pathway to real fruit. Hope and justice take center stage as Psalm 37 steadies our nerves in a turbulent age. Evil makes noise, but God directs the steps of the faithful and does not abandon them. We then widen the lens with Jonathan Mayhew’s 1750 sermon on obedience and resistance, weighing how Christians honor authority without surrendering conscience. When rulers command what God forbids or forbid what God commands, allegiance to Christ sets clear limits. Through it all, one truth anchors us: everything revolves around Jesus Christ, not cultural heroes or political saviors. If this conversation helps you hear the Word more clearly and live it more openly, share it with a friend, leave a quick review, and consider supporting the show so we can keep the light on. What part challenged you most today—marriage, the soils, or the line between submission and resistance? Support the show The American Soul Podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribe Countryside Book Series https://www.amazon.com/Countryside-Book-J-T-Cope-IV-ebook/dp/B00MPIXOB2

    25 min
4
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Are you tired of hearing the myth about separation of church and state? Are you tired of being told that America is not and never was a Christian nation? Do you want to have the information to stand up for the truth and fight back against this fundamental lie that’s invading our culture and education? Each week, host Jesse Cope will dive into quotes and excerpts from our great leaders and documents throughout our history showing how in President Woodrow Wilson’s words “America was born a Christian nation.” We have the truth on our side and together we can absolutely turn our nation around. Follow Jesse @jtcope4 on X for daily doses of the truth to help fight back. Subscribe to The American Soul and share the show with someone who needs to hear it. We're on a mission to spread the truth and get our nation back on the right track — and you can help us make this possible.

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